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A review by astrangewind
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
Sally Rooney's storytelling style - rooted deeply in the inane details of every day life - becomes even more compelling in Beautiful World. Alice, Felix, Eileen, and Simon are each deeply flawed characters with deeply flawed relationships with themselves and each other; it's this complexity that makes them lovable.
The "plot" (some might argue there is none) is interrupted with emails between Alice and Eileen, which serve primarily as the author's own philosophical projection. At first, I thought this was a little bit much, but by the end of the book I appreciated these vignettes as additional characterization of Alice and Eileen, and Felix and Simon by proxy.
I loved these messy characters and their messy lives, and I rooted for them to the end.
The "plot" (some might argue there is none) is interrupted with emails between Alice and Eileen, which serve primarily as the author's own philosophical projection. At first, I thought this was a little bit much, but by the end of the book I appreciated these vignettes as additional characterization of Alice and Eileen, and Felix and Simon by proxy.
I loved these messy characters and their messy lives, and I rooted for them to the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Self harm, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, and Drug use