Reviews

Normal People by Sally Rooney

yoz_tukalan's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.75

lovepoem's review against another edition

5.0

i love this book

jademh7's review against another edition

3.0

wow this was um?? sad...

Honestly did not enjoy the writing style and lack of quotation marks. I appreciated the overall story and characterization. Definitely not a feel good book and the ending was a bit abrupt.

tehniyat_azam's review against another edition

reflective 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

4.0

booklivers24's review against another edition

slow-paced

3.5

rachaellid's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

3.5

racheljohnson16's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-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

4.0

xoxogossipgorl's review against another edition

5.0

I heard that Sally Rooney writes her novels with a Marxist lens, and reading this book with that in mind made it all the more enjoyable. Class, gender, and power underlie all the conflict between Marianne and Connell; their different experiences with class and gender prevent them from being able to truly understand the other, contrary to their mutual belief that they are the only ones who understand each other. Nevertheless, each character is deeply intertwined with the struggles of the other. Their love brings them together time and time again, yet Rooney never quite answers if it is enough for them to be in a stable successful relationship. I normally don't like ambiguous endings like the ending of Normal People, but both characters go though so much development that I found it a very satisfying note to end on.

ais_of_spades's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

5.0

I have never felt so completely and intensely seen by a book before

marygreenhahaha's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0