Submitted by riyagupta_30 t3_yidyjg in books
So, i'm currently reading the book. which is by Sally Rooney. I have read her previous work (that is, Conversations with friends). It was good, catchy, and very calm. But this book feels a little too flat. I don't know, maybe that's how she writes but there's not much going on and I've read half of it.
I think the story between Eileen and Simon. seems boring. The girl has some serious issues.
I actually kinda hated this book. The character development was bad. Sex was thrown in for the sake sex (and far too detailed). Both girls are unlikable for the most part and that hadn't changed for me by the end of the book. It's like the author tried to add some backstory to make the characters the way they were but all in all I did not enjoy any part of it.
I've read all 3 of her books and I appreciate the fact she tried something new with this book in terms of style. I actually loved the Eileen/Simon story and the scene of them at the wedding remains once of my fave scenes ever written. I didn't like Alice/Felix at all. Have you listened to her character playlists on Spotify? The ones for this book are particularly good.
i absolutely loved the fact that at its core it was reiteration of the fact that even during the background of systemic collapse happening worldwide, two girl best friends will continue to talk about daily mundane stuff like their crushes. because that’s humanity.
I agree with all that. I love how beautifully Rooney defines the characters and scenes. So simple, yet complex. But what I didn't particularly appreciate were the characters or you could say the story. I only completed the book for the sake of finishing it.
EXACTLY! the book seemed idk kind of forced.
no I haven't heard it
as you already know, rooney’s books are character centred rather than plot driven. and it’s totally fair for you to not like the characters, i personally find them to be unpleasantly honest in their thoughts. and again rooney never highlights the dialogue between her characters by not using punctuation, so honestly their thoughts and speech blend in which is another fact i love. because it reeks of utter honesty a person enjoys in his mind. and all their thoughts always seem very nuanced and mature for me, and as a fellow new adult i feel a sort of camaraderie towards them.
again, i completely understand how petty and unpleasant they appear to other readers.
It's been a few months since I read it but I didn't like it very much. I loved Normal People (haven't read Conversations with Friends) but I feel like the characters lacked the chemistry that I really loved in Connell and Marianne, so I didn't care as much about their story. I liked that she was doing something different and I liked that we got a story also about the friendships of these girls. I felt like, by having four characters to deal with, we didn't get to go as into their lives as we did Connell and Marianne and they turned out kind of flat because of it.
It was my least favourite Rooney novel. The frequent switch into first person perspective felt so jarring. Without that, I think I would have liked it more.
Put it down after 50 or so pages because no character was interesting or likeable and I am not dragging myself through a book I find boring when I can just grab something else off my neverending TBR pile
Craw1011 t1_iui76sp wrote
What about it feels flat to you? It's the only book of hers I've read and I fell in love with it.