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A review by luluwoohoo
Normal People by Sally Rooney
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Normal People by Sally Rooney (audiobook narrated by Aoife McMahon)
☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️A poignant, complex and human coming-of-age romance that leans into the sharp reality of life
▪️All of the characters are flawed and mostly unlikeable, but despite this I was heavily invested in the relationship between Connell and Marianne. Rooney does a great job of making them believable without veering into whiny teenager territory
▪️The intense and magnetic relationship at the heart of the book was really well handled, but individually I do wish their struggles were given more page time towards the end - Connell's depression begins to have a resolution, but Marianne's mental state isn't addressed enough for my tastes
▪️I feel confident enough to assume that, had I read a physical copy and not listened to the audiobook, I would have struggled much more with it. I'm aware of the creative writing style when it comes to the lack of punctuation, but this choice isn't noticeable from McMahon's fantastic narration
▪️This is far from a traditional romance, but the soul of the book definitely spoke to me.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
▪️A poignant, complex and human coming-of-age romance that leans into the sharp reality of life
▪️All of the characters are flawed and mostly unlikeable, but despite this I was heavily invested in the relationship between Connell and Marianne. Rooney does a great job of making them believable without veering into whiny teenager territory
▪️The intense and magnetic relationship at the heart of the book was really well handled, but individually I do wish their struggles were given more page time towards the end - Connell's depression begins to have a resolution, but Marianne's mental state isn't addressed enough for my tastes
▪️I feel confident enough to assume that, had I read a physical copy and not listened to the audiobook, I would have struggled much more with it. I'm aware of the creative writing style when it comes to the lack of punctuation, but this choice isn't noticeable from McMahon's fantastic narration
▪️This is far from a traditional romance, but the soul of the book definitely spoke to me.
"That’s the only part of himself he wants to protect, the part that exists inside her."
"All these years, they’ve been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain unlikely positions."