A review by dotdray
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney

dark emotional reflective 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

4.0

I absolutely LOVED normal people, and somewhat enjoyed conversations with friends (though compared to normal people I was disappointed). Whereas Normal People took you on a long journey through peoples lives, I found the 3rd person narrative of the characters in Beautiful world, where are you fell flat which left the characters lacking. However, I absolutely loved the first-person perspectives we get through the emails that Eileen and Alice send each other. There were so many beautiful thoughts and expressions of class, beauty, religion, capitalism and the publishing industry. I kind of wish that the book was just a series of these emails - especially as they are the only aspect of the book in which we get the characters actual feelings and thoughts. Would be a 5 star read for me if it was just the emails - 4 stars might be a bit generous but there were so many gorgeous lines that have stuck with me that I couldn't not.