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A review by valsometimesreads
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
emotional
tense
slow-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
3.0
4 of the worst people you know discover polygamy, kind of? Bad polygamy.
I think sally rooney’s characterization and dialogue are really well done. Her characters feel real in the sense that I sometimes want to strangle all of them but I simultaneously feel for them. I think in particular characters’ defense mechanisms and deflections add an interesting subtext. You know and sometimes directly hear the opinions of the central four on one another; however, since they are all complex and unreliable, you are required to read in between the lines. Sally Rooney never explicitly condemns anyone and I think that is a big strong point of this novel.
However, I still don’t really think her novels are for me. This is likely the last book I’m picking up from her. While her characters are unflinchingly realistic, it is extremely difficult to invest in them as they are at times cruel and hard to redeem. Something off-putting about the characters in this book as well as “Normal People” is that they all seem to buzz around interesting class politics, but to me it always falls flat and comes across as pretty pretentious and empty.
I think sally rooney’s characterization and dialogue are really well done. Her characters feel real in the sense that I sometimes want to strangle all of them but I simultaneously feel for them. I think in particular characters’ defense mechanisms and deflections add an interesting subtext. You know and sometimes directly hear the opinions of the central four on one another; however, since they are all complex and unreliable, you are required to read in between the lines. Sally Rooney never explicitly condemns anyone and I think that is a big strong point of this novel.
However, I still don’t really think her novels are for me. This is likely the last book I’m picking up from her. While her characters are unflinchingly realistic, it is extremely difficult to invest in them as they are at times cruel and hard to redeem. Something off-putting about the characters in this book as well as “Normal People” is that they all seem to buzz around interesting class politics, but to me it always falls flat and comes across as pretty pretentious and empty.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism