Reviews with content warning for Miscarriage - Parlarne tra amici

I love Rooney's themes in her novels and her style of writing, and I am so fascinated by her ability to make me compulsively read books that I don't really *like.* The characters in this book are not likable or redeemable, yet I never even questioned putting the book down. She has a way of articulating anxiety, insecurity, and mental health in a way that feels strikingly resonant. Her writing is raw and honest in a way that I've never read before, which I love. But I absolutely hate identifying so closely with characters that I find so selfish, arrogant, and emotionally stunted. It all just leaves me feeling icky, and I can't shake that feeling when I think of this book. I *think* I understand what she's trying to do, but I wouldn't mind a few lines or scenes that spell her message out more clearly. I did like Normal People and the characters much more than this one, so I'll probably continue reading Sally Rooney's books, searching for flawed characters that actually learn from their mistakes and pursue the betterment of themselves.

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carolinecronj's review against another edition

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4.0

This book is INCREDIBLY well written. The protagonist narrates the story with a refreshing and at times brutal honesty and I felt that the scenes and dialogues simply felt realistic and less touched-up like they usually are in fiction.

I could not relate to all characters, so sometimes I found their actions and decisions puzzling. However, I still experienced this as a great portrait of love, attraction, friendship and communication. Though Sally Rooney mostly uses simple words and short sentences, she really manages to create a detailed and complex emotional landscape, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

my second go with Sally Rooney (first being Normal People), and this time was much more enjoyable. nowhere near as bleak and depressing, but still very emotional. i found the narrator’s desperate need for validation relatable; me too girlie. really well plotted. don’t be fooled by the title though: it’s a lot of internal monologue and more about the conversations that didn’t happen than the ones that did.

i have to comment on the US cover, especially for the audiobook (storygraph shows a different one but you can see what i’m talking about here: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41DTekX2n4L._SL500_.jpg). first of all, i don’t mind the composition but i dislike the art style, its flatness and lifelessness when this book is all about complex characters. but what really bothers me is that i think some other artist was given the task of adapting the cover art to a square aspect ratio for the audiobook, and literally copied, pasted, and mirrored the original tightly-cropped faces, adding in the nose bits. because, why are they so symmetrical?? why are their facial features so small?? it’s firmly in the uncanny valley. shoutout to the Danish cover, though, so pretty: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/0bf9c4f3-3123-4d7b-a6b5-8955ff06e5f6
edit: the Russian hardcover is also beautiful: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/183d6a3b-d207-4cfb-aa9e-e36bc6df3f84

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seforana's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

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

1.0

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wwsimon93's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-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? Yes

2.0

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