sleeson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don’t know how I wanted to rate this. 2.5ish?? I didn’t like the book but I enjoyed the style of the writing. I mean I must have because I finished this novel rather quickly. Rooney is such a strange writer. I never know how to review her books. Moderate profanity. Moderate sexual content.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
jadziaaudrey's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal cruelty, Injury/injury detail, and Pregnancy
jasminrain's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I adore Rooney's way with words. This book is so beautifully written and the way in which she describes the world and moments is really extraordinary. I loved the letters and the intellectual discussion between the two main characters through them - they gave me a lot to think about. But as a story and characters, it was nothing out of ordinary. I didn't enjoy the characters or their relationships. There was just so much gaslighting and toxic relationships, and incidents such as sexual coercion that went unaddressed and the book seemed to normalise. On a lighter note, I also couldn't relate to any of the characters. For lots of people this seems to be the reality that we live in, but for me it seemed absurd.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual violence, Self harm, Bullying, Classism, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
mansinnikam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
*exhales deeply*
Where do I even start? It was a blissful, rainy Sunday when I received an ARC of this book on my e-reader. I was thoroughly underwhelmed and maybe disappointed by Normal People last year, so my expectations were quite low on this one. The title attracted me and something about the mysterious aura around the author makes me want to pick her stuff up or follow up the tags, pages about her.
Beautiful World, Where are you is simply Beautiful in its messiness. It is beautiful in its severely stripped down characters proudly displaying their insecurities, fears, feelings and spite on display. Sally Rooney's characters feel spiteful at the world and its making and everything that we live for. They search for the why's and ponders around the airy, brushed upon topics.
This book is a monochromatic celebration of the silent, blurred and often glanced over moments of life. The everyday nitty-gritty of religion and belief, of need turning to satiable, irreversible hunger, of privilege and mental illness at its worst. Its about people who remain even when they aren't available always.
Its been a while since I finished this books, the words and characters have started to blur in my mind, although the disoriented satisfaction of reading this book has imprinted itself on my heart.
Where do I even start? It was a blissful, rainy Sunday when I received an ARC of this book on my e-reader. I was thoroughly underwhelmed and maybe disappointed by Normal People last year, so my expectations were quite low on this one. The title attracted me and something about the mysterious aura around the author makes me want to pick her stuff up or follow up the tags, pages about her.
Beautiful World, Where are you is simply Beautiful in its messiness. It is beautiful in its severely stripped down characters proudly displaying their insecurities, fears, feelings and spite on display. Sally Rooney's characters feel spiteful at the world and its making and everything that we live for. They search for the why's and ponders around the airy, brushed upon topics.
This book is a monochromatic celebration of the silent, blurred and often glanced over moments of life. The everyday nitty-gritty of religion and belief, of need turning to satiable, irreversible hunger, of privilege and mental illness at its worst. Its about people who remain even when they aren't available always.
Its been a while since I finished this books, the words and characters have started to blur in my mind, although the disoriented satisfaction of reading this book has imprinted itself on my heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
jasmijn's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-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
3.25
Meh. I just didn't really vibe with this one. The good part about it was that it was quite short, and that the email correspondence chapters in between was actually nice to read. I'd love to have a friend who'd just go on intellectual rants in emails to me, that'd be awesome.
I wasn't expecting a lot of plot from this one, but there were so little events of actual relevance to the characters that I wasn't sure why I was reading about them in the first place.
If you want to read about the bleakness of modern life, this is perfect though. Plenty of characters in jobs they hate and who are desperately on tinder in order to feel something again. A little to bleak for my taste, though.
I wasn't expecting a lot of plot from this one, but there were so little events of actual relevance to the characters that I wasn't sure why I was reading about them in the first place.
If you want to read about the bleakness of modern life, this is perfect though. Plenty of characters in jobs they hate and who are desperately on tinder in order to feel something again. A little to bleak for my taste, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Minor: Gaslighting
georgiagrace's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
sambashua's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship
itsocchiolism's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
least favorite book I’ve ever read. the writing is so pretentious, and not it a fun way!! every single character is boring and unlikeable. I wanted to put it down and stop reading it about sixty pages in, but i figured since this is the first Sally Rooney book I’d picked up, that i should give her a fair shot and finish it, but wow the entire time i just wanted it to be over. There’s no real plot or character development, so what was the point? one and a half star bc there were like three quotes i didn’t hate
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, and Mental illness
nicolet's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’ve officially read all the novels Sally Rooney has published to this date, and I can officially say she has solidified herself as one of my favorite authors. I love her writing because it makes me feel like even if I haven’t gone through the exact situations of her characters, the emotions and thoughts are ones I think most have thought and felt.
This book surprised me with how much older the tone is compared to Conversations With Friends and Normal People. The characters are older and their issues reflect that. I really thought the commentary on life and what it means to be young in the world we live in today was interesting and genuine. I loved the conversations about God and what it means to be religious. I related a lot to the character of Simon and how I see my faith, so reading that it was nice to see how someone else inadvertently helps others come to terms with their beliefs. He also isn’t the type to condemn others or push his beliefs which I appreciate.
Something I really liked about this book (and I’m not sure if it was intentional) but one of my favorite monologues is the opening one from Love, Actually. I have always thought it captured how even in the bad moments of life, you can find love and good things. This book felt like that monologue. The characters are searching for what the purpose of life is in such horrible times, and they are able to find that even if things get darker and the world gets bleaker, there will always be beautiful things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
lucykateburns's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-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? N/A
4.0
This novel follows the friendship between Alice and Eileen and their relationships with, respectively, Felix and Simon. The writing style is very accessible, although I have seen many critique it for the lack of formatted dialogue. I actually did not find this a problem, and found it very easy to follow who was speaking and found the dialogue itself very believable. I also commend the author's ability to create images, especially when describing her characters gestures and the sounds they hear.
The novel is very character focused and that is another reason I found it enjoyable. Rooney's characters are flawed and realistic, although at times they were quite pretentious. I did not really mind reading, and related to the contents of, the girls email exchanges regarding more philosophical questions (that said, some of them really did not hit for me), but the many interactions between Felix and Alice were difficult to read. I found myself rooting a lot more for Eileen and Simon.
I believe 20-somethings would enjoy this book, as it addresses a lot of the existential questions that are associated with truly coming into adulthood. It made me feel a bit better to hear some of the impotence the characters felt when considering global capitalism and when recognising their privilege. For that, and some other comments made on other topics, I did feel like I could be friends with them. I liked the overall sentiment that what matters most is human connection, and being concerned with those around us, and I am glad that this encompassed what I understand to be the three main types of relationships; family, friends and lovers.
There were some really funny and some really insightful moments, so I would recommend this as a fairly light read and it really is a nice delve into someone else's understanding of the modern world! I do not think this is the greatest literary production of our time, but I don't think it is aiming to be. It does not require much thought or analysis to appreciate in its entirety. Everything is laid out for the reader to easily consume, which is a merit to Rooney's writing and its clarity!
Trigger Warning
The novel contains a lot of sexual content, which borders on being pornographic. Although this is not in itself negative, some chapters could cause discomfort to readers trigger by sexual descriptions - especially when dealing with the problematic daddy/princess kink.
The novel is very character focused and that is another reason I found it enjoyable. Rooney's characters are flawed and realistic, although at times they were quite pretentious. I did not really mind reading, and related to the contents of, the girls email exchanges regarding more philosophical questions (that said, some of them really did not hit for me), but the many interactions between Felix and Alice were difficult to read. I found myself rooting a lot more for Eileen and Simon.
I believe 20-somethings would enjoy this book, as it addresses a lot of the existential questions that are associated with truly coming into adulthood. It made me feel a bit better to hear some of the impotence the characters felt when considering global capitalism and when recognising their privilege. For that, and some other comments made on other topics, I did feel like I could be friends with them. I liked the overall sentiment that what matters most is human connection, and being concerned with those around us, and I am glad that this encompassed what I understand to be the three main types of relationships; family, friends and lovers.
There were some really funny and some really insightful moments, so I would recommend this as a fairly light read and it really is a nice delve into someone else's understanding of the modern world! I do not think this is the greatest literary production of our time, but I don't think it is aiming to be. It does not require much thought or analysis to appreciate in its entirety. Everything is laid out for the reader to easily consume, which is a merit to Rooney's writing and its clarity!
Trigger Warning
The novel contains a lot of sexual content, which borders on being pornographic. Although this is not in itself negative, some chapters could cause discomfort to readers trigger by sexual descriptions - especially when dealing with the problematic daddy/princess kink.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Drug use, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Infidelity, Self harm, and Toxic friendship