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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
this was such beautiful, fresh, and magical novel about coming of age, mental health, life, family and friendship. i loved discovering more about what’s it like to be living in a farm, as well as the Irish slangs. the characters were profound and endearing, each one of them unique. i could see myself in Debbie, how she thought of herself and her experience at university, which helped me like her character even more. Snowflake was a deeply moving story. excited to see what will be her next novel!
emotional
funny
reflective
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:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
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
3.5
czyta się szybko i lekko, ale mam wrażenie, że autorka rozpoczęła dużo wątków i zamknęła tylko niewielką ich część; trudno polubić, a miejscami zrozumieć główną bohaterkę i motywy jej postępowania, jednak sama fabuła/sceneria ma w sobie coś, przez co żałowałam, że to już koniec; tw: brak zrozumienia w kwestii zdrowia psychicznego i krzywdzące, umniejszające wypowiedzi na ten temat
czyta się szybko i lekko, ale mam wrażenie, że autorka rozpoczęła dużo wątków i zamknęła tylko niewielką ich część; trudno polubić, a miejscami zrozumieć główną bohaterkę i motywy jej postępowania, jednak sama fabuła/sceneria ma w sobie coś, przez co żałowałam, że to już koniec; tw: brak zrozumienia w kwestii zdrowia psychicznego i krzywdzące, umniejszające wypowiedzi na ten temat
It’s not ideal but I felt it and I think that’s all that matters. I felt the loneliness and sorrow and intense yearning for validation. They say it’s a book about coming of age and about a girl in a big city and it is but it’s about so, so much more. I wrote it down below but, if you don’t want to read it all, my opinion is short: it’s worth to give it a chance and to find there all of the little pieces of ourselves in our worst moments when we’re lost on the edge of adulthood and desperately want to stay children.
- We're all lonely. Loneliness is something we hold on tightly, because we don't have the ability to understand each other even if we're so, so similar.
- We desperataly seek minutes and moments, ripping them from reality in hope they replace the constancy of intimacy.
- We float alone, in the bubble of fear which we can't break through, and which pushes us away from looking at ourselves in true light. Loneliness becomes circle.
- We're not able to enjoy ourselves. We require perfection living with blurry, ideal image of others, that we create in our own heads.
- We yearn for love. We yearn so, so much.
- We love more than we feel loved and, with time, we become statues, just to break under the weigh of responsibility, that we put on our shoulders.
- We feel tricked - the world, suddenly and unexpectedly becomes cold and each one of us has to bear it by themselves. We imagine the life we don't have, but we would like to have, just to crawl on the bathroom tiles and cry out our pity before ourselves.
- Every life is a story.
- We're all lonely. Loneliness is something we hold on tightly, because we don't have the ability to understand each other even if we're so, so similar.
- We desperataly seek minutes and moments, ripping them from reality in hope they replace the constancy of intimacy.
- We float alone, in the bubble of fear which we can't break through, and which pushes us away from looking at ourselves in true light. Loneliness becomes circle.
- We're not able to enjoy ourselves. We require perfection living with blurry, ideal image of others, that we create in our own heads.
- We yearn for love. We yearn so, so much.
- We love more than we feel loved and, with time, we become statues, just to break under the weigh of responsibility, that we put on our shoulders.
- We feel tricked - the world, suddenly and unexpectedly becomes cold and each one of us has to bear it by themselves. We imagine the life we don't have, but we would like to have, just to crawl on the bathroom tiles and cry out our pity before ourselves.
- Every life is a story.
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
vreselijk. zo veel onnodige/pointless/toxic scènes. raar ook. totaal geen leuke trinity vibes zoals gehoopt!
Though seemingly unable to escape comparisons with Sally Rooney, this book is in an entirely different register from Rooney's work. While Rooney is interested in philosophical questions about our place in the world and how relationships work, Nealon's work is much grittier and down-to-earth. This is not a slight on either author: I've really enjoyed both of their work, but I think the similarities between them are superficial. Though Nealon's novel begins with Debbie going to university, this story is rooted in the world of a rural dairy farm. The world of Dublin and of Trinity college are secondary to the beating heart of the novel, which is Debbie's immediate family: her mother, Maeve, and her uncle, Billy. The family is loving, but struggles to function: Billy blames himself for his mother's death, and drinks heavily, while Maeve seems constantly on the point of breakdown. Debbie also uses alcohol to cope: it's all she's learnt. Though she was alienated at school, she also feels dislocated in university, and struggles to find her place, though she befriends the privileged but depressed Xanthe. This book is also an indictment of the struggling mental health systems and of clueless therapists, as characters try to seek help and meet bureacratic walls.
The ways in which we form connections and how we can cherish relationships between one another are at the heart of the novel: though crises abound, Debbie's love for her family and friends is central to her identity, and it's only through connection with others that she comes to respect herself. My only caveat about this novel is that the magical realism element -- that Debbie dreams other people's dreams -- doesn't feel fully realised, or even necessarry to the plot. The story could have worked just as well without it. Otherwise, this is an impressive debut, creating the reality of the dairy farm, and the messy emotions and experices of early adulthood. The reader always roots for Debbie as she finds her way to love herself and form her own identity.
The ways in which we form connections and how we can cherish relationships between one another are at the heart of the novel: though crises abound, Debbie's love for her family and friends is central to her identity, and it's only through connection with others that she comes to respect herself. My only caveat about this novel is that the magical realism element -- that Debbie dreams other people's dreams -- doesn't feel fully realised, or even necessarry to the plot. The story could have worked just as well without it. Otherwise, this is an impressive debut, creating the reality of the dairy farm, and the messy emotions and experices of early adulthood. The reader always roots for Debbie as she finds her way to love herself and form her own identity.
emotional
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:
Yes
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated