Book 7/30.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I added Normal People to my Want to Read shelf on Goodreads in January 2021 and, 3 years later, I was quite excited to read my first Sally Rooney book. So imagine how disappointed I am that it started off strong but ended up being an unremarkable 2 star read 😩
Normal People follows Marianne and Connell through adolescence and into early adulthood. In high school, Marianne is smart and wealthy but socially ostracized, whereas Connell is working class (his mum works as a cleaner for Marianne’s family) but very popular. A year later, they are both studying at Trinity College in Dublin where Marianne has found her footing in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain.
The story had potential, but it did not meet my expectations at all. Marianne and Connell’s inability to adequately communicate is central to the novel and serves as the main theme that drives the story forward, but it got hella boring hella quick. The examination of class and social status was interesting because much of the tragedy that befalls Marianne and Connell is caused by other people, peer pressure and social expectations, but ultimately it was let down by the lack of an actual plot.
Hopefully the author’s debut, Conversations with Friends, is better… 🤞
View all my reviews
** A guide to ratings **
1 star – did not like it
2 stars – it was okay
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing
Lwile the Leo 