Normal People

3.5 probably a rare case of the tv series being better than the book.

Alright, I've just finished “Normal People” by Sally Rooney, and let me tell you, this book is an absolute banger!

First off, I gotta say, this has shot straight to the top of my favorites list. I've only read about 20 books so far, but man, this one's the cream of the crop. I couldn't put it down - seriously, I was itching to pick it up every time I had to stop reading.

The characters? They got me hook, line, and sinker. Even though I'm not exactly like them, I felt their struggles in my bones. And it wasn't just the main duo - every character had me caring about them. Rooney's got a knack for making you feel like you know these people.

Now, I'd seen the TV show before (which, by the way, is also top-notch), but the book still had me glued to the pages. There's just something about Rooney's writing, you know? Every single line felt important - no filler here!

One part that really got me in the feels was when Connell opened up about his mental health. That monologue? Waterworks, I'm telling you. It hit hard.

Compared to “Beautiful World, Where Are You” (Rooney's other book I've read), this one's my jam. Don't get me wrong, they're both about people figuring themselves out, but “Normal People” just clicked with me more.

Oh, and the ending? It's open-ended, which I dig. Lets you imagine what might happen next.

Bottom line: five stars, no question. Would I recommend it? Hell yeah, to everyone and their dog. Whether you've seen the show or not, do yourself a favor and read this book. It's the real deal.

“Persone Normali” di Sally Rooney è un romanzo molto bello e profondo che cattura con maestria le complessità delle relazioni umane e l'inestricabile legame tra amore e identità. La storia segue Marianne e Connell, due giovani che provengono dalla stessa piccola città irlandese, ma da contesti sociali molto diversi, mentre navigano attraverso gli anni del liceo e dell'università.

Ciò che rende “Persone Normali” particolarmente avvincente è la profondità psicologica con cui Rooney esplora i personaggi. Marianne è intelligente e riservata, spesso alienata dai suoi compagni di classe, mentre Connell è popolare ma tormentato da insicurezze interiori. Il loro rapporto è complesso e mutevole, oscillando tra amicizia, amore e tensioni non risolte. Rooney dipinge con precisione le loro dinamiche, rendendo ogni interazione carica di significato e autenticità.

La scrittura di Rooney è un altro punto di forza del romanzo, mi è piaciuto molto come scrive. Il suo stile è sobrio ma evocativo, capace di catturare le emozioni più sottili con una chiarezza sorprendente. Le descrizioni delle scene quotidiane sono così vivide che il lettore si sente immerso nella vita dei personaggi. La prosa di Rooney è al tempo stesso delicata e incisiva, capace di esplorare temi complessi come la classe sociale, la salute mentale e la ricerca di sé stessi senza mai risultare didascalica.

Inoltre, “Persone Normali” si distingue per la sua capacità di riflettere la realtà contemporanea. I dilemmi affrontati dai protagonisti sono universali e riconoscibili, dalla pressione sociale alla paura di non essere abbastanza. Rooney riesce a catturare l'essenza della giovinezza moderna, con tutte le sue incertezze e possibilità.

In conclusione, “Persone Normali” è un romanzo che lascia un'impronta duratura. La sua forza risiede nella capacità di Sally Rooney di tratteggiare personaggi realistici e complessi, in una narrazione che è tanto avvincente quanto emotivamente coinvolgente. È un libro che parla al cuore e alla mente, offrendo una riflessione profonda sulle relazioni e su ciò che significa essere umani; da questo romanzo ne è stata tratta anche una serie che sicuramente recupererò per vedere come sono stati trattati certi argomenti e personaggi, sono molto curioso.

i liked some of the parts of this book but it was really js exhausting

4.5

This book was not for me. I thought it was a cheap romantic story you can find hundreds of times on Netflix at any moment.

The style of writing was horrendous. The fact that it had no punctuation to indicate dialogues made my heart hurt.

I also saw the excerpt from Conversations with friends and it's the same thing, so I will most likely not be checking out any more of Sally Rooney's work.

3.5

Can they just talk, thanks. Also, there is no speech marks, I got so confused.

Took me 8 days and that was a waste of 8 days

I like the characters tho

Wanted to reread this one because i thought i might be able to appreciate it more since i am a full grown up now and all but my opinion remains unchanged. I still didn't like reading about characters whose main traits are self-sabotaging behaviours, shrugging every three sentences, and saying “I don't know” 24*7. None of the side chracters were fleshed out at all. just archetypes. three stars are for Rooney's style of writing. Zero stars for creating a relationship where there is miscommunication just for the sake of drama.

Deprimente, cuando están juntos llegan a complementarse, a apoyarse el uno al otro, pero a la vez les falta hablar más allá de sentir que ya se conocen de años, pero cuando su relación esta en la línea de fuego, parecen desconocidos, no saben lo que pasa en la mente del otro; porque nunca lo saben, solo les gusta suponer y fingir que lo saben. Cuando están con otras personas están por estar, porque se quieren sentir bien, pero terminan sintiéndose peor de lo que ya lo hacían.

Me fastidia que sean tan tontos, porque no hay forma de que estén juntos

FR/EN Review

Initially, I awarded Sally Rooney's “Normal People” three stars, but after delaying my review and finding myself unable to recall anything substantial about the book two weeks later, I downgraded it to two stars. While it may have been a pleasant enough read in the moment, it clearly failed to leave a lasting impression.
“Normal People” may have its merits for some readers, but for me, it failed to fulfill its potential as a memorable and impactful piece of literature.


Initialement, j'avais attribué trois étoiles à “Normal People” de Sally Rooney, mais après avoir retardé ma critique et ne me rappeler rien de substantiel sur le livre deux semaines plus tard, je l'ai réduit à deux étoiles. Bien que cela ait peut-être été une lecture agréable sur le moment, il est clair qu'elle n'a pas réussi à laisser une impression durable.
“Normal People” peut avoir ses mérites pour certains lecteurs, mais pour moi, il n'a pas réussi à réaliser son potentiel en tant qu'œuvre littéraire mémorable et marquante.

 It's the story of Marianne and Connell; two young people growing up Carriclea, a little town in Ireland. Where they live totally diffrent lives, and when they start uni their suroundings changes again. So now we see how they relationship goes up and down and if maybe they can survuve all this.

In general I am more of a plot driven reader. I enjoy the somehat logical and straight line. Without all the sidestuff that has no relevance to the actual storyline. The author does a good job in keeping what is relveant in and most of the unrelevant out. Yet, it is not straight enough.
At times I found myself reading page after page about thing that had bearly any relevance to the actual story.

The caracthers are well written however. They had real problems, not just the stupid problems that book caracthers have. But actual real issues. Which was really nice for a change. They were  not mean or jjst super nerdy. They felt like eople I can hang out with. I would happily sit with them in secondary school. I want to be their friend.

i loved this a lot. found out about this from the miniseries (with daisy edgar jones and paul mescal) and read it on a 6h travel day to texas. it's not a super long read so great if you're looking for something easy to pick up

i understand why this doesn't jive with a lot of people since this is pretty much the poster child of "main characters who have a minor misunderstanding who don't communicate with one another". i've also seen criticisms around some decisions that the characters make (both marianne and connell) and how the ending is pretty open ended which could be felt as being kind of inconclusive; both valid criticisms in my opinion

but nonetheless this touched a nerve for me in a really similar way that the film past lives did. it's a really raw slice of life sort of story so there are parts and situations that i can really connect to that pull me in, but there are also cases where characters do things that i don't understand (c'est la vie i guess 🤷‍♀️). will-they-won't-they tropes are also some of my guilty pleasures so it makes sense to me why i enjoyed this book so much

you're gonna love this if you love stories where you take more of a bystander approach and watch characters live their lives and do the things that they do but i can see why this would fall flat if you find the negatives of the characters to be annoying

In the beginning I was hooked and thought the book was amazing, but by the middle to the end I felt the writing became lazy.
After Connel's depression arc the tone became much more literal which turned me off. The suggestiveness of the narrator was the charm.
And due to this shift, how Rooney portrayed mental health felt false and un-amusing, like I was reading a YA. And the ending messaging was kindly spelt out for us, which isn't terrible, however it does take away from the reading experience.
Looking back I don't rly feel fond about this book anymore, I wish I hadn't finished it in that sense, but the book was extremely easy to read and I glided through it which I will give due respect. And because of this I had finished it quickly, far quicker than other books, and got me back in the reading mood. I am happy about that, so thank you ms Rooney!

This book is overhyped and I hated that there were no quotation marks. It was the same thing over and over again. Honestly couldn't wait to skim through this one.

This is definitely something I need to collect my thoughts on.
But to grow such an attachment to these characters. To actually feel them as real. It's just so personal and honestly wished that the final chapter just had a few more pages.

This is actually a 4.5 btw.

Did not like the jumpy writing style. It made it so it was impossible to connect/relate to the characters

This book was utterly depressing and invigorating at the same time, which I didn't really think was possible. I love how emotionally intelligent the characters were, but how unsure they were of their actions, which I thought was pretty on par with how peoples lives go in a realistic manner, that being said, I did not like the ending, because I wanted more satisfaction I know it's not a romcom, but I wanted it to end differently.

3.8

i admit that i decided to read this book after watching the series. and i'm glad to know that like the series, it pierces your soul in a painful way, but leaves a bitter pleasure. personally, both versions served as a reconciliation of my own emotions through other people's lives. i want to read it again for the first time.

marianne, i'm not a religious person but i do sometimes think god made you for me.

tiña preparada unha review elaborada pero sinceiramente me la pela tantísimo este libro cabréame tanto de verdade menudo mierdón

2.5

honestly sally rooney is a queen
I love the way she brings the past into the present, very fluid
the non-existence of the quotation marks isn't a problem for me

Marianne had the sense that her real life was happening somewhere very far away, happening without her, and she didn't know if she would ever find out where it was and become part of it.

Marianne and Connel

Karen, Joana, and Lorraine;

Karen

Lorraine

Joana

You were the only one I got along with. Frankly, I don't think Jamie or Peggy are particularly good people. It's not my business if you want to be friends with them; that's just my opinion.

Alan

Denise

She believes Maianne lacks “warmth,” by which she means the ability to beg for love from people who hate her.

Denise gave a tight-lipped smile. If you can't handle a little sibling rivalry, I don't know how you're going to manage adult life, darling, she said.

You know, Marianne is a very vulnerable person. And you did something very exploitative there, and you hurt her. So maybe it's good that you're feeling bad about it.

He had never tried to delude her into thinking she was socially acceptable; she'd deluded herself.

He pitied her in the end, but she also repulsed him.

I don't know what's wrong with me, says Marianne. I don't know why I can't be like normal people.

I'm used to it, she says. I've been lonely my whole life, really.

I don't know how to rate this. It's a story about weird people who make weird choices and everyone ends up sad and hurt. But I liked it??? Idk. Might be 3.5 for me but I'm rounding up.