Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Normal People

I have been in one of the worst mental blocks of my life over this past year. Unable to get myself to do most of the things I love to do, painting, drawing, baking, running, and least of all reading. I’ve found it so hard to bring myself to read more than 10 pages a night with my off-kilter sleeping schedule and lack of motivation, when in the past I could read a book per day for fun. Despite all of this I read Normal People in only two sittings. I would’ve read it in one if only I didn’t start reading the book so late at night and have to go to bed early for school the next day. It was moving. I felt everything the characters felt, and most of the time it was like a gut-punch. I’m so glad I picked this book up from the library as it introduced me to Marianne and Connell, and I am glad that in my current, down, frame of mind, I was able to discover two characters I can feel for. Feel their indescribable sadness in spades, but also when witnessing what small happinesses they get to enjoy, feel it like a riptide of colour bursting through a grey shore. Even though the tide goes back out for them both, and the dullness of life continues, it meant so much to see the ripples of small events seemingly burst all at once and bring on a wave of joy.

Content Warnings

martu_pm's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

zoellu's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

eriniven's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

laurennbrackbill's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I heard raving reviews and read some terrible ones about this book, so I felt conflicted about reading it.

And then I found myself watching the TV show, which was amazing for me, but I could have seen so much sexual content. I found myself having to fast forward through a bit of the series, anyway, back to the book.

I wonder if watching the show first taints my perspective, but I think that the show is what drew me in and probably led me to enjoy the book more. Yet, it may have sparked some of what I didn't like in the book because I like some of the changes made in the show. I also think I would have been confused about the sequence of vents in the book had I not watched the show first.

I found aspects of both of the main characters to be very relatable. Clearly, they are not "normal people," but what are normal people? Everyone wants to be normal but being normal sucks. It gives people anxiety; it makes them shallow. It makes them place their self-worth in the wrong places. It can leave people feeling crazy when they don't fit the mold, which was one of the ideas I took away from the book.

<Not sure if this is a spoiler, but just in case, I think that also it's good to see how people may know each other well but still not understand each other. At first, I was so frustrated with how Connel and Marianne would always fall out and in! Most books aren't written like this, but I realized that this is close to many people's real experiences. Many people can't express what they feel, and many think they know what others feel. Connel thinks that Marianne doesn't care what other people think, sometimes that's true. But, she is only human. She does care. Sometimes, it's so hard to be with people we care about the most because, well, we care about them and what they think. We, at times, can be more relaxed around people that we don't care as much about because, well, we just don't care. And, this may be toxic, but it's reality. That doesn't mean it's the person you are supposed to be with, but it doesn't mean the feelings aren't real or that they are the only person for you. So at first, I was upset by the ending, but then I felt really empowered by it. I thought to myself, wow, they are really strong for that decision. That is why I think there was character development in this story, they grew together, but they don't depend on each other more for their happiness.>

As a lover of books and education, I was confronted with the idea in the book that some people like that only to inflate their self-worth basically. I felt ATTACKED (in a good way). There were many aspects of the book that made me question how I view myself, how I view others, and how what I experience translates into how I interact with others.

Content Warnings

elodie_melodie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I am German and read the book in german so I will also write my review in german.

Absolute 5 Sterne für mich! Dieses Buch hat mich total gepackt und ich habe es in 5 Tagen verschlungen.
Ich habe die deutsche Übersetzung von Zoe Beck gelesen. Der Text hat sich schlüssig und flüssig lesen lassen und sich somit meiner Meinung nach nicht nach einer Übersetzung angefühlt. Manchmal merkt man das ja schon sehr stark und das stört dann oft meinen Lesefluss. Ich mochte die Erzählweise sehr gerne und fand es total spannend immer abwechselnd die eine und dann die andere Seite zu sehen und direkt nachvollziehen zu können, an welcher Stelle die beiden Protagonist:innen aneinander vorbei geredet bzw. sich missverstanden haben oder einfach aus Angst nicht ausgesprochen haben, was sie eigentlich dachten.

Ich fand es total gelungen, wie das Buch über Klassismus spricht, aber nie aus einer wissenschaftlichen oder soziologischen Perspektive, sondern einfach nur indem es die alltäglichsten Dinge der Charaktere wiedergibt. Das hat sich sehr echt angefühlt.
Außerdem hab ich es genossen, durch die Geschichte das Unileben zu "erleben", während ich in Zeiten von Corona selbst seit Ewigkeiten nicht mehr auf meinem Campus war.
Die Protagonist:innen sind solala sympathisch, aber ich finde, man muss die Charaktere nicht unbedingt super likeable finden um die Geschichte zu mögen. Trotzdem konnte ich mich doch irgendwie mit ihnen identifizieren bei manchen Punkten. Die Gedanken, die einem mit Anfang 20 durch den Kopf schwirren werden sehr nachvollziehbar dargestellt.

Alles in Allem war ich super positiv überrascht und werde das Buch definitv weiterempfehlen!

Große Triggerwarnung für viele viele Dinge! Teilweise nichts für schwache Nerven.

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