kjboldon's review against another edition
1.0
I reserved this book from the library after I read a GLOWING review at Entertainment Weekly. I have no idea how many weeks I waited for it, but it was many; this is a popular book. Before I read it, though, a friend I trust told me she'd hated it and would be interested to know what I thought. When it finally came in from the library, I began it and I also disliked it, but I continued to read, determined to figure out exactly WHY I was not engaging with this novel and its author, both of which have garnered an outrageous amount of fawning praise. Here, then, is my best attempt to tell you exactly why I am giving this book one star, because, reader, I DID NOT LIKE IT.
1. The characters. Two bookish teens, Marianne and Connell, trade chapters and points of view. The problem is, their interior voices sound remarkably similar, and the major thing that distinguishes them is the details that the narrator tells us: Connell is poor because his single mother is a cleaning person, and Marianne is rich because her single mother is a lawyer. C's mom is nice; M's is not. Exactly zero of the supporting characters achieve more than two dimensions. Like the moms, they are either Nice or Not. The distinguishing characteristics for even the main characters tend to be binary (rich/not), not convincingly detailed (C works, but we are never shown his garage job), and set up as convenient props for the next problem I have, which is
2. The structure. Over the book, the balance of power between the two shifts. First, C is a popular football player and M is a social outcast. They begin sleeping together, but C wants it a secret, eventually asking out a popular girl to the year-end dance. (Does this sound like the plot of a Sweet Valley High novel, because it felt like it to me.) Then, they go to university and M is well liked and popular, while C is an outcast, ostensibly because his is poor (because this book is about CLASS and other serious themes, people) but really because he's anxious and shy. The book continues to trade the power between them, with one up while one is down, so often that it felt like exactly what it was: authorial intrusion rather than believable shifts in life change. Worse, M is revealed to have been physically and emotionally abused by her parents and brother over her life. She reveals this to C early on, he conveniently forgets this. She engages in a number of abusive relationships, with men and friends, so while C's mental illnesses of depression and anxiety worsen at convenient times for him to take the power loss chapters, M still has this horrible trauma from childhood that is never addressed and only grows worse, in addition to being forgotten and taken lightly by C until the end of the novel, which is disturbing because
3. This romance sucks. We are supposed to be rooting for M and C to get together, why? Their sex is often portrayed with a lack of overt consent that I found disappointing in this age. Consent is sexy! Write it in there! No need for characters to guess what the other person is thinking; just ask! Not that hard! Again and again, C does something shitty to M, like asking the mean girl to the dance, denying and constantly denying they're seeing one another. There are a few times when M is thoughtless to C, especially around issues of money, but these nearly always felt contrived, in slave to the author's need to have the power dynamic between the two seesaw, and to have them constantly getting together and breaking up, which became tedious. Speaking of tedious...
4. The prose. There were numerous scenes where we got a play by play of someone doing the dishes, only as a tool to intersperse the dialogue with. There was also a lot of text give over to M's lipstick and whether she was wearing it, and how it looked throughout the scene. These details added nothing to the plot or character. There was one sentence that said something like he sighed but drew in his breath and somehow made it sound like a sigh, another where a sheet covered M's body and cast a purple triangle shadow. I'm not going to look them up because, frankly, I'm tired of this book, but please trust me that they were not great writing. There was some howlingly bad dialogue, too. C often says, Hm. Also, toward the end, he has a stiff line in which he states that he feels anxiety. Again, I am already taking a long time with this negative reviews, so I am not going to quote directly and engage more with a book I found so tiresome, but trust me; it's in there. Some examples I did find easy to locate were:
5. The metaphors and similes. "The quiet kiss of the chalk against the smooth surface of the cue ball." Sorry, that's not how I kiss. "The sky is a thrilling chlorine blue, stretched taut and featureless like silk." This is dinner, so would the sky be blue? And, chlorine gas is yellow green, not blue like a pool, which is what I think she's trying to say. In any case, the whole sentence had me wrinkling my face in distaste which I also did with
6. M's ongoing abuse by others. The descriptions of the abuse and degradations she endured were more than was necessary to convey this poor girl's pain, which goes on until the end of the book. I was wondering if she would actually die, like the female main character in another overhyped supposed romance from a few years back, One Day.
In conclusion, for all the accolades and acclaim this book has won, I found it a poorly written, under-characterized novel about an unconvincing romance in which the female character endures a great deal of often painfully detailed physical and emotional abuse. There are better books out there; seek them out.
1. The characters. Two bookish teens, Marianne and Connell, trade chapters and points of view. The problem is, their interior voices sound remarkably similar, and the major thing that distinguishes them is the details that the narrator tells us: Connell is poor because his single mother is a cleaning person, and Marianne is rich because her single mother is a lawyer. C's mom is nice; M's is not. Exactly zero of the supporting characters achieve more than two dimensions. Like the moms, they are either Nice or Not. The distinguishing characteristics for even the main characters tend to be binary (rich/not), not convincingly detailed (C works, but we are never shown his garage job), and set up as convenient props for the next problem I have, which is
2. The structure. Over the book, the balance of power between the two shifts. First, C is a popular football player and M is a social outcast. They begin sleeping together, but C wants it a secret, eventually asking out a popular girl to the year-end dance. (Does this sound like the plot of a Sweet Valley High novel, because it felt like it to me.) Then, they go to university and M is well liked and popular, while C is an outcast, ostensibly because his is poor (because this book is about CLASS and other serious themes, people) but really because he's anxious and shy. The book continues to trade the power between them, with one up while one is down, so often that it felt like exactly what it was: authorial intrusion rather than believable shifts in life change. Worse, M is revealed to have been physically and emotionally abused by her parents and brother over her life. She reveals this to C early on, he conveniently forgets this. She engages in a number of abusive relationships, with men and friends, so while C's mental illnesses of depression and anxiety worsen at convenient times for him to take the power loss chapters, M still has this horrible trauma from childhood that is never addressed and only grows worse, in addition to being forgotten and taken lightly by C until the end of the novel, which is disturbing because
3. This romance sucks. We are supposed to be rooting for M and C to get together, why? Their sex is often portrayed with a lack of overt consent that I found disappointing in this age. Consent is sexy! Write it in there! No need for characters to guess what the other person is thinking; just ask! Not that hard! Again and again, C does something shitty to M, like asking the mean girl to the dance, denying and constantly denying they're seeing one another. There are a few times when M is thoughtless to C, especially around issues of money, but these nearly always felt contrived, in slave to the author's need to have the power dynamic between the two seesaw, and to have them constantly getting together and breaking up, which became tedious. Speaking of tedious...
4. The prose. There were numerous scenes where we got a play by play of someone doing the dishes, only as a tool to intersperse the dialogue with. There was also a lot of text give over to M's lipstick and whether she was wearing it, and how it looked throughout the scene. These details added nothing to the plot or character. There was one sentence that said something like he sighed but drew in his breath and somehow made it sound like a sigh, another where a sheet covered M's body and cast a purple triangle shadow. I'm not going to look them up because, frankly, I'm tired of this book, but please trust me that they were not great writing. There was some howlingly bad dialogue, too. C often says, Hm. Also, toward the end, he has a stiff line in which he states that he feels anxiety. Again, I am already taking a long time with this negative reviews, so I am not going to quote directly and engage more with a book I found so tiresome, but trust me; it's in there. Some examples I did find easy to locate were:
5. The metaphors and similes. "The quiet kiss of the chalk against the smooth surface of the cue ball." Sorry, that's not how I kiss. "The sky is a thrilling chlorine blue, stretched taut and featureless like silk." This is dinner, so would the sky be blue? And, chlorine gas is yellow green, not blue like a pool, which is what I think she's trying to say. In any case, the whole sentence had me wrinkling my face in distaste which I also did with
6. M's ongoing abuse by others. The descriptions of the abuse and degradations she endured were more than was necessary to convey this poor girl's pain, which goes on until the end of the book. I was wondering if she would actually die, like the female main character in another overhyped supposed romance from a few years back, One Day.
In conclusion, for all the accolades and acclaim this book has won, I found it a poorly written, under-characterized novel about an unconvincing romance in which the female character endures a great deal of often painfully detailed physical and emotional abuse. There are better books out there; seek them out.
allyporz's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I read it compulsively for one day, and the story moves effortlessly through the intricacies of a complicated, back-and-forth relationship. For anyone who has experienced a similar situation (magnetic closeness to another person that dictates/overshadows any hope for future relationships), this book will resonate deeply, beautifully, and painfully.
grace_hepworth's review against another edition
5.0
This is a very 'simple' novel, in the sense that there is no story, not outrageous plot with twists, turns, or cliff hangers. It simply punches you in the gut.
It follows two characters, Connell and Marianne as they navigate their late teens and early twenties. Their relationship is almost their anchor, their constant support when life is throwing new, and often difficult, experiences at them. Their interactions are frustrating at times and I would find myself wishing they would just spit it out or communicate better. But they are young, and clear and simple communication isn't always so easy when you are young. A lot of their experiences resonated with me, and I could understand what would drive them to behave the way they did, or think the way they thought. I cared about these characters and I think that is why the book made me feel so sad.
The writing is astounding. I didn't find it overwritten - there was no overly complex language or elaborate phrasings. It was clear, easy to understand and therefore easy to fall in to. There were a number of snippets throughout that I highlighted as I found them particularly eloquent, sincere or vulnerable.
As a side note, there are no speech marks which I found awkward at first but soon stopped noticing as I progressed through the novel.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it beautiful, despite being utterly miserable. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a character focused novel and will be reading 'Conversations with Friends' very soon!
It follows two characters, Connell and Marianne as they navigate their late teens and early twenties. Their relationship is almost their anchor, their constant support when life is throwing new, and often difficult, experiences at them. Their interactions are frustrating at times and I would find myself wishing they would just spit it out or communicate better. But they are young, and clear and simple communication isn't always so easy when you are young. A lot of their experiences resonated with me, and I could understand what would drive them to behave the way they did, or think the way they thought. I cared about these characters and I think that is why the book made me feel so sad.
The writing is astounding. I didn't find it overwritten - there was no overly complex language or elaborate phrasings. It was clear, easy to understand and therefore easy to fall in to. There were a number of snippets throughout that I highlighted as I found them particularly eloquent, sincere or vulnerable.
As a side note, there are no speech marks which I found awkward at first but soon stopped noticing as I progressed through the novel.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I found it beautiful, despite being utterly miserable. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a character focused novel and will be reading 'Conversations with Friends' very soon!
monloesco's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.5
kwansbff'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
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I liked the format of this book; I felt that the flow of the story worked nicely with the way time moved. We would witness a moment of their relationship, skip a few months, and then see how that moment caused a progression rather than watching the progression itself. Spelled out that might sound lazy, but I think it worked. At times, I did find the two main characters relatable, specifically in their struggle to find where they fit into the adult world. It was poignant to me as a college student. There were also moments I found them annoying and deeply flawed, though I suppose that just made them feel more like real people.
My biggest gripe had to do with the relationship itself. Marianne is clearly a very traumatized and insecure person (for all Connell says she isn't, she is definitely full of insecurities) and throughout the book this only gets worse with the relationships she finds herself in. I didn't like that Connell was posed as the better alternative to a bunch of shittier guys. Sure, maybe he is 'better', but he lacks a level of emotional maturity and self-awareness. Every time he gets an inkling of how he might actually be negatively impacting Marianne, he doesn't look further. He just acknowledges it and moves on. On the surface this isn't a bad thing--I love books that focus solely on characters' dynamics and relationships, even if they're toxic or bad for them. However, this didn't do it for me, because it all felt very surface-level. The writing style and form, or perhaps the author herself, didn't allow for a deeper look into the characters. I especially didn't like how every Marianne section was either entirely centered around Connell or a different situation that would further traumatize her. I felt I was learning way more about Connell and his development than Marianne, which again, is not necessarily a bad thing if it was only from his perspective. It could have said something about how he views her. However, she had her own moments to develop, positively or negatively, and I don't think these were utilized as well as Connell's. When I got to the end, I kind of felt like I had only read half the story. An ambiguous ending could very well have worked with this narrative, but because of the way it had been developed for the past 200 pages, it just felt lazy. Like, a 'you come up with your own ending,' kind of thing. Overall, I didn't hate it, but it left me wanting something more.
My biggest gripe had to do with the relationship itself. Marianne is clearly a very traumatized and insecure person (for all Connell says she isn't, she is definitely full of insecurities) and throughout the book this only gets worse with the relationships she finds herself in. I didn't like that Connell was posed as the better alternative to a bunch of shittier guys. Sure, maybe he is 'better', but he lacks a level of emotional maturity and self-awareness. Every time he gets an inkling of how he might actually be negatively impacting Marianne, he doesn't look further. He just acknowledges it and moves on. On the surface this isn't a bad thing--I love books that focus solely on characters' dynamics and relationships, even if they're toxic or bad for them. However, this didn't do it for me, because it all felt very surface-level. The writing style and form, or perhaps the author herself, didn't allow for a deeper look into the characters. I especially didn't like how every Marianne section was either entirely centered around Connell or a different situation that would further traumatize her. I felt I was learning way more about Connell and his development than Marianne, which again, is not necessarily a bad thing if it was only from his perspective. It could have said something about how he views her. However, she had her own moments to develop, positively or negatively, and I don't think these were utilized as well as Connell's. When I got to the end, I kind of felt like I had only read half the story. An ambiguous ending could very well have worked with this narrative, but because of the way it had been developed for the past 200 pages, it just felt lazy. Like, a 'you come up with your own ending,' kind of thing. Overall, I didn't hate it, but it left me wanting something more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual assault
lgheid000's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
tiffanyann's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
hyrshe's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
tovesoder's review against another edition
3.0
Hade gett 2.5 om jag kunnat. Hade höga förväntningar på denna bok som tyvärr inte uppfylldes. Fastnade inte riktigt för karaktärerna, hade svårt att förstå deras motivationer till att de gjorde som de gjorde och har generellt svårt att acceptera när folk beter sig ologiskt (ex inte ba säger vad de tycker?!). Kapitlen kändes ofta korthuggna med kliffhangers som sen möttes med ”6 månader senare” utan att följas upp, vilket också frustrerade mig ibland. Menmen. Hoppas tv-serien är bättre.