Normal People by Sally Rooney

40 reviews for Normal People by Sally Rooney

1. Carlee Abshire

   1 out of 5

   The author doesn't employ standard punctuation, wtf? I read the first chapter and put it down, it was maddening trying to follow the dialogue even two pages in without there being even simple quotation marks. Maybe the author is attempting to be edgy and contemporary or something but I found it lazy and not really compelling enough to continue reading.

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   Akunna Clare

   5 out of 5

   This is the best book I've read in over 2 decades. I was initially hesitant because she doesn't use quotation marks so I wasn't sure if I could follow the dialogue. Lo and behold, 20 pages in I was completely captivated and could not put it down.I finished it in one evening, and literally woke up thinking about the characters and felt so sad I couldn't spend more time with them. That's a great book!

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   Isabel Streich

   5 out of 5

   Loved this book. The characters are so well developed. It showcases so many dark things like depression, anxiety & abuse but in such a real way with real love to support it. I would highly recommend

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   Kieran Trantow

   5 out of 5

   Be prepared to feel your heart ache. Very realistic in relation to modern day dating and mental illness. I enjoyed it, but I also found it excruciating and definatly made me cry.

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   Chris Ritchie

   3 out of 5

   Falta de información acerca de como traer a Ecuador

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   Deborah Kakooza

   5 out of 5

   book came in good condition

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   Fatima Emmanuel

   3 out of 5

   Connell and Marianne, seemingly worlds apart at school, hide their connection. Connell, the popular soccer star, contrasts sharply with the lonely, proud, and intensely private Marianne. A peculiar bond forms when Connell picks up his mother from her housekeeping job at Marianne's house, a connection they fervently strive to keep concealed. Fast forward a year, and both find themselves at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne thrives in a new social realm, while Connell remains on the sidelines, grappling with shyness and uncertainty. Over their college years, the duo orbits each other, exploring other relationships and possibilities, yet always drawn back magnetically, irresistibly.As Marianne spirals into self-destruction and Connell seeks meaning elsewhere, they confront the limits of their willingness to save each other. Normal People offers moments of depth, humor, and an unconventional romance. However, it often feels like a repetitive cycle, marked by various forms of abuse and li...More

   Connell and Marianne, seemingly worlds apart at school, hide their connection. Connell, the popular soccer star, contrasts sharply with the lonely, proud, and intensely private Marianne. A peculiar bond forms when Connell picks up his mother from her housekeeping job at Marianne's house, a connection they fervently strive to keep concealed. Fast forward a year, and both find themselves at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne thrives in a new social realm, while Connell remains on the sidelines, grappling with shyness and uncertainty. Over their college years, the duo orbits each other, exploring other relationships and possibilities, yet always drawn back magnetically, irresistibly.As Marianne spirals into self-destruction and Connell seeks meaning elsewhere, they confront the limits of their willingness to save each other. Normal People offers moments of depth, humor, and an unconventional romance. However, it often feels like a repetitive cycle, marked by various forms of abuse and lingering, unresolved emotions. The central characters, despite their struggle to commit and show mutual respect, repeatedly gravitate toward each other, creating a narrative that may leave readers questioning the nature of their connection. While the book holds glimpses of profundity and wit, its predominant themes may leave some readers grappling with the challenging dynamics portrayed within the story.

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   Charlotte Evans

   5 out of 5

   I LOVE this book. Such a great read.

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   Arnold Vermeulen

   2 out of 5

   brief synopsis: if navigating through life wasn't enough, Marianne and Connell also have to navigate their feelings for each other. Weaving in and out of each others lives, this story follows them growing up and the little threads that they leave along the way.review: I really wanted to enjoy this book but by the end it fell flat for me. Full of self sabotage, it was hard to like either main character. I think Marianne and Connell's relationship shifts were well written, but lacked something (I just can't put a finger on what!!) maybe I am just a little cynical for wanting more for these characters, a little bit above normal 🍃

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   Emeka Olubukola

   1 out of 5

   One of the worst books. I started it so felt I needed to finish it and it was painfully boring and horribly written. Oh, and the author writes anti-Semitic comments in the book so there's that to look forward too.

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   Divya Bhatnagar

   2 out of 5

   this book is about two characters who cannot get their lives together. They can't love properly, they can't engage with living properly, they have no ambitions, no drives, no true desires. The gift of life is reduced to pretty much boredom. But I don't think people like this are the norm. Especially these two who are so smart. Smart people are creative and deeply engaging. I guess this book is well written, but I was ready for it to end and now that I did finish, I'm sorry I kept on.

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   Bhola Mogul

   1 out of 5

   This is my first amazon review and I had to write one just to tell you this was one of the worst books I have ever read.It was horrible.I hated every minute.Every time I turned a page I wondered why I was still reading it.I held out hope that it would get better.It didn't.I don't know why I finished it but I did. Wasted my time it was so bad.

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   Zainab Gbadamosi

   3 out of 5

   Omg, why doesn't she just go with him? Why doesn't she grow? He goes to therapy, but not her? I want to shake both these characters, lol. Mostly Marianne.

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   Karl Young

   4 out of 5

   I love Sally Rooney's style & prose, Connell and Marianne as characters are okay at best. I love how they're always gravitating back to each other but I wish they'd just give into vulnerability, but I'd def recommend to a friend nonetheless.

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   Marianne Ouma

   5 out of 5

   Love love loved this. It was very realistic.

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   Philip Kivumbi

   5 out of 5

   Schopenhauer versus Rooney: IMHO, Rooney wins!! They are both incredibly smart. She knits that together with real people. (Note the title). He was only ever able to solidify a relationship with his poodles.

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   Hattie Russel

   2 out of 5

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   Daniella Stamm

   2 out of 5

   This book kind of caught me off guard to be honest. Early in there is some pretty graphic, descriptive sexual encounters which pops up again, it reads somewhat naive, like someone trying to use vulgar language to fit in... it wasn't like 50 Shades of Gray adult vulgar… more like 20 year old boy vulgar. As others have mentioned, there's this weird subservient personality trait that feels underdeveloped and like it rapidly peaks with no real resolution. For me, it feels over written, overly descriptive yet lacking in the history behind the main character's life. It reads like a TikTok, rapid fire, lacking in content. It reads like this: (not actually from the book) She steps out of the steaming shower. The rug is wet and she's wearing a blue towel. She touches the metal doorknob which feels damp with the humidity. She turns the knob lightly and the warm yellow light washes over her damp skin. She gets in bed and goes to sleep. I think it's a page turner bc you so badly want something goo...More

   This book kind of caught me off guard to be honest. Early in there is some pretty graphic, descriptive sexual encounters which pops up again, it reads somewhat naive, like someone trying to use vulgar language to fit in... it wasn't like 50 Shades of Gray adult vulgar… more like 20 year old boy vulgar. As others have mentioned, there's this weird subservient personality trait that feels underdeveloped and like it rapidly peaks with no real resolution. For me, it feels over written, overly descriptive yet lacking in the history behind the main character's life. It reads like a TikTok, rapid fire, lacking in content. It reads like this: (not actually from the book) She steps out of the steaming shower. The rug is wet and she's wearing a blue towel. She touches the metal doorknob which feels damp with the humidity. She turns the knob lightly and the warm yellow light washes over her damp skin. She gets in bed and goes to sleep. I think it's a page turner bc you so badly want something good to show up for the characters… and it just doesn't. As others have said, if you're sensitive to physical, emotional and sexual abuse… eating disorders, depression…be warned.

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   Patricia Byaruhanga

   2 out of 5

   I can see why this book is so popular. Rooney has mastered the compulsively readable, cliff hangery, just enough more literary than airport books but with the same pate turner quality writing. And there's some interesting emotional and inner character life sketched out here. But overall, the sum is less than its parts. Most of all, this book is grossly, dangerously inaccurate about what bdsm is and isn't. Rooney is woefully irresponsible in writing this without doing even a stitch of research about bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, sadism/masochism practices and culture. What's presented here is not kink, but emotional abuse, codependency, severe dysfunction, and self harm, which are not inherent parts of non-normative sexualities, which apparently escapes the author. Also, there's a lot of the misguided hot takes on the complicated violence of the middle east, not so subtly credit to the characters but clearly the author's own views as part of a young, contemporary irish milie...More

   I can see why this book is so popular. Rooney has mastered the compulsively readable, cliff hangery, just enough more literary than airport books but with the same pate turner quality writing. And there's some interesting emotional and inner character life sketched out here. But overall, the sum is less than its parts. Most of all, this book is grossly, dangerously inaccurate about what bdsm is and isn't. Rooney is woefully irresponsible in writing this without doing even a stitch of research about bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, sadism/masochism practices and culture. What's presented here is not kink, but emotional abuse, codependency, severe dysfunction, and self harm, which are not inherent parts of non-normative sexualities, which apparently escapes the author. Also, there's a lot of the misguided hot takes on the complicated violence of the middle east, not so subtly credit to the characters but clearly the author's own views as part of a young, contemporary irish milieu who impose politics from elsewhere on the world on a part of the world they little understand.

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   Alysson Crooks

   5 out of 5

   Bought this book a while ago and just simply have not had the chance to read it yet. Books are subjective, however, so the book review itself I wouldn't really be interested in providing. The book itself shipped quickly and arrived in good condition, with no pages ripped and no extra markings.

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   Jolayemi Adegoke

   2 out of 5

   Sally Rooney gives us a brilliant portrait of a young woman trying to grow into adulthood with the crushing burden of Complex Childhood Trauma from the pervasive emotional and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her family. Those behaviors and beliefs that allowed her to cope as a child have become her prison. Her lover struggles with anxiety and depression. He gets diagnosed, treated and moves forward while they are both left believing that she has no path that can give her relief of her suffering. It seems suffering is inherent in her being. As such, Normal People is a circular tale of hopelessness. This story could have been so much more than this unresolved tragedy.I hope that anyone who deeply identifies with Marianne, knows that it doesn't have to be like that. You can learn to honor how your younger self survived, come to trust your inherent wholesomeness and worthiness, and find the courage to shed those old protections that now cause you misery. There is a path forward...More

   Sally Rooney gives us a brilliant portrait of a young woman trying to grow into adulthood with the crushing burden of Complex Childhood Trauma from the pervasive emotional and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her family. Those behaviors and beliefs that allowed her to cope as a child have become her prison. Her lover struggles with anxiety and depression. He gets diagnosed, treated and moves forward while they are both left believing that she has no path that can give her relief of her suffering. It seems suffering is inherent in her being. As such, Normal People is a circular tale of hopelessness. This story could have been so much more than this unresolved tragedy.I hope that anyone who deeply identifies with Marianne, knows that it doesn't have to be like that. You can learn to honor how your younger self survived, come to trust your inherent wholesomeness and worthiness, and find the courage to shed those old protections that now cause you misery. There is a path forward.

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   Rose Turyasingura

   1 out of 5

   There are a lot of better novels out there, written by more talented authors

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   William Akankwasa

   5 out of 5

   I know I'm a little late to the Sally Rooney party, as I've picked this up looooong after the show started and finished. That being said, I'm happy to be here!Sally Rooney is an incredible author. She has a really interesting, almost callous writing style, that makes all of her books feel both detached and overly emotional. They're almost written in the style of the voice in your head- obviously biased toward you, but talking as if it's fact because your own brain will always see your perspective as true. Similarly is the writing structured, like a consistent stream of thought. I can see how that isn't for everyone, but I found it really easy to follow and loved it so much I bought all of her other books too. (They're all great)Normal People, specifically, is great. Sally Rooney always hits the nail on the head when writing characters- they're nuanced and well-rounded and actually interesting, which is hard to find. I read the book first and then watched the show and if you're doing th...More

   I know I'm a little late to the Sally Rooney party, as I've picked this up looooong after the show started and finished. That being said, I'm happy to be here!Sally Rooney is an incredible author. She has a really interesting, almost callous writing style, that makes all of her books feel both detached and overly emotional. They're almost written in the style of the voice in your head- obviously biased toward you, but talking as if it's fact because your own brain will always see your perspective as true. Similarly is the writing structured, like a consistent stream of thought. I can see how that isn't for everyone, but I found it really easy to follow and loved it so much I bought all of her other books too. (They're all great)Normal People, specifically, is great. Sally Rooney always hits the nail on the head when writing characters- they're nuanced and well-rounded and actually interesting, which is hard to find. I read the book first and then watched the show and if you're doing this the other way 'round then you'll be happy to know the book is better. It captures way more of the intricacies in the two love interests growth and provides you with more nuance for understanding- I found Marianne insufferable in the show, but in the book she made a lot more sense. She's still dumb, but in a more understandable, youthful hubris kind of way. If you liked the show, or if you like depressing love stories about people who make perpetually dumb decisions, this is great.

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   Jensen Zemlak

   3 out of 5

   So I read this in a day , I was traveling so I had over 5 hours in the air to read and though I enjoyed it I also found the characters annoying . especially Marianne, maybe, also because there's no real ending I found it just left the reader h hanging

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   Gabe Runte

   5 out of 5

   One of my favorite books ever! I am a librarian, so that is saying a lot. Saw the series first. Loved it, but liked the book even more.

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   Zachary Kennedy

   2 out of 5

   Such a boring read. Grabs you at the start but it gets very boring and kind of just the same thing over and over. And the ending it the worst ending to any book I've ever read. Was a huge disappointment.

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   Sekinat Gbadamosi

   5 out of 5

   Such a good book! Shows how mental health can impact a relationship and fog your brain to not see what other people see. It shows confusion and miscommunication. I'm obsessed with this book and I'm excited to watch the show now that I'm finished!!!

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   Fabiola Tumwesigye

   2 out of 5

   I am not sure that my 3 month wait to read this book was worth it. It was ok. Good enough to keep me going. But not enticing or a page turner. The ending was more of a stopping. I would not recommend it.

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   Alex Musinguzi

   3 out of 5

   The book makes the love and hence inner turmoil way more one sided. Marianne is obsessed with Connell, and he is drawn to that and her willingness to do anything for him…until he has to do anything that would hurt his ego since he is so “unsure”of himself. In the show, we at least see Connell's heartbreak, even if he caused it. I LOVED the show because it moved me emotionally. The book did not. Kudos to the screenwriter, directors, and actors for making the story so much better. BTW - this is my first review as an avid reader. That's how strongly I feel about it.

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   Harrison Ellis

   3 out of 5

   I really didn't even like this book. I kept reading because surely it will get better....but no. It never really did.

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   Charlie Morgan

   5 out of 5

   This book is the kind you wear out. I want to wear this book on my sleeve. And the words are etched into my bones. It's so crazy. I love it.

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   Sandra Brink

   1 out of 5

   This book was absolutely depressing, demeaning, dark, awful, gross….take your pick of any synonym of bad. I wish I could recover the hours of my life that I lost reading this!

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   Carel Oliver

   3 out of 5

   Book you just can't put down. All the feelings, but I felt that the personal stories were somehow left incomplete.

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   Nidhi Tailor

   4 out of 5

   went into this book expecting more, honestly. the beginning was great and i enjoyed marianne's unique attitude, but it grew boring and plain. the middle of the book was terrible, and hard to get through. overall i kind of liked it.

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   Kalyan Chana

   4 out of 5

   It felt like it ended right in the middle of the book. And not a very happy point either. I felt cheated.

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   Takalani Ally

   1 out of 5

   This book just went round and round. Nothing impressive

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   Kim Hauck

   5 out of 5

   I have read all of Sally Rooney's work, this is one is hands down my favorite. Her writing is clever yet easy to read, it will be tough to put it down once you start.

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   Makinwa Nwuzor

   5 out of 5

   rly good book

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   Jordyn Schmidt

   5 out of 5

   This book was a roller coaster but I could never put it down.

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   Jessica Were

   1 out of 5

   Poor writing. Touches on topics but is unable to dive deep into them. Very flat book. Author tries to be 'philosophical' but fails miserably. Ends abruptly.

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