Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

806 reviews

desiderium_incarnate's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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? No

3.75

Tbd

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Alcohol

fbc_2122's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

thlad's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Classism

rtanner17's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I didn’t expect to, but I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn’t put it down. Mostly because I was so enthralled with the relationship, so encapsulated and wanted to see how it ends. 

I can see why people can find this a difficult story to relate to. If you haven’t experienced anything similar to the characters, some of the plot lines can seem unrealistic or unnecessarily dramatic. But this book does a fantastic job at displaying an anxious attachment/avoidant attachment relationship. Not only that, but other themes such as how trauma can affect a persons character, differences in classes, battles with mental issues, the effects that loneliness has on young people. It is a beautifully written story that is honest and real. While it doesn’t have a traditional “happy ending”, we can see that the characters have changed so much and carry the good from their past as they move forward into their futures. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

fiwwa's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Sexual violence

beccaglasserbaker's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence

serenekallickal's review

emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Sexual violence

mattyvreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

5.0

The book is everything I wanted Elif Batuman’s The Idiot to be, but unlike that book, this book really delivered for me. I was totally engrossed in the story and completely enthralled by these best friends’

(lovers’)

dynamic. Sally Rooney is such a powerful writer and her prose is exquisite. 

I love how she structures her story: linear vignettes and flashbacks which tell us so much about each character — how they think, how they choose to behave. It is devastating, beautiful, and profound. 

Rooney illustrates how quickly a relationship can change, and inversely, how long it can remain the same. This book is absolutely tragic in parts, as each chapter is punctuated by some missed connection or tragic misunderstanding between our two protagonists.

I love the ending of this book. Throughout the book, we see this couple that “should work” due uncomplicated, unconditional love, and yet circumstantially, each party is in a mismatched phase of their lives and independent journeys.

They are like an almost-circle, drawn out, but whose end never meets its point of origin. They are so close to be aligned, and never can settle comfortably due to where they are in their lives.

Of course it needed to end with another missed connection and misunderstanding.

This book is really well-written and quite brilliant. I am excited to re-read. Salley Rooney is such a good writer, she actually made me care about a straight relationship. That says everything.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Sexual assault

staci64's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

I like Rooney’s writing style but the millennial angst, the weird trauma from childhood that affects both Connell and Marianne to various degrees and in different ways is just a burden. It’s basically a coming of age story of two young people in love who can’t seem to be together and make it work. I know this is an older, popular book. Popular enough to be made into a Netflix show. No, I won’t be watching. It’s depressing. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Connell and Marianne need Jesus.

marimoon9's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, and Suicide

Moderate: Toxic relationship