A review by sofiya
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

emotional reflective slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Not sure how I feel about this one, in all honesty. I think Sally Rooney in general is very good at making relatable characters and writing about how they react to certain things, but the actual storyline and writing itself is weak and not very cohesive to me in the long run. The book felt drawn out, while the ending was almost rushed. There's also no real ending, which I think she does on purpose to signify how life doesn't really have an ending like in books.

That being said... I think I liked it more than Normal People? I still find the forced deepness of her characters to be more pretentious than thought-provoking, but they're a bit more explicit about it like they know that they're just trying to sound intelligent rather than just being intelligent. 

The medical storyline I didn't like very much. It felt misplaced and just made it feel as though Francis was obsessed with being separate and different from the rest of the world. Maybe I missed the point, but I wasn't a fan. The way her parents were used also felt purposeless for me, even though I'm assuming the point was to show us how the way we interact with people shapes us.


Overall, it was fine. I can see how some people love it and some people hate it, but I'd recommend just watching the show unless you really like Rooney's writing style. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings