Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

211 reviews

venetiana's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

This is such a beautiful book. Very human, very realistic, melancholy.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kylasmv15's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Racism, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

ravina_b's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Reading this book gave me that uncomfortable, squirming feeling you get when you touch an open wound.  I uncontrollably bawled my eyes out the evening I started reading it, only a few chapters in, and say there for about an hour trying to convince myself that it wasn’t the trigger.  It is so intensely raw and genuinely felt like Sally Rooney had read my innermost thoughts and feelings, things I won’t even journal about.  Somehow, this book drew on so many different parts of my life and it overwhelmed me with a patchwork of my experiences, it made me feel understood.  It’s now been a week since I finished it and I still can’t properly articulate exactly how this book made me feel.

In the main, NORMAL PEOPLE is a 266-page slice into the ordinary, everyday lives of - quite frankly - normal people.  It is not plot-driven, there isn’t a great deal of character development, but that is what makes it so real.  It is an observation, and is not a book for those that need something to happen.  This very essence, alongside Rooney’s astounding writing injecting real, raw life into Marianne and Connell, is what made me love it so much.

Some final remarks to convey how I feel about NORMAL PEOPLE: firstly, I got this from the library and now I am combing through charity shops to get my own copy.   If anyone wants to gift me a copy, please be my guest.  Secondly, I started it with some apprehension because (a) it is an Instagram favourite, (b) I thought it was a romance (it’s not), and (c) the choice to not use quotation marks always really bugs me - but it won me over in literally ten pages.

📌 Set in County Sligo, Ireland and Dublin, Ireland.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Gaslighting

cnannery19's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

saretta02's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

sina4books's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Alcohol

Moderate: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Drug use and Death of parent

ionlywishtorot's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Minor: Misogyny, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

fairlymary's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Suicide

shnez's review against another edition

dark 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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

linthemountains's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, and Gaslighting