Reviews

Profound, beautiful, and utterly devastating. Connell and Marianne, both as individual characters and as members of this fateful relationship, are so well-developed. I love how Rooney incorporates class, miscommunication, and mental illness as obstacles for these characters.

I also thought that the formal choices—the absence of quotation marks, the present-tense narration, and the nonlinear storyline—all brilliantly play into the book’s themes.

I’m a slow reader, so the fact that I read this in less than four days goes to show how invested I was. Also, I really want to go back to Ireland.

kasvi_mavani's review against another edition

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3.0

aspen26's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

3.0

fionacashell's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

hannahreadsawholelot's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This novel made me look at the relationships and trauma I've experienced in my own life, and really assess how I'm dealing with those things, and reframing my life, motivations, and mentality surrounding them. I think everyone should read this book, as it discusses very important things, but it is not an easy read if not prepared to look inward.

Content Warnings

shannonekatzreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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