Reviews tagging 'War'

Normal People by Sally Rooney

12 reviews

aleilvandrea's review

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Blood, Classism, Grief, Sexism, Violence, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Rape, Gaslighting, and Death of parent

Minor: War

froggybex's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: War

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

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

Minor: Abortion and War

mary_johnston's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Alcohol, Misogyny, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, War, Xenophobia, Violence, Homophobia, and Death of parent

mintymintyminty's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

1.75

This book comes highly recommended from so many angles, but IMO does not come even close to deserving these accolades. This book is raw, and written in an interesting kind of vignette style, but it does not do anything with these attributes, and they end up being barely any kind of saving grace to the plot. The plot is insipid and despair-inducing, and the only thing I could glean from these characters is how much I would never want to be like them. Overall, a depressing slog that is a celebration of mediocrity in publishing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide

Minor: War and Racism

sadiaa's review against another edition

emotional 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Death, Alcohol, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: War and Classism

abioneil's review

challenging 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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is quite complex. The relationship that Connel and Marianne have is painful to read about. Don’t go into this thinking it will end with sunshine and rainbows. It is obvious that both characters needed serious help. Other than that, I would say that the narrating style was a bit odd, the narrator was third person and at times seemed to be limited and other times omniscient. I didn’t quite enjoy the book, the idea that relationships between people can change their overal character and personality is explored wonderfully, however, it does feel like some of the scenes central ideas are repeated (even though this may have advanced the plot, it was hard to read). I think that the character growth felt sudden instead of gradual buildup.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Alcohol, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Cursing, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Death, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Violence

Minor: Abortion, Blood, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, War, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief

chaoticweevil's review

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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Infidelity, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Physical abuse

Minor: Drug use, Racism, and War

madelinelindy's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad fast-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

I don’t know how to feel about this book and it’s characters. They’ve left me so emotionally drained yet I couldn’t put the book down I needed to know where they all ended up. It was so beautifully written and I have never felt more understood by a character and their mental health struggles. Strong mental health tw 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcohol, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Minor: Mass/school shootings, Physical abuse, and War

librarymouse's review

adventurous emotional reflective medium-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

4.5

I'm writing my review of Normal People before I decide on a rating, in the hopes that it'll help me sort out my thoughts on the book. The progressions of Marianne and Connell's emotional wellbeing in relation to years at university was uncannily accurate to my own experiences and that of what I saw in my friends and classmates. The quality of the writing in the large middle section of the book that describes the social contentment and complete security in herself that Marianne feels her first year of university, only for the group to crumble and the bubble to burst completely, leaving her stranded and struggling to understand her place in the world felt raw, tangible, and familiar. Marianne and Connell's internal lives playing such a strong role in the story telling made it a unique and enjoyable readings experience. It allows the reader to get inside their heads and try to under how the miscommunications that tore them apart came to be. That change took what is usually a comedy trope and inverted it towards tragedy.

Connell's confession that he was trying to ask Marianne to let him stay the summer was heart wrenching. I didn't like to see the complete degradation of Marianne's character and inner life, but with the way she was struggling, it is realistic. Her supposed need to be hurt being revealed to be a warped perception of her need to feel special, loved, and protected was heart breaking. The meticulous control she expresses over her food intake and her hitting her breaking point in the photography studio show her shattering, but not having any idea how to pick up the pieces. I did enjoy that there was a gradual shift towards and then away from suicidal ideation and meticulously controlled disordered eating for Connell and Marianne. There wasn't a quick fix for either issue offered up in the book, but they were there for each other and their gradual growth in their respective mental health was really well written. I am frustrated by the ending of this book, not for the possibility of their romance being doomed, but because in the last few pages there was another moment of the acknowledged toxic perspective that men just want sex and aren't capable of higher thinking/needs in Marianne's accusing Connell of loving Darcy. It also frustrated me how closely Marianne resembles the manic pixie dream girl trope at the end of the novel, when she was such a robust character at the beginning. With Marianne's sexual promiscuity, Peggy's focus on both Marianne and non monogamy, and Peggy and Jamie's shared terrible character traits, I was convinced that Peggy and Jamie were going to try to both date Marianne and/or sexually take advantage of her. In a way they did.

The casual way sex is discussed between character is distinctly foreign to American readers, and the freedom afforded by it that isn't really a part of American purity culture made the novel an interesting read as it shifted from familiar to foreign and back again.

Normal People is going to be a book I cherish in the future, but in the way a classic is cherished. The writing was magnificent and I was enthralled by the plot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Classism

Minor: War