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A review by ivyninareads
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
3.0
Damn, I really wanted to be able to rate this book higher. I mean ‘Normal People’ has been one of my favourite reads of the year so far — there’s lines that I still think about FREQUENTLY and I read the novel in January. It’s safe to say that usually, my memory of those kinds of specifics is super unreliable. But Sally Rooney really drew me in with ‘Normal People’, so I was quite surprised to find that I couldn’t say the same about ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’. However, this is not to say that my reading experience was entirely bad. There were definitely a few moments where my brain was running to catch up with my eyes as I was rapidly turning pages.
First of all, the title of this novel, I ADORE. And to find all of the added depth in its choice that was divulged in the acknowledgements only made me fall further in love with this name. I also really appreciated the difference in dynamic between Alice and Felix’s characters. They were quite starkly contrasting and this clear difference in personality made the developing relationship between the characters very interesting to watch unfold.
On the other hand, Simon to me felt a little bland and shapeless. There was obviously some form to his character (and it was maybe his emotional unavailability that makes me think this) but he at times felt closed off or inaccessible to me as a reader. Similarly, I felt like I didn’t know enough about Eileen’s personal life and job and that consequently I didn’t have a massive affinity for her character throughout the rest of the novel. Rooney really shines in her character studies, so I was surprised to find that this book did not hit as hard for me.
Additionally, the format of the book I, at times, found quite tiresome. The emails taking up every other chapter felt a bit like a safe choice, but also an unnecessary one. It didn’t feel often that the chatter of the emails actually added to the plot of the main narrative. I don’t know if this was just me (it probably was) but there were some email chapters loaded with political jargon and/or broad philosophical thought. In reality, all I wanted was to get back to the relationship drama and dynamics.
Rooney’s writing style in ‘Normal People’ was very accessible to me, and I found that indeed the same can be said for ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’. I actually think that this might be half the reason that this book got three stars from me — it was primarily the writing style that kept me intrigued. Rooney has such a poetic specificity in the way that she writes and this conciseness somehow always rings out with a certain lyricism. I wished that the emails too would have read in a way that felt more conversational yet precise. Sometimes they felt a little ramble to me.
Oh! I wished the characters would have stayed in Rome for longer! I know that that wasn’t really the point of the novel, but I so would have liked to see more Rome content.
For me the highlights of this novel probably came from the parts in which the four main characters were all together at Alice’s house. The greater focus that this pulled onto their relationship dynamics was very interesting. I was particularly interested in the friendship between Simon and Felix. I also just enjoyed a break from those emails.
As always, Rooney writes spoken dialogue like a champ. There were also quite a few moments, particularly at the end of chapters where our perspective as the reader would be zoomed out quite wide, out into the night or to kiss the rising sun. I thought that this writing technique as well as the quick descriptive introductions to the starts of scenes and chapters, were gorgeous. And I loved the scene where Felix sings and Alice cries. I thought it was lovely. <3
When I bought my copy of this book, I bought it from a local shop and it was the last copy left for sale and slightly damaged. So I asked a worker if I could have it for cheaper since I still wanted it but it was damaged. Long story short, I managed to buy the book for $12. I still feel really proud of that considering that I know this book is sold for $30 in some places. Definitely still smiling about that deal, even though it was like nearly three weeks ago.
In conclusion, this novel was pretty decent. It didn’t feel ground-breaking or earth-shattering in the way that ‘Normal People’ did, but I still love the way that Sally Rooney writes and I’m glad that that’s not been ruined for me. I am surprised that I wasn’t a drop dead fan of this book considering I hadn’t actually heard anything other than five star reviews. I want to read ‘Conversations with Friends’ as well as ‘Mr Salary’ by Sally Rooney, to see what my thoughts are on those. Rooney has still got me dangling at the end of her hook, so we’ll see which of her works I swim around to next.
First of all, the title of this novel, I ADORE. And to find all of the added depth in its choice that was divulged in the acknowledgements only made me fall further in love with this name. I also really appreciated the difference in dynamic between Alice and Felix’s characters. They were quite starkly contrasting and this clear difference in personality made the developing relationship between the characters very interesting to watch unfold.
On the other hand, Simon to me felt a little bland and shapeless. There was obviously some form to his character (and it was maybe his emotional unavailability that makes me think this) but he at times felt closed off or inaccessible to me as a reader. Similarly, I felt like I didn’t know enough about Eileen’s personal life and job and that consequently I didn’t have a massive affinity for her character throughout the rest of the novel. Rooney really shines in her character studies, so I was surprised to find that this book did not hit as hard for me.
Additionally, the format of the book I, at times, found quite tiresome. The emails taking up every other chapter felt a bit like a safe choice, but also an unnecessary one. It didn’t feel often that the chatter of the emails actually added to the plot of the main narrative. I don’t know if this was just me (it probably was) but there were some email chapters loaded with political jargon and/or broad philosophical thought. In reality, all I wanted was to get back to the relationship drama and dynamics.
Rooney’s writing style in ‘Normal People’ was very accessible to me, and I found that indeed the same can be said for ‘Beautiful World, Where Are You’. I actually think that this might be half the reason that this book got three stars from me — it was primarily the writing style that kept me intrigued. Rooney has such a poetic specificity in the way that she writes and this conciseness somehow always rings out with a certain lyricism. I wished that the emails too would have read in a way that felt more conversational yet precise. Sometimes they felt a little ramble to me.
Oh! I wished the characters would have stayed in Rome for longer! I know that that wasn’t really the point of the novel, but I so would have liked to see more Rome content.
For me the highlights of this novel probably came from the parts in which the four main characters were all together at Alice’s house. The greater focus that this pulled onto their relationship dynamics was very interesting. I was particularly interested in the friendship between Simon and Felix. I also just enjoyed a break from those emails.
As always, Rooney writes spoken dialogue like a champ. There were also quite a few moments, particularly at the end of chapters where our perspective as the reader would be zoomed out quite wide, out into the night or to kiss the rising sun. I thought that this writing technique as well as the quick descriptive introductions to the starts of scenes and chapters, were gorgeous. And I loved the scene where Felix sings and Alice cries. I thought it was lovely. <3
When I bought my copy of this book, I bought it from a local shop and it was the last copy left for sale and slightly damaged. So I asked a worker if I could have it for cheaper since I still wanted it but it was damaged. Long story short, I managed to buy the book for $12. I still feel really proud of that considering that I know this book is sold for $30 in some places. Definitely still smiling about that deal, even though it was like nearly three weeks ago.
In conclusion, this novel was pretty decent. It didn’t feel ground-breaking or earth-shattering in the way that ‘Normal People’ did, but I still love the way that Sally Rooney writes and I’m glad that that’s not been ruined for me. I am surprised that I wasn’t a drop dead fan of this book considering I hadn’t actually heard anything other than five star reviews. I want to read ‘Conversations with Friends’ as well as ‘Mr Salary’ by Sally Rooney, to see what my thoughts are on those. Rooney has still got me dangling at the end of her hook, so we’ll see which of her works I swim around to next.