Hi everyone! I’m back with a new book review, and there are more articles coming your way soon. But which book is today’s review about? I’m sure that you noticed the title of this article so you already know and maybe it’s one of the reasons why you clicked this link. Today we’ll talk about Normal People by Sally Rooney. Maybe you already read the book, and you’d like to find out what someone else thought of it, or you are just getting ready to buy the book, and in that case, you’re looking for a review that might help you decide about your purchase. Either way, I’m really looking forward to talking with you about the story of Connell and Marianne. So, let’s dive into this!
To sum up the plot a bit first, Connell and Marianne become friends at high school. Connell is a popular guy, but everyone is laughing at Marianne. Besides Connell, who’s mum is cleaning in Marianne’s house, she doesn’t really have any friends. But when they go to the same college, the tables turn, and Marianne becomes popular. Will they manage to stay friends even despite their differences? Will their relationship survive? I don’t want to give you spoilers, so that’s something you’ll have to find out for yourself.
Honestly, I didn’t love the book, but I didn’t hate it either. On the one hand, the story was very easy to read, and it’s a great book if you need to escape the everyday reality. On the other hand, I think that my expectations were a bit too high. After reading the book, I really don’t understand the hype around it. The story was simple, and I found the characters to be straightforward, but it was all too predictable for me. There was nothing surprising, and I just found the story a bit boring. I don’t think that I’ll be watching the TV adaptation either, as I saw the characters to be quite irritating at times. Maybe younger readers can identify with the story better than I did, and I understand how it appeals to so many readers. I’m just not one of them.
Have you read Normal People? Did you like the book? I read the book in summer, and that’s when I began to write this review, but with all the university and freelancing stuff, I didn’t really have much time to focus on this. It’s situations like this when my old tweets and the reading diary come in handy.
Anyway, next week you can look forward to a photo diary from York! Actually, it might be a photo diary and book haul at the same time, but I might divide it into two separate articles. What would you prefer?
And if you enjoyed today’s article, I’ll be happy for every share, like or comment. I always love talking to other bookish people!
Hope you’re all well.
Eva
The Literature Empire 