lealee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Emotional abuse
boogiebeez's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Emotional abuse
plumdustsuns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Spoiler
I HATED Felix so much. Maybe I still do. I actually had to stop reading because his abusive, manipulative, putting down behaviour triggered me so much. And then he sort of did an 180 after the party and I was like… hmm… was he being cruel to avoid his own feelings then? But still does that mean we excuse him? I don’t know. I just think Alice deserves better (much like that fan she mentions by the end, haha). And it seems like he has improved but… 😡I like Simon, I believe, but Rooney’s choice with the age gap with him and Eileen made me SO UNCOMFORTABLE. Yes, they’re both older now but it was insinuated that he had these feelings since she was young even though he didn’t act on it.
I’m not sure if I feel the best towards Eileen, though. While I understand her, she also undermined Alice’s work and mental health a lot and I don’t think that was fair or nice of a friend to do. Especially as someone who’s also in the literary field, it’s a little hypocritical.
But I’ve liked reading Rooney’s work so far (just read this and Normal People though). I like how she is able to portray the everyday life and the ‘seemingly mundane’ as dramatically and importantly as it feels. The ending of this felt a lot better and less sterile than that of Normal People’s (the book, at least).
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Suicide, and Toxic friendship
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Pandemic/Epidemic, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
akirma's review against another edition
- 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
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
sleeson's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
zannayo's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content
Moderate: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
jasminrain's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
thedisabledreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship