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ambero 's review for:
Intermezzo
by Sally Rooney
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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
I liked this a lot to begin with, mostly because I love salley’s writing style and her attention to detail. When reading this, one thing that really stood out to me was her attention to light - both its quality and what it’s source was, that felt so vivid and exact in her descriptions
And of the way love can really be easy when you uncomplicate it from society’s expectations that you’ve internalised - particularly this in Ivan and margret’s relationship - like his line v early on about is this how it feels to want and her and it can be that simple? How I feel about Amel sometimes before the stress/fear/doubt kicks in - there is something v beautiful about these moments of complete clarity, whether or not they’ll have any bearing in the long-term future or not - reminds me of arch budzar’s frog: I saw something I loved and ran after it, I don’t care if it didn’t bring me anywhere - the love in the now is enough
And in this the descriptions of beauty, not in simple terms of aesthetic but of sensation and feeling and ephemerality - the idea that a feeling of beauty is akin to god, that such beauty exists is a sign that god exists - maybe in a way that’s what Ivan’s chess talent is, like yes he works hard and studies but the times he’s doing the best is when he’s in love and feeling rather than thinking the game
Surprisingly, the bits on grief/loss didn’t really hit home for me
Maybe feels a bit like ACE therapy (at least the little I know of it)
And of the way love can really be easy when you uncomplicate it from society’s expectations that you’ve internalised - particularly this in Ivan and margret’s relationship - like his line v early on about is this how it feels to want and her and it can be that simple? How I feel about Amel sometimes before the stress/fear/doubt kicks in - there is something v beautiful about these moments of complete clarity, whether or not they’ll have any bearing in the long-term future or not - reminds me of arch budzar’s frog: I saw something I loved and ran after it, I don’t care if it didn’t bring me anywhere - the love in the now is enough
And in this the descriptions of beauty, not in simple terms of aesthetic but of sensation and feeling and ephemerality - the idea that a feeling of beauty is akin to god, that such beauty exists is a sign that god exists - maybe in a way that’s what Ivan’s chess talent is, like yes he works hard and studies but the times he’s doing the best is when he’s in love and feeling rather than thinking the game
Surprisingly, the bits on grief/loss didn’t really hit home for me
Maybe feels a bit like ACE therapy (at least the little I know of it)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent