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A review by molly_cahill
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
First of my summer 2024 Sally Rooney reread, in preparation for her new novel coming out in September!
When I originally read this, I rated it 4.5, and I think a lot of that was because I had already read Normal People and considered that superior. But I really loved reading this one this time and I’m glad I read it in chronological order so I wouldn’t purely be comparing it to NP.
The difficulty that Frances has putting her Marxist/communist/anarchist principles into practice was something that stuck out much more to me this time. It was fascinating to see how drawn she was to wealth and comfort while trying to maintain her progressive philosophy.
I found it really hard to like Bobbi, more than any of the other 3 main characters. I didn’t ever root for her and Frances to be together or even to keep up their friendship. It felt like Nick was slightly more able to give Frances what she was seeking emotionally, although he often fell down on the job on that too. Somehow, though, I still found myself rooting for them, no matter how messed up their behavior was almost all the time.
Obviously loved the transgressive reflections on the Gospels. Would have even read more of that.
I think Sally is a genius. Very excited to pick up NP next.
When I originally read this, I rated it 4.5, and I think a lot of that was because I had already read Normal People and considered that superior. But I really loved reading this one this time and I’m glad I read it in chronological order so I wouldn’t purely be comparing it to NP.
The difficulty that Frances has putting her Marxist/communist/anarchist principles into practice was something that stuck out much more to me this time. It was fascinating to see how drawn she was to wealth and comfort while trying to maintain her progressive philosophy.
I found it really hard to like Bobbi, more than any of the other 3 main characters. I didn’t ever root for her and Frances to be together or even to keep up their friendship. It felt like Nick was slightly more able to give Frances what she was seeking emotionally, although he often fell down on the job on that too. Somehow, though, I still found myself rooting for them, no matter how messed up their behavior was almost all the time.
Obviously loved the transgressive reflections on the Gospels. Would have even read more of that.
I think Sally is a genius. Very excited to pick up NP next.