Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

100 reviews

jordan_noel's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-paced

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

4.0

I didn’t necessarily love this book. I didn’t really love the characters, and I don’t know if I really expected anything to happen. But I don’t think the book is trying to say there’s destiny. In fact, I think it’s the opposite. Sometimes people end up together and help each other and try to be loved by each other. They aren’t going to be perfect. And they aren’t necessarily meant to be. Sometimes it can work out for a bit and sometimes it doesn’t, but hopefully life helps you have a person to stick with anyway.

I don’t think Connell and Marianne are good people and they’re not always good friends. Luckily, they still care about each other and help each other right before saving might not be possible anymore. Maybe we can’t ask for more than that in normal people. That’s just who we are, and that’s the best we’re going to get.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Drug use, Mental illness, Blood, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

lilias's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

In the beginning I kept thinking: When Harry Met Sally but make it shoe-gazing. Overall, I found this book to be both captivating and frustrating. I really loved certain aspects of Sally Rooney’s writing. Her moments that were here and now regarding Connell and Marianne were fantastic, and I reread some passages in awe of how well she showed the subtleties of human interaction. But I never really knew how we got here and there, especially when it came to Marianne. 

We mainly see things from Connell’s point of view. His mom, Lorraine, is a wonderful person and raised him on her own. He has a passion for reading, literature, especially. He is a poor kid who is constantly surrounded by rich kids, and the reminder of his background never goes away. It’s exasperated by Marianne, through no fault of her own, because she’s a girl who comes from an exceptionally rich family. His conventional views keep him from allowing Marianne to live at her full potential around him. He won’t reveal certain weaknesses around her, making their relationship full of potential but always unbalanced. Marianne feels that potential but blames herself for them never reaching it. Her leap to self-blame is probably familiar to a lot of women readers, and it’s furthered by her family, which is abusive. 

For some reason, Marianne, as a character, is not as fully formed as Connell. At times, it was as though Marianne was losing both as a character within the story and a character on the page. Towards the end of the book, I started to dread reading more. I usually read dark books, but the constant cruelty Marianne kept having to endure just wore me out. I wish Rooney had left it out because distracted from the central character studies.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism

In the beginning I kept thinking: When Harry Met Sally but make it shoe-gazing. Overall, I found this book to be both captivating and frustrating. I really loved certain aspects of Sally Rooney’s writing. Her moments that were here and now regarding Connell and Marianne were fantastic, and I reread some passages in awe of how well she showed the subtleties of human interaction. But I never really knew how we got here and there, especially when it came to Marianne. We mainly see things from Connell’s point of view. His mom, Lorraine, is a wonderful person and raised him on her own. He has a passion for reading, literature, especially. He is a poor kid who is constantly surrounded by rich kids, and the reminder of his background never goes away. It’s exasperated by Marianne, through no fault of her own, because she’s a girl who comes from an exceptionally rich family. His conventional views keep him from allowing Marianne to live at her full potential around him. He won’t reveal certain weaknesses around her, making their relationship full of potential but always unbalanced. Marianne feels that potential but blames herself for them never reaching it. Her leap to self-blame is probably familiar to a lot of women readers, and it’s furthered by her family, which is abusive. For some reason, Marianne, as a character, is not as fully formed as Connell. At times, it was as though Marianne was losing both as a character within the story and a character on the page. Towards the end of the book, I started to dread reading more. I usually read dark books, but the constant cruelty Marianne kept having to endure just wore me out. I wish Rooney had left it out because distracted from the central character studies.

tbrumale'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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment

readsbykels's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Classism

umetnina's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

what the fuck is wrong with them T-T, like why cant they just say 'i want you in my pofe forever and ever and thats that.' this book triggered a lot of shit in me. like im properly shaken up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Blood, and Abandonment

Minor: Abortion

tsymonevisuals's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide, Abortion, and Abandonment

lindseylosers's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Abortion, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

euphvrian's review against another edition

reflective medium-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

3.5

i don’t really know how to rate this book, i think i went in with extremely high expectations of me coming out of this experience a changed person. at first i was struggling to really understand what the hype was about but then i did start to find it loveable. sally rooney is great at characterization and has some really standout quotes, several of them i wish i had never seen before.

i found myself really relating to connell so much, definitely might even be the fictional character out of everything i’ve ever read that is actually a representation of how i think and feel. i think thats my greatest takeaway from this book.

Still, he would lie down and die for her at any minute, which is the only thing he knows about himself that makes him feel like a worthwhile person.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

elspethmigliore's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

this was truly one of the most beautiful books i have ever read. i have never story a book as real as this one. 

it was definitely frustrating at times how odd and confusing the relationship and characters were. but thats the point. both marianne and connell are so relatable in so many ways and even at their worst times, they made sense. even when both of them were communicating at their best, there was still lots of miscommunication and pain, which is so realistic and honestly made their connection even more special. i fell in love with the dynamic of their comfort and pureness from the very beginning. i’m honestly just dumping a bunch of words right now because i’m kind of in shock at how relatable and real this story was. never in my life have i felt so close to and understood by a book. both of the characters were so incredibly real and true and i just wish them both the best. 

this is 100 percent reread material ✅

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Abortion and War

a_l_reads's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Blood, Abandonment, and Alcohol