Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Intermezzo

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

75 reviews

rb_br's review against another edition

3.75

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense 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

Content Warnings

hlredx's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

The characters are hard to relate to, but also completely flawed and in that way relatable.

Content Warnings

evaem_'s review against another edition

2.75

challenging emotional reflective slow-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

Content Warnings

waybeyondblue's review against another edition

1.75

reflective slow-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

What happened between Conversations with Friends and here? 😭

Peter's POV was almost impenetrable. Both main characters - two brothers - unlikable. Plot was drawn out and uninteresting. And I really didn't like the portrayal of disability ('I can't possibly be in a relationship because I'm disabled' - wtf) or neurodivergence.

DNF about three quarters of the way through, but should have given up sooner.

Content Warnings

rachelwupong's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional reflective sad 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

nicmgray's review against another edition

4.25

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

maregred's review against another edition

3.0

emotional hopeful 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

carojust's review against another edition

3.25

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.

Content Warnings

shaleen64's review against another edition

4.0

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.

Content Warnings

ericispublius's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense 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

Sally Rooney has released her penultimate work, diving headfirst into the complexities of interpersonal relationships. I found myself splitting with laughter, tying my heart back together, & squeezing with tension throughout this work.

Content Warnings

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