lilahs_literacy_corner's reviews
49 reviews

Normal People by Sally Rooney

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challenging dark emotional reflective relaxing sad tense fast-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

3.5

This book is phenomenally well written, the pacing amazing, and the characters entirely relatable!! My only point of contention with the book is that there seems to be a lack of real full development of Marianne. I'm not saying she needs to have a complete change overnight or even change in the same ways Connell does. But it feels like Connell was given permission to shift and to change, even when it meant him returning to his old self, in a way Marianne was not. Although they are both tethered to each other, for Connell he's allowed to be something outside of that relationship, for Marianne, it seems her characterization only serves as a way to show her impact on Connell but not the other way around. Connell is given the grace to develop his own personhood, something we never see Marianne devleop. Sometimes it felt as though she was just a character that was only activated by Connell, nothing more nothing less, which isn't fair to her or the book because she deserved to have nuance as well as be unchanged. I think part of this comes from the fact that I hoped Sally Rooney, as a female author, would understand the significance of very nuanced and dynamic female characters, but she seems to fall out a little bit with how she wrote Marianne.

Content Warnings

Fantomina; or, Love in a Maze by Eliza Fowler Haywood

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adventurous dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish

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informative reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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funny lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

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adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

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dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing fast-paced

5.0

Content Warnings