Reviews

Normal People by Sally Rooney

Only show reviews with written explanations

luci_ja's review against another edition

3.75

Tense, attention-grabbing, well-written. Wish the characters continued evolving, as they mostly seem to stagnate in the last part of the book (falling out over the same petty issues even in the very last chapter). Not entirely sure why this book is supposed to be the true voice of our generation but definitely a worthy read.

scarlettaustin15968's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

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

4.25

jknuchel's review against another edition

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3.0

Okay, so i did enjoy reading this, however i gave it 3 stars. The writing style is great but the thing that enoys me is that it feels as if the characters make dessicions that seem so far fetched. In my opinion stupid sometimes. Some are explaineable, some come out of the blue, i woyld also love some more context on Marianne her fammily, i felt as if it was sometimes a bit random. The ending also sucks.
Enjoyed it non the less, lighthearted read with not so lighthearted themes sometimes.

sapphicmacbeth's review against another edition

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2.0

she really said what if tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow was worse

this just feels gross !! i do not like the way this discusses the themes and characters it's chosen to depict in that it doesn't, at all. it's like if id never grown out of my "i'm not like other girls i'm so deep and complicated and interesting" phase

marisolsogaard's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

buunny's review against another edition

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3.0

took it as a character study going in as i dont think normal people is entirely a romance. i did not get it. i gave the book chance upon chance but my heavy dislike for connell and the immense frustration i felt with the jarring time jumps and going back to make sense of who exactly was speaking (english is not my first language so im sure that played a part too) added to my bitterness. maybe i read this at a very stressful stage of my life and the clashing themes of my own life reading this book and the plot itself just made me develop this love-hate relationship with it. and then theres also the matter of me trying to read it all in one night, a book like this is one you take slowly, giving yourself the time to really absorb and feel. this is a very heavy book and should be read as such. and then i watched the mini series. and then i fell in love. deeply, unapologetically (without wearing a parachute, mind you) plunged into this newfound appreciation for the source material, now while i do acknowledge that the marianne/connell relationship has been romanticised quite a bit in the show i think the experience of watching these two people interact and their body language made me further understand their dynamic. having read the book before also made me catch onto moments "oh! this is the part where theyre thinking of xyz" but im not here to review the series, although it did end up making me bump up the review to 3/5 stars.