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A review by iwasalilacsky
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.25
4.25 Stars
Thoughts:
After reading this book, I shall now put out a personal ad. It will read:
25 year old - seeking best friend to pen pal or lengthy email about my mundane existence and thought provoking questions about life and its meaning. Please DM if interested (lol)!
Oh Sally Rooney, you did it to me. You made me a fan of this one. After Normal People (which I did not like), I thought I would read this as my second book of yours and call it quits. I was looking for faults and although I did not like the characters at most times, where the plot was going, or even the grammar of this book, I enjoyed it. The complexity and beautiful ugliness of it all. It seems to me that I see another Sally Rooney read on the horizon now.
This story is about Alice, Eileen, Simon, and Felix. It is about friendship, love, religion, sex, life, and what they all mean to each other. If I was asked to describe this book in one word, the best way for me to describe it is human. It is that people are not always nice (especially to themselves). They are ugly to each other. They lie. They hurt to feel better about themselves. They are selfish. However, they also love each other. They desire. They often want the best for each other. They will stand beside you when you need it most. They are human.
Is this book therapy? In a way, yes.
Will you need therapy after this book? Yes, especially if you relate to one of the characters.
Do the characters themselves need therapy? … YES. Absolutely yes!
My expectations of online dating are now to be asked by the second meeting if I would like to go to Rome whether it is a good or bad date. As you can see I am setting the bar in the normal range haha.
Would I recommend this and to who:
Yes, to those who probably already love Sally Rooney and those who might not, but will find that this one might surprise them.
Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
Audiobook on Libby (an Irish accent is elite) and E-Book! I went back and forth between the two.
How did I discover this:
Everyone and their mother has heard of Sally Rooney in one way or another.
Pace:
Slow/Medium
Cover thoughts:
Very interesting and eye-catching.
Quotes:
“And we hate people for
making mistakes so much more than we love them for doing good that the
easiest way to live is to do nothing, say nothing, and love no one.”
“People think that socialism is sustained by force—the forcible expropriation of property—but I wish they would just admit that capitalism is also sustained by exactly the same force in the opposite direction, the forcible protection of existing property arrangements.”
“If God wanted me to give you up, he wouldn't have made me who I am.”
“If you weren't my friend I wouldn't know who I was”
“That's the thing about work, if it was any good you'd do it for free.”
“Maybe we're just born to love and worry about the people we know, and to go on loving and worrying even when there are more important things we should be doing.”
“But if you think there’s any chance that I could make you happy, I wish you would let me try. Because it’s the only thing I really want to do with my life.”
Triggers: *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Mental Illness, Suicidal Thoughts, Alcohol, Toxic Relationships, Sexual Content, Drugs, Swearing, Gaslighting, Classism, Death Mentions, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, etc.
Thoughts:
After reading this book, I shall now put out a personal ad. It will read:
25 year old - seeking best friend to pen pal or lengthy email about my mundane existence and thought provoking questions about life and its meaning. Please DM if interested (lol)!
Oh Sally Rooney, you did it to me. You made me a fan of this one. After Normal People (which I did not like), I thought I would read this as my second book of yours and call it quits. I was looking for faults and although I did not like the characters at most times, where the plot was going, or even the grammar of this book, I enjoyed it. The complexity and beautiful ugliness of it all. It seems to me that I see another Sally Rooney read on the horizon now.
This story is about Alice, Eileen, Simon, and Felix. It is about friendship, love, religion, sex, life, and what they all mean to each other. If I was asked to describe this book in one word, the best way for me to describe it is human. It is that people are not always nice (especially to themselves). They are ugly to each other. They lie. They hurt to feel better about themselves. They are selfish. However, they also love each other. They desire. They often want the best for each other. They will stand beside you when you need it most. They are human.
Is this book therapy? In a way, yes.
Will you need therapy after this book? Yes, especially if you relate to one of the characters.
Do the characters themselves need therapy? … YES. Absolutely yes!
My expectations of online dating are now to be asked by the second meeting if I would like to go to Rome whether it is a good or bad date. As you can see I am setting the bar in the normal range haha.
Would I recommend this and to who:
Yes, to those who probably already love Sally Rooney and those who might not, but will find that this one might surprise them.
Paperback/Hardcover/Audiobook/E-book:
Audiobook on Libby (an Irish accent is elite) and E-Book! I went back and forth between the two.
How did I discover this:
Everyone and their mother has heard of Sally Rooney in one way or another.
Pace:
Slow/Medium
Cover thoughts:
Very interesting and eye-catching.
Quotes:
“And we hate people for
making mistakes so much more than we love them for doing good that the
easiest way to live is to do nothing, say nothing, and love no one.”
“People think that socialism is sustained by force—the forcible expropriation of property—but I wish they would just admit that capitalism is also sustained by exactly the same force in the opposite direction, the forcible protection of existing property arrangements.”
“If God wanted me to give you up, he wouldn't have made me who I am.”
“If you weren't my friend I wouldn't know who I was”
“That's the thing about work, if it was any good you'd do it for free.”
“Maybe we're just born to love and worry about the people we know, and to go on loving and worrying even when there are more important things we should be doing.”
“But if you think there’s any chance that I could make you happy, I wish you would let me try. Because it’s the only thing I really want to do with my life.”
Triggers: *POSSIBLE SPOILERS*
Mental Illness, Suicidal Thoughts, Alcohol, Toxic Relationships, Sexual Content, Drugs, Swearing, Gaslighting, Classism, Death Mentions, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, etc.