Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Death of parent
Minor: Violence
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book isn’t as strong as Sally’s other work to me. It’s quite male gaze-y at points in the beginning and the sex scenes are more graphic than her other books. Not my favourite.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I understand the appeal of Sally Rooney's storytelling, yet I personally have a hard time with it. There are beautiful, interwoven character studies in "Intermezzo" with relatable conflict in family and romantic love. But it feels like an excruciating wind-up for a couple pages of emotional release, rendering the majority of the book dramatic and airless. I'm inner-monologued out.
This book covers a lot about grief, and loneliness and the complicated nature of love. It basically illustrates what happens when an entire family doesn't believe in therapy or communication, so you watch a lot of toxic self-soothing and mommy issues playing out.
You'll like this if you have similar family dynamics, and like experiencing unstable narrators finding their way to redemption. Lots of TWs.
This book covers a lot about grief, and loneliness and the complicated nature of love. It basically illustrates what happens when an entire family doesn't believe in therapy or communication, so you watch a lot of toxic self-soothing and mommy issues playing out.
You'll like this if you have similar family dynamics, and like experiencing unstable narrators finding their way to redemption. Lots of TWs.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Drug use, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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:
Complicated
For me, Sally Rooney is one of my auto-buy authors and Intermezzo has not changed this.
The book follows bothers, Ivan and Peter, following the death of their dad. It explores their relationship as brothers during their grief but also their relationship with their mother and their respective partners and friends.
Tactfully, the themes of loss, grief, self image, mental illness and self loathing are explored.
Sally Rooney is able to create such fully realised characters that you can love, relate to and be frustrated by in equal measure. Unlike her other novels, I really enjoyed following two male main characters.
Whilst Normal People still remains my personal favourite. Intermezzo contains everything I have come to expect and hope for from Sally Rooney.
The book follows bothers, Ivan and Peter, following the death of their dad. It explores their relationship as brothers during their grief but also their relationship with their mother and their respective partners and friends.
Tactfully, the themes of loss, grief, self image, mental illness and self loathing are explored.
Sally Rooney is able to create such fully realised characters that you can love, relate to and be frustrated by in equal measure. Unlike her other novels, I really enjoyed following two male main characters.
Whilst Normal People still remains my personal favourite. Intermezzo contains everything I have come to expect and hope for from Sally Rooney.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Vomit, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took me a long time to get into, but ultimately loved it, was sad to leave the characters. Loved that it ended in polyamory!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Què pesat el Peter, home mediocre af
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Infertility
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I did not especially enjoy Sally Rooney's other books.
I loved this.
The opening is challenging. It's difficult to work out the narrative voice at first. It's 3rd person but also interior. It's very fragmented. The difference between thoughts and speech is not immediately clear - especially in Peter's chapters. But once you get into the rhythm of it, the way she creates the inner life of her characters is very compelling. And characters who at first seen unlikeable, by the end I felt empathy for.
The family dynamics, the themes of grief and living with chronic pain add depth to the romantic entanglements.
I felt the second half really takes off and I was very invested by the end.
One criticism... the lack of a narrative pov for Naomi unbalances the novel somewhat.
I loved this.
The opening is challenging. It's difficult to work out the narrative voice at first. It's 3rd person but also interior. It's very fragmented. The difference between thoughts and speech is not immediately clear - especially in Peter's chapters. But once you get into the rhythm of it, the way she creates the inner life of her characters is very compelling. And characters who at first seen unlikeable, by the end I felt empathy for.
The family dynamics, the themes of grief and living with chronic pain add depth to the romantic entanglements.
I felt the second half really takes off and I was very invested by the end.
One criticism... the lack of a narrative pov for Naomi unbalances the novel somewhat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail