Scan barcode
A review by jaklyn_heath_reads
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
4.0
This was a tough read for a few different reasons.
At first, I really didn’t like any of the characters. But I soon came to appreciate the story that Sally Rooney was telling.
Do I like the characters now that I’ve finished the book? Not really. They have a lot of flaws and make some questionable decisions that I didn’t understand but that I could appreciate as they were consistent with their characterization.
Next, the tough topics. This novel discusses themes of adultery, mental health crises, self-harm, endometriosis, and sexuality. It isn’t easy to read a character going through excruciating pain, or disassociating, or cheating on their wife.
The ending. It leaves things unresolved almost like a cliff hanger. I don’t know if I liked the ending. I wish the characters got some sort of closure. Scratch that. I wish I got some sort of closure.
Jaklyn, it sounds like you didn’t like the book. Why did you give it 4 stars?
I loved the storytelling. I wanted to keep reading (or listening in my case). I wanted to know if the bad decisions were going to cause some sort of karma event to take place. I wanted to know how everything would blow up or fall apart or somehow stay together. I wanted to see growth in the characters (there was some). I was committed to the story. And Rooney has a way of telling a story. It felt real and raw and completely believable. I was enthralled.
Will this be one of my favourite books of all time? No. But I do see myself thinking about for a long while. I think I liked Normal People better, but this was very good too.
At first, I really didn’t like any of the characters. But I soon came to appreciate the story that Sally Rooney was telling.
Do I like the characters now that I’ve finished the book? Not really. They have a lot of flaws and make some questionable decisions that I didn’t understand but that I could appreciate as they were consistent with their characterization.
Next, the tough topics. This novel discusses themes of adultery, mental health crises, self-harm, endometriosis, and sexuality. It isn’t easy to read a character going through excruciating pain, or disassociating, or cheating on their wife.
The ending. It leaves things unresolved almost like a cliff hanger. I don’t know if I liked the ending. I wish the characters got some sort of closure. Scratch that. I wish I got some sort of closure.
Jaklyn, it sounds like you didn’t like the book. Why did you give it 4 stars?
I loved the storytelling. I wanted to keep reading (or listening in my case). I wanted to know if the bad decisions were going to cause some sort of karma event to take place. I wanted to know how everything would blow up or fall apart or somehow stay together. I wanted to see growth in the characters (there was some). I was committed to the story. And Rooney has a way of telling a story. It felt real and raw and completely believable. I was enthralled.
Will this be one of my favourite books of all time? No. But I do see myself thinking about for a long while. I think I liked Normal People better, but this was very good too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship