I am fascinated by this take. On the "personality" and "seeing myself" sections, I don't think it's about individuality at all, at least not in the way you're talking about. Frances isn't talking about looking at herself in the mirror like some angsty teenager, or worried about her personality and whether it's unique enough - it seems, at least to me, that she's struggling with being detached from a sense of self. The inability to recall your own features. The oddity of being perceived, and having to reconcile with the fact that you have an image that you don't control. The poor interoceptive awareness, and the practicing of facial expressions. As an autistic person, all that felt very real to me. I'm not sure why I feel so defensive about this, but I think there are plenty of people who resonate with Frances because when they're in a room full of people, they struggle to feel human at all. Permanent outsiders. And Frances read like that to me. Hearing that described as cringe and having "pick-me girl vibes," well, that feels like being seventeen again, dropping the mask and not understanding why the other kids keep making faces at each other when you talk.
That’s an interesting take!! That makes perfect sense to me- the angle you’re coming from! Thanks for sharing because I do know what you mean with masking and practicing social interactions!
I love everything about this review. You explained why I didn't like it way more eloquently than I ever could. I always just fall back on reading somewhere that she said that a lot of the book is based on her actual friends and it making me think that she needs some new friends.
Haha thank you! And I’m glad I’m not the only one 😅😂 Woah if this is based off her friends…. She either needs to get new ones and/or take a hard look at the person in the mirror. Either way, she needs to write it better 😂
@@alanaestelle2076 Hahaha, amazing :D Well, we're in the minority, but I suppose that's the good thing about reading. I don't have a problem with other people enjoying it, it just wasn't for me!
I'm a literary fiction writer who just finished getting my MFA, and my mom recommended Rooney's stuff to me a few years back, as it falls into a similar niche to my own work. My style is character-driven and conversation-heavy, and my mom (bless her) told me I'd love how REALEAL Rooney's characters felt. Unfortunately she was correct--at least insofar as they reminded me of the IRL people I most hate being around lol. I've always struggled with books that feature primarily unlikable characters, whether it's intentional on the author's part or not: it's really difficult for me to get invested in a story without a well-meaning person to root for. And good lord, I couldn't root for anybody in this book. Everyone's just a different flavor of narcissist.
Looool you summed it up perfectly: everyone is so narcissistic. 😩 and I’ve read variations of this type of story from other authors and I get on with this narratives. I just can’t with this 😮💨
Just finished this disaster of a book after seeing so many youngsters praise it on the internet. I am glad to see there is a person who hated this book as much as I did. Really enjoyed your review!
We do exist! I mean, if other people love it great. I know that I love books that other people hate, but it’s like she is one of those authors that people don’t want you to critique and that just makes no sense to me
I love Sally Rooney, and I’m aware that she’s super controversial. I will say that Conversations with Friends is my least favorite. I love how deeply flawed her characters are but I totally get where you’re coming from with her inability to be subtle. Interesting that you found her characters non unique and boring though, because I find her characters to be unique to read! As you talked extensively about, she’s also a self proclaimed communist so there’s that… all of that aside, I laughed out loud multiple times in your review. Thanks for tearing me apart! 😂😂
You are the MVP for watching this on an author you love! I appreciate you!😂🙌🏼 that’s so fascinating how we both have completely different opinions on these characters. Goes to show that no two readers read the same book. Haha also like to watch negative reviews on books I love 😂
@@alanaestelle2076 it’s been awhile since I’ve read conversations with friends but I do remember that one boring me the most. I own both of her other books but I’ll never bother owning a copy of this one.
@@alanaestelle2076 I have genuinely never commented on a RUclips video in my life but this exchange was it. I enjoy Rooney so much and this book is also my least favourite thing she’s written but you didn’t like Mr Salary so I need to rationalise that. You strike me as open-minded (notwithstanding the strong personality) and I think the visceral reaction is a perfect storm of political, cultural, and individual factors. At the risk of being reductionist - and I think you yourself argue that good writing can overcome all this - I think it was pre-ordained that a book written by a Marxist, European-oriented Irish person who I think is probably some version of Marianne in Normal People was just never, ever going to strike a chord with you. People are different, I guess. But on that point I think you’ve misrepresented Marx and Marxism quite unfortunately when it comes to individuality vs group identify front.
Excellent review in the way you presented your opinion with such detailed and specific examples. I haven't read Sally Rooney, and I wasn't planning to read her work anytime soon because I have too many other better (in my opinion) works that I want to read. Every time I leafed through a few pages at the store, her books never seemed appealing enough. I enjoyed and appreciated hearing your opinion on this book that it is so popular! That being said, I will never understand people who get offended because someone doesn't like a book they do and they try to put that person's intelligence down for having a different opinion. One of the things about reading books is to be able to have open, honest, mature conversations about the reasons we might like or dislike aspects of a book, character, or the writing. At times, a negative review might be more helpful than a positive review in helping us see things from a different perspective or simply in just confirming the reasons we might appreciate a work that someone else didn't.
Thank you so much! And YES! I don’t understand that either! I love hearing why people don’t like books because those tend to be some of the most nuanced reviews!
I'm a year late to this, but this review is great. In fact it's encouraged me to let out steam about a similar author gripe I have 😂. Your impression of Rooney is like my impression of China Mieville. He's the author of a prize-laden Marxist novel that turned out to be the worst book I've ever read, Perdido Street Station. His works, along with the way he talks in interviews, ring with the sense of an author straining to achieve intellectual heights but just falling flat, just like you say about Rooney's book apparently "trying too hard". Mieville intended Peridod Street Station to be some foundational text that would launch the genres of Fantasy and Sci-Fi into a revolution, one that breaks from the orthodoxy of Tolkien and Lewis. But Perdido Street Station came out two decades ago and has had nothing of the cultural impact he envisioned. It's a dead book and you can see why. Throughout, its plot splits into threads that by the book's end have fizzled out into nowhere. The characters are forgettable. At times the book's genre shifts from Fantasy into surrealism, but the surrealist episodes don't - as the author intends - suffuse the reader's consciousness with hallucinatory impressions; they're just laughably childish. The prose must be the worst aspect. It’s cluttered with archaic Latinate words that have no apparent role other than to make the author feel smart. I've read more than one other prize-winning book that I don't even feel deserves to have been published, like The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley or The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. But those books are modest in what they aspire to do, and so you can almost forgive their being awarded as something the writers never intended. What makes Mieville's book the worst I've ever read is that his pretensions tower over his skill. Just like in Rooney's work, it's baffling to see why his Goodreads reviews are so high.
Hahaha thank you! LOL I love a good literary rant! Honestly, a lot of books are really overhyped and sometimes I wonder if people are too nervous to criticize certain authors, especially ones that they are told are 'good.'
Omg i thought i was the weird one because everyone seems to lovee the book. I was also think that the book is so flat boring and cringey. I remember that while reading it i kept wanting the story to end asap. And im so agree on that part where sally rooney talks abt her criticism on capitalism on this book. Ive read several book where the writers are doing this and i liked it, but in this book ive felt like sally rooney was trying soo hardd to be one of those millenials who talks abt politics and current affairs just bcs it makes u look cool, smart and edgy. It felt forced, pretentious and lack anything substantial
I tried "Beach Read" by Emily Henry recently and found the writing to be lame and SO basic. The fact that you think that that book has better writing really says something about this one. I'm definitely keen to stay away from it! (Plus, I've heard Sally Rooney doesn't use quotation marks in her writing which is... a choice.)
I get why Henry is popular, but i do think she's over rated. I do find little sparks of good stuff in some of her earlier novels, but now I think Henry is WAY WAY Over saturated and i'm over it. LOL Yep, Rooney doesn't use quotations marks. That doesn't bother me too much. I have beef with how bad this novel is LOLOL
I am here for this review! I read Normal People and hated it for much the same reasons. Her writing is immature and reminds me of my writing when I was 14 years old. In her defence, Rooney is still very young and she needs to go and experience actual life as an adult. However, there are other young authors who do a much better job.
As a Rooney and Irish woman, I hope I'm not related to her 😂 every time you read her quotes I zoned out. I can't stand bad writing 🥴 Loved your rant. I cracked up many times. 😂
On another channel I watch regularly, a popular novel was panned. Generally, I suggest young people looking to the future avoid heavy criticism of others, however this review presented such strong examples of terrible writing that I had to agree with the overall assessment of terribleness. btw, I. too, think Marx was twisted, regardless of whether or not ultimately the body of work makes sense. For the most part, I've heard positive reviews of CwF, tho apparently its author, Sally Rooney, holds at least two or three political opinions I might describe as problematic (were I the type of person to do that sort of thing). Thx for you honesty, and I admire your bravery.
Yea I usually try to be … a bit more neutral about authors when I don’t like a work, but this was … it needed to be said lol. And that’s why I always back up my reviews with examples, so people can know I’m basing my findings in something that is provided within the work itself. Haha Marx was twisted and yes, there are sections in his works that I’ve marked like “ok…. I see what you’re getting at!” Though over all, I don’t care for him. Yes, I’ve strongly disagreed with some of her stances too and she even puts them in her narratives which is fine, she can express those beliefs. I’m all about free speech and creative speech. It’s just not well written 😅. Thank you! I appreciate that you called this brave. My belief is if it’s a public work, it’s fair game! Lol
@@alanaestelle2076 Yeah, just always remember that you see the same people on the way down as you do when you're going up, regardless of the perspective you have of them. Thx again - have been enjoying your channel a lot.
@@jamesduggan7200 oh i hear ya and when I first posted this on Instagram I was a bit nervous🤣 I was actually really surprised at its reception. And thank you!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found no joy in reading this ....i even found the characters on the TV show very ..distant? weirdly combative and competitive for friends ...I could go on 😂 I just didn't even care what happened to them or why they were motivated ...😌
YES! NO JOY! 🤣 I’m actually reading A Very Nice Girl by, Imogen Crimp right now - the themes are almost identical but this one is soooo much more palatable. Omg.
I had no interest in reading Rooney, but my challenge last year was reading Ireland and she’s the 900 pound elephant in the room for current Irish lit and I felt I needed to read her at least once. With very, very low expectations I read Normal People and because of that I think I was able to enjoy it more than I expected. What I did really appreciate is she made two main characters who were very smart, genius level smart, and that’s not something you often see in contemporary fiction, very smart young people, especially in their teens. So, it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined, but I don’t feel the need to ever read anything else by her. I did watch the an episode of the Conversation TV show, but abandoned it after struggling through the first one.
Yea I felt like I needed to give one of her novels a chance and well… you see how that went lol. I’m glad you liked Normal People more than you anticipated - that’s always a pleasant surprise! Yea I’ve heard others say that about the show as well.
I really liked Normal People but didn't like Conversations with Friends. I agree with you that it was, or at least the characters Francis and Bobbi were, so pretentious. I'm glad I read Normal People first, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to read anything else by her probably.
I love this review so much that I almost wish you read Normal People 😁 which is even worse than Conversations with Friends 😂 I have read those too and although I was kinda hooked by the story I also felt that it was insanely pretentious, ridiculously shallow and the characters are beyond basic… come on all her characters are either beautiful, rich or beautiful and rich 😂 her writing is the highest expression of telling not showing I have ever read. I haven’t seen her interviews but literally these 2 novels feel like a compilation of parroting and fake characters. Not fake with each other but with the reader.
The visceral reaction you had to this book was my exact reaction to Outlander and Diana Gabaldon. 😂 I've never read Sally Rooney but the snippets you showed don't make me want to rush out and read her books. This was a gloves-off review and I'm here for it.
LOOOOOOL!!! I love that you hate Outlander, even though I love it. 🤣👌🏼 Yeaaa don’t rush to this one. Haha! If there’s one thing, I’m going o be honest about how I feel about a book.
The balls to say she’s not a good writer! I love it. I hated this book and was confused by all the negative reviews that said “she’s an excellent writer, but…” cause I found it horribly written 😂
@@tbwatch88 gobsmacked is such an amazing word 🤣🤌🏼. Seriously though - the publishing industry makes my head hurt. I read so many great, undercover novels and they don’t have the machine behind them, so they won’t get this type of hype. The Music industry is the same.
I never thought about reading Sally Rooney's books; your review confirmed that. I probably, without question, DNF her book and returned it. There are talented writers like Jesmyn Ward and Percival Everett that come top of mind that receive a fraction of marketing and promotion than Rooney's books. I understand marketing her book to a new millennial readership, but it's insulting to readers' intelligence. Chile, you've saved me several hours of my life that I wouldn't get back from reading this book. Thank you!
I hate Normal People and I'm probably never gonna read another Sally Rooney book, but I love listening to you tearing it down 😂 Edit: Finally someone who also hated Hamnet, so boring!!
(First of all, if I have errors in my writing it's because English isn't my first language) The Emily Henry take: YES. I read Conversations with friends and ended just like you: libid. Also I don't think it's an age/maturity thing because I'm 22 and it also aported nothing to me. Later on I read "Normal People" and gave it 5 stars. Now I'm reading "Beautiful world, where are you" and I'm getting the same ick as in CWF. I think she just blurts paragraphs of capitalism critique instead of EXPOSITION. Just saying quote on quote what she wants to say instead of proving it with actions through characters.
Haha Yes! I just finished reading People We Meet on Vacation and Henry’s writing is waaaaay better. I’m glad I’m not the only one who joust can’t get on with Rooney. And I’ve heard that about Beautiful World. It’s just word vomit and nothing deeper 😩
This was so entertaining, but still also a fair and thorough review! Plus, I really trust it since most of your reviews I've seen have been pretty positive and this one... not so much I haven't read the book but I agree with you that the "you're not unique" or "your personality isn't real" always kind of annoys me, because of course I am and of course it is! It still might be interesting to read from the perspective of someone who believes these things, but it doesn't sound like Frances's is the most compelling perspective.
I was hoping the whole time for the main character to go to therapy and get better and then at the end it was all over again... I also hated the whole "cheating but it's okay" thing where Nick doesn't communicate with his wife at all about Frances. That's not how polyamourous people should be
Your review made me laugh so much 🤣. I definitely will not be bothering with this book!! I've just finished reading Normal People because liked the tv adaptation. I found the characters quite interesting but the writing is just so bad.
I was in stitches over this review. 😂 Good call on throwing out normal people. The characters were extremely one dimensional and I found the virtue signaling throughout the narrative insufferable. I agree, It’s infuriating that these kind of books are being heralded as literature in our time 🥴
Oh god, thank you so much for this review. I agree with every word you said. I don't understand why people love this book, I didn’t like it at all. I want back the seconds I spent on this book. You made the best and very detailed review, I appreciate your braveness to say “I hate this book”. I enjoyed this video so much. It was the most boring book ever. Cheers!
Glad you loved it!! 🙌🏼 HAHA! Looook I appreciate that you still tried to watch! Thanks so much! 😂❤️ that’s what makes reading so fun - we all have such different experiences lol.
After reading Sally Rooney's "French Braid", I knew Sally Rooney wasn't an author for me. "French Braid" was one of my worst reads of 2022. It was only beat out by "The Paper Palace" by Miranda Cowley Heller which reached an even higher level of awful, but only by a little bit.
Alana for your project idk if you’re already planning to but I think you should read Acts of Desperation since you refuse to read anything by Sally Rooney 🤣🤣 honestly I don’t can’t blame you but a lot of people compare that book to Normal People and lots of women love that sort of literature nowadays because they can relate to the main character being a strong feminist by seeking out men who will treat her horribly then feeling sorry for herself and playing victim
Haha I’m not. And I doubt she did either. Still - this book is not jam. Reading a book now with almost identical themes, though the writing style is similar there’s something else to it and I like to a lot better. Just my preference.
You made me laugh. The way you feel about this book (your hate is palpable) is the way I feel about Verity and 50 shades of grey. I hate them. IDK how ppl who are otherwise intelligent can believe someone can fake .... I won't spoil the book for those who've not read it. Anyway, thank you. You are very entertaining and I love that you're honest.
No clue who Sally Rooney was until this review, but zero stars is worth awarding, and sometimes (and I have done this once or twice only) a book is worth "recycling" as in throwing away and having it ground to bits rather than passing it along.
I love a good rant review, especially when it's 45 minutes! I haven't read anything by Rooney, but I've had Normal People sitting unread on my shelf for a few years. I might rid of it now... Those passages were truly bad. Where was the editor???
Many of the sentences are written in Irish dialogue like a person would actually speak out loud. In real life people don’t speak with grammatical perfection. No wonder you don’t like it because you’re not reading it properly. I’m literally staring at the words seeing them make perfect sense while you’re incorrectly reading them in a way that makes no sense. Btw I’m British so it’s probably easier for me to see the sense in the sentences because they are written as we speak.
Thanks for you feedback and insight! I’ve read other Irish authors, who have written in dialect, and I got in with them splendidly and loved those books. I primarily read British authors, with a lot of dialect. I can understand very well, written or spoken. Rooney’s writing just isn’t for me and that’s ok.
Questioning my sanity brought me here :D I studied political science and Sally Rooney reminds me sooo much of all the sheltered upper-middle class 'Marxist' students who are so full of themselves, and so superficially obnoxiously aware of their 'privilege' without any real awareness. They all think they understand 'the human condition' because they have pseudo-intellectual conversations about it. Pretentious and annoying. The thing is, I have enjoyed books about pretentious and annoying characters - but it is the author's job to make me care about the characters and Rooney isn't doing it. There are SO many excellent Irish writers out there, who represent Irish writing much better - because Irish writing is usually grounded, down-to-earth, intelligent and the complete opposite of her stuff. And she is not an average Irish person herself, having gone to Trinity College (an elite college). I lived in Ireland for 10 years, her type is the reason actually normal people are priced out of the country lol.
LOL YAS!!! You've said this perfectly. What you've described is exactly what i LIKE about the other Irish authors I have read, with more to come. It really baffles me how Rooney is considered ... good. Like ... no. LOL. I read other authors who don't have the marketing and PR and they just blow most popular stuff out of the water.
I'll skip this one, but read "Normal people" and found it the worst book I read. It's cringe, shallow, futile and text-message-style writen. It's a mud puddle of words.
I have trouble seeing why that sentence is "passive voice"... the sentence is a bit awkward as she should have written, "I am familiar with the idea that capitalism was the crazy thing"
It's is my favourite of all time because francis resonates my personality like 95% accurate even though I'm not a girl and I'm from india she is like female version of me.If i write my thoughts over a pages they looks exactly same as francis cold,boring and bland. Only thing i didn't like about this is book is one sided political views and constant criticism of captalism for not reason at all.
Yeaaa they were hard to understand. Someone tried to tell me it’s because it’s writing in Irish dialect. I’ve read Irish dialect before and loved those books so, nope I just don’t get in with Rooney.
Hahaha! I have used those exact words! “I get what the author is doing, I just don’t like it and don’t want to be a part of their thang.”
Yes!!! 😂🙌🏼 and we don’t have to like it!
I am fascinated by this take. On the "personality" and "seeing myself" sections, I don't think it's about individuality at all, at least not in the way you're talking about. Frances isn't talking about looking at herself in the mirror like some angsty teenager, or worried about her personality and whether it's unique enough - it seems, at least to me, that she's struggling with being detached from a sense of self. The inability to recall your own features. The oddity of being perceived, and having to reconcile with the fact that you have an image that you don't control. The poor interoceptive awareness, and the practicing of facial expressions. As an autistic person, all that felt very real to me. I'm not sure why I feel so defensive about this, but I think there are plenty of people who resonate with Frances because when they're in a room full of people, they struggle to feel human at all. Permanent outsiders. And Frances read like that to me. Hearing that described as cringe and having "pick-me girl vibes," well, that feels like being seventeen again, dropping the mask and not understanding why the other kids keep making faces at each other when you talk.
That’s an interesting take!! That makes perfect sense to me- the angle you’re coming from! Thanks for sharing because I do know what you mean with masking and practicing social interactions!
I love everything about this review. You explained why I didn't like it way more eloquently than I ever could. I always just fall back on reading somewhere that she said that a lot of the book is based on her actual friends and it making me think that she needs some new friends.
Haha thank you! And I’m glad I’m not the only one 😅😂
Woah if this is based off her friends…. She either needs to get new ones and/or take a hard look at the person in the mirror. Either way, she needs to write it better 😂
@@alanaestelle2076 Hahaha, amazing :D Well, we're in the minority, but I suppose that's the good thing about reading. I don't have a problem with other people enjoying it, it just wasn't for me!
@@danecobain haha yes same!! If someone gets on with it - yay! But shout out to those of us who don’t 🤣🙌🏼
The manner in which you've established your criteria is truly beneficial and i love it
Thank you so much!
I feel so validated!
I’M GLAD!! 🙌🏼🍻
Alana snark is THE BEST SNARK
Loooo glad I can deliver 🤣
Yessss!!
@@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD 🤣
I'm a literary fiction writer who just finished getting my MFA, and my mom recommended Rooney's stuff to me a few years back, as it falls into a similar niche to my own work. My style is character-driven and conversation-heavy, and my mom (bless her) told me I'd love how REALEAL Rooney's characters felt. Unfortunately she was correct--at least insofar as they reminded me of the IRL people I most hate being around lol. I've always struggled with books that feature primarily unlikable characters, whether it's intentional on the author's part or not: it's really difficult for me to get invested in a story without a well-meaning person to root for. And good lord, I couldn't root for anybody in this book. Everyone's just a different flavor of narcissist.
Looool you summed it up perfectly: everyone is so narcissistic. 😩 and I’ve read variations of this type of story from other authors and I get on with this narratives. I just can’t with this 😮💨
Just finished this disaster of a book after seeing so many youngsters praise it on the internet. I am glad to see there is a person who hated this book as much as I did. Really enjoyed your review!
We do exist! I mean, if other people love it great. I know that I love books that other people hate, but it’s like she is one of those authors that people don’t want you to critique and that just makes no sense to me
"This book....I hate it. " 😂😂
Yesssss!!! PREACH (I tune out at all the "buzzwords" too)
🤣
Omg yes! It’s like a lot of words have completely lost their meanings 🤦🏻♀️
@@alanaestelle2076 and @Thecatladybooknook_ Penny D Exactly!
I love Sally Rooney, and I’m aware that she’s super controversial. I will say that Conversations with Friends is my least favorite. I love how deeply flawed her characters are but I totally get where you’re coming from with her inability to be subtle. Interesting that you found her characters non unique and boring though, because I find her characters to be unique to read! As you talked extensively about, she’s also a self proclaimed communist so there’s that… all of that aside, I laughed out loud multiple times in your review. Thanks for tearing me apart! 😂😂
You are the MVP for watching this on an author you love! I appreciate you!😂🙌🏼 that’s so fascinating how we both have completely different opinions on these characters. Goes to show that no two readers read the same book.
Haha also like to watch negative reviews on books I love 😂
@@alanaestelle2076 it’s been awhile since I’ve read conversations with friends but I do remember that one boring me the most. I own both of her other books but I’ll never bother owning a copy of this one.
@@alanaestelle2076 I have genuinely never commented on a RUclips video in my life but this exchange was it. I enjoy Rooney so much and this book is also my least favourite thing she’s written but you didn’t like Mr Salary so I need to rationalise that. You strike me as open-minded (notwithstanding the strong personality) and I think the visceral reaction is a perfect storm of political, cultural, and individual factors. At the risk of being reductionist - and I think you yourself argue that good writing can overcome all this - I think it was pre-ordained that a book written by a Marxist, European-oriented Irish person who I think is probably some version of Marianne in Normal People was just never, ever going to strike a chord with you.
People are different, I guess. But on that point I think you’ve misrepresented Marx and Marxism quite unfortunately when it comes to individuality vs group identify front.
Why would you say something so controversial, yet so brave? 💜😂
Omg 🤣 is this really brave? I’m just being honest. What do the young people say these days - I’m speaking my truth! 🤣🙈 but thank you! Lol!!!
Excellent review in the way you presented your opinion with such detailed and specific examples. I haven't read Sally Rooney, and I wasn't planning to read her work anytime soon because I have too many other better (in my opinion) works that I want to read. Every time I leafed through a few pages at the store, her books never seemed appealing enough. I enjoyed and appreciated hearing your opinion on this book that it is so popular! That being said, I will never understand people who get offended because someone doesn't like a book they do and they try to put that person's intelligence down for having a different opinion. One of the things about reading books is to be able to have open, honest, mature conversations about the reasons we might like or dislike aspects of a book, character, or the writing. At times, a negative review might be more helpful than a positive review in helping us see things from a different perspective or simply in just confirming the reasons we might appreciate a work that someone else didn't.
Thank you so much! And YES! I don’t understand that either! I love hearing why people don’t like books because those tend to be some of the most nuanced reviews!
Wow I just wanted to find an honest review from someone that objective! Thank you for your review!
I’m glad you found this helpful! Thanks for watching!
I'm a year late to this, but this review is great. In fact it's encouraged me to let out steam about a similar author gripe I have 😂.
Your impression of Rooney is like my impression of China Mieville. He's the author of a prize-laden Marxist novel that turned out to be the worst book I've ever read, Perdido Street Station. His works, along with the way he talks in interviews, ring with the sense of an author straining to achieve intellectual heights but just falling flat, just like you say about Rooney's book apparently "trying too hard". Mieville intended Peridod Street Station to be some foundational text that would launch the genres of Fantasy and Sci-Fi into a revolution, one that breaks from the orthodoxy of Tolkien and Lewis. But Perdido Street Station came out two decades ago and has had nothing of the cultural impact he envisioned. It's a dead book and you can see why. Throughout, its plot splits into threads that by the book's end have fizzled out into nowhere. The characters are forgettable. At times the book's genre shifts from Fantasy into surrealism, but the surrealist episodes don't - as the author intends - suffuse the reader's consciousness with hallucinatory impressions; they're just laughably childish. The prose must be the worst aspect. It’s cluttered with archaic Latinate words that have no apparent role other than to make the author feel smart.
I've read more than one other prize-winning book that I don't even feel deserves to have been published, like The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley or The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. But those books are modest in what they aspire to do, and so you can almost forgive their being awarded as something the writers never intended. What makes Mieville's book the worst I've ever read is that his pretensions tower over his skill.
Just like in Rooney's work, it's baffling to see why his Goodreads reviews are so high.
Hahaha thank you! LOL I love a good literary rant! Honestly, a lot of books are really overhyped and sometimes I wonder if people are too nervous to criticize certain authors, especially ones that they are told are 'good.'
Omg i thought i was the weird one because everyone seems to lovee the book. I was also think that the book is so flat boring and cringey. I remember that while reading it i kept wanting the story to end asap. And im so agree on that part where sally rooney talks abt her criticism on capitalism on this book. Ive read several book where the writers are doing this and i liked it, but in this book ive felt like sally rooney was trying soo hardd to be one of those millenials who talks abt politics and current affairs just bcs it makes u look cool, smart and edgy. It felt forced, pretentious and lack anything substantial
SAME SAME SAME! It does feel like she's trying to hard!
I tried "Beach Read" by Emily Henry recently and found the writing to be lame and SO basic. The fact that you think that that book has better writing really says something about this one. I'm definitely keen to stay away from it! (Plus, I've heard Sally Rooney doesn't use quotation marks in her writing which is... a choice.)
I get why Henry is popular, but i do think she's over rated. I do find little sparks of good stuff in some of her earlier novels, but now I think Henry is WAY WAY Over saturated and i'm over it. LOL Yep, Rooney doesn't use quotations marks. That doesn't bother me too much. I have beef with how bad this novel is LOLOL
I am here for this review! I read Normal People and hated it for much the same reasons. Her writing is immature and reminds me of my writing when I was 14 years old. In her defence, Rooney is still very young and she needs to go and experience actual life as an adult. However, there are other young authors who do a much better job.
THIS!! I often thought the same thing while reading - I’ve read teenagers writing that is better.
As a Rooney and Irish woman, I hope I'm not related to her 😂 every time you read her quotes I zoned out. I can't stand bad writing 🥴
Loved your rant. I cracked up many times. 😂
Lol I’m glad you enjoyed this 😂
On another channel I watch regularly, a popular novel was panned. Generally, I suggest young people looking to the future avoid heavy criticism of others, however this review presented such strong examples of terrible writing that I had to agree with the overall assessment of terribleness. btw, I. too, think Marx was twisted, regardless of whether or not ultimately the body of work makes sense. For the most part, I've heard positive reviews of CwF, tho apparently its author, Sally Rooney, holds at least two or three political opinions I might describe as problematic (were I the type of person to do that sort of thing). Thx for you honesty, and I admire your bravery.
Yea I usually try to be … a bit more neutral about authors when I don’t like a work, but this was … it needed to be said lol. And that’s why I always back up my reviews with examples, so people can know I’m basing my findings in something that is provided within the work itself. Haha Marx was twisted and yes, there are sections in his works that I’ve marked like “ok…. I see what you’re getting at!” Though over all, I don’t care for him.
Yes, I’ve strongly disagreed with some of her stances too and she even puts them in her narratives which is fine, she can express those beliefs. I’m all about free speech and creative speech. It’s just not well written 😅. Thank you! I appreciate that you called this brave. My belief is if it’s a public work, it’s fair game! Lol
@@alanaestelle2076 Yeah, just always remember that you see the same people on the way down as you do when you're going up, regardless of the perspective you have of them. Thx again - have been enjoying your channel a lot.
@@jamesduggan7200 oh i hear ya and when I first posted this on Instagram I was a bit nervous🤣
I was actually really surprised at its reception. And thank you!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who found no joy in reading this ....i even found the characters on the TV show very ..distant? weirdly combative and competitive for friends ...I could go on 😂 I just didn't even care what happened to them or why they were motivated ...😌
YES! NO JOY! 🤣 I’m actually reading A Very Nice Girl by, Imogen Crimp right now - the themes are almost identical but this one is soooo much more palatable. Omg.
@@alanaestelle2076 I'll check it out!!! Love the content 💛
@@ayeelaura thanks! A Very Nice Girl is surprising me! If you read it, let me know what you think!
I had no interest in reading Rooney, but my challenge last year was reading Ireland and she’s the 900 pound elephant in the room for current Irish lit and I felt I needed to read her at least once. With very, very low expectations I read Normal People and because of that I think I was able to enjoy it more than I expected. What I did really appreciate is she made two main characters who were very smart, genius level smart, and that’s not something you often see in contemporary fiction, very smart young people, especially in their teens. So, it wasn’t as bad as I had imagined, but I don’t feel the need to ever read anything else by her. I did watch the an episode of the Conversation TV show, but abandoned it after struggling through the first one.
Yea I felt like I needed to give one of her novels a chance and well… you see how that went lol. I’m glad you liked Normal People more than you anticipated - that’s always a pleasant surprise! Yea I’ve heard others say that about the show as well.
I really liked Normal People but didn't like Conversations with Friends. I agree with you that it was, or at least the characters Francis and Bobbi were, so pretentious. I'm glad I read Normal People first, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to read anything else by her probably.
I haven't read Normal People, perhaps had I read it, it would have been a different experience. But, yes, this book was ... not it for me either haha.
I love this review so much that I almost wish you read Normal People 😁 which is even worse than Conversations with Friends 😂
I have read those too and although I was kinda hooked by the story I also felt that it was insanely pretentious, ridiculously shallow and the characters are beyond basic… come on all her characters are either beautiful, rich or beautiful and rich 😂 her writing is the highest expression of telling not showing I have ever read. I haven’t seen her interviews but literally these 2 novels feel like a compilation of parroting and fake characters. Not fake with each other but with the reader.
Omg, reading any more would be torture LOL.
Yesssssss!
The visceral reaction you had to this book was my exact reaction to Outlander and Diana Gabaldon. 😂
I've never read Sally Rooney but the snippets you showed don't make me want to rush out and read her books.
This was a gloves-off review and I'm here for it.
LOOOOOOL!!! I love that you hate Outlander, even though I love it. 🤣👌🏼
Yeaaa don’t rush to this one.
Haha! If there’s one thing, I’m going o be honest about how I feel about a book.
The balls to say she’s not a good writer! I love it. I hated this book and was confused by all the negative reviews that said “she’s an excellent writer, but…” cause I found it horribly written 😂
LOOOOOL! Omg 🤣 your comment made my day 🤣 yeaaaa I just don’t get it either 😅.
"I WOULD RATHER READ DICKENS"
My boy Chuck 😂
Love this review !! So well presented and articulated !
Please can you show how you annotate your books?
Thank you so much!!
And I’m planning on doing that video this year! 😊
you read the thing gobsmacked that it ever got published.
@@tbwatch88 gobsmacked is such an amazing word 🤣🤌🏼. Seriously though - the publishing industry makes my head hurt. I read so many great, undercover novels and they don’t have the machine behind them, so they won’t get this type of hype. The Music industry is the same.
Honest and to the point lol!! Wish you reviewed drafts as I would kill for this type of feedback 😂😂😂
LOOOOOL The responsibility of handling someones manuscript is mildly terrifying.😂
@@alanaestelle2076 😂😂😂 the potential dream killing aside, you have awesome instincts lol! It takes artistic skill to cut through the bull 😂
@@millionaire215 🤣🤣🤣
I never thought about reading Sally Rooney's books; your review confirmed that. I probably, without question, DNF her book and returned it. There are talented writers like Jesmyn Ward and Percival Everett that come top of mind that receive a fraction of marketing and promotion than Rooney's books. I understand marketing her book to a new millennial readership, but it's insulting to readers' intelligence. Chile, you've saved me several hours of my life that I wouldn't get back from reading this book. Thank you!
Looooool! And there are so many other Irish authors to try! I’m actually wondering is Rooney appeals more to Gen Z… or maybe younger millennials?
I hate Normal People and I'm probably never gonna read another Sally Rooney book, but I love listening to you tearing it down 😂
Edit: Finally someone who also hated Hamnet, so boring!!
LOL! I’m glad I could be entertaining 🤣.
I rarely tear down a book like this but … whew 😂
YES HAMNET WAS BORING!!! 🫠
@@alanaestelle2076 😂❤
(First of all, if I have errors in my writing it's because English isn't my first language)
The Emily Henry take: YES.
I read Conversations with friends and ended just like you: libid. Also I don't think it's an age/maturity thing because I'm 22 and it also aported nothing to me. Later on I read "Normal People" and gave it 5 stars. Now I'm reading "Beautiful world, where are you" and I'm getting the same ick as in CWF. I think she just blurts paragraphs of capitalism critique instead of EXPOSITION. Just saying quote on quote what she wants to say instead of proving it with actions through characters.
Haha Yes! I just finished reading People We Meet on Vacation and Henry’s writing is waaaaay better. I’m glad I’m not the only one who joust can’t get on with Rooney. And I’ve heard that about Beautiful World. It’s just word vomit and nothing deeper 😩
This was so entertaining, but still also a fair and thorough review! Plus, I really trust it since most of your reviews I've seen have been pretty positive and this one... not so much
I haven't read the book but I agree with you that the "you're not unique" or "your personality isn't real" always kind of annoys me, because of course I am and of course it is! It still might be interesting to read from the perspective of someone who believes these things, but it doesn't sound like Frances's is the most compelling perspective.
Thank you! And I’m glad you thought it was fair!
Yeaaa it was all rather tiresome 😅
I was hoping the whole time for the main character to go to therapy and get better and then at the end it was all over again... I also hated the whole "cheating but it's okay" thing where Nick doesn't communicate with his wife at all about Frances. That's not how polyamourous people should be
Your review made me laugh so much 🤣. I definitely will not be bothering with this book!! I've just finished reading Normal People because liked the tv adaptation. I found the characters quite interesting but the writing is just so bad.
LOL I'm glad! Some people think i'm an idiot for this video/opinion, but I really don't care.
Also, this was truly so fun to watch! Love a book rant.
LOL YAY! I'm glad! I love a good book rant also - even if the person is ranting about a book i may love. hahaha
I was in stitches over this review. 😂 Good call on throwing out normal people. The characters were extremely one dimensional and I found the virtue signaling throughout the narrative insufferable. I agree, It’s infuriating that these kind of books are being heralded as literature in our time 🥴
LOOOOL! I’m glad I’m not the only one 🤣
Oh god, thank you so much for this review. I agree with every word you said. I don't understand why people love this book, I didn’t like it at all. I want back the seconds I spent on this book. You made the best and very detailed review, I appreciate your braveness to say “I hate this book”. I enjoyed this video so much. It was the most boring book ever. Cheers!
We do exist! 🤣🙌🏼I’m so glad my review resonated with you. ❤️
The Kim K voice put me over…🤣🤣
LOOOOOOL 🤣🙌🏼
I just finished this book and loved it! I couldn't finish this video because I disagreed with it too much but that's okay. I still love your channel 😂
Glad you loved it!! 🙌🏼 HAHA! Looook I appreciate that you still tried to watch! Thanks so much! 😂❤️ that’s what makes reading so fun - we all have such different experiences lol.
After reading Sally Rooney's "French Braid", I knew Sally Rooney wasn't an author for me. "French Braid" was one of my worst reads of 2022. It was only beat out by "The Paper Palace" by Miranda Cowley Heller which reached an even higher level of awful, but only by a little bit.
Is French Braid one of her short stories? Haha I haven’t heard of that other book!
This was great! I appreciate you and your reviews 🙂
Thank you so much!!
Alana for your project idk if you’re already planning to but I think you should read Acts of Desperation since you refuse to read anything by Sally Rooney 🤣🤣 honestly I don’t can’t blame you but a lot of people compare that book to Normal People and lots of women love that sort of literature nowadays because they can relate to the main character being a strong feminist by seeking out men who will treat her horribly then feeling sorry for herself and playing victim
Wait what’s Acts of Desperation?! Should I be scared??🤣
Because that right there sounds like it’ll make me livid 🤣
@@alanaestelle2076 it definitely has made me livid and I desperately (no pun intended) need to hear you rant about it 💀💀
oh wow lol, i loved it. i finished it just yesterday. did a reading vlog.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! It’s always interesting to see how books resonating so differently for people. Especially Rooney lol
This review is EVERYTHING.
Haha yaaay! I’m glad you enjoyed 🤣 I’m surprised at how well this was received, overall! P
wow I hate hate hated Hamnet. It was my least favorite book of 2022. I will never trust anyone who liked it 💀
Yes!! We do exist! 😂
I think you are confusing Sally Rooney the author with Frances, the protagonist. I bet Sally Rooney didn't like Frances and her behavior either.
Haha I’m not. And I doubt she did either. Still - this book is not jam. Reading a book now with almost identical themes, though the writing style is similar there’s something else to it and I like to a lot better. Just my preference.
"That's all capitalism baby" soooooo good, I love this video
Lol I was in rare form and thank you 😂
You made me laugh. The way you feel about this book (your hate is palpable) is the way I feel about Verity and 50 shades of grey. I hate them. IDK how ppl who are otherwise intelligent can believe someone can fake .... I won't spoil the book for those who've not read it. Anyway, thank you. You are very entertaining and I love that you're honest.
LOOOOOOL! I’m glad you found this entertaining - we all have those books that make us mad🤣.
No clue who Sally Rooney was until this review, but zero stars is worth awarding, and sometimes (and I have done this once or twice only) a book is worth "recycling" as in throwing away and having it ground to bits rather than passing it along.
Reviewer hasn't a clue what she's waffling about
I already passed this book along hahah. And gifted my other unread Rooney novels to someone who will enjoy them! Haha. She just isn’t for me.
@@alanaestelle2076 Fair enough. With any luck whoever you gave them too will also become a disliker of her books. :P
I love a good rant review, especially when it's 45 minutes! I haven't read anything by Rooney, but I've had Normal People sitting unread on my shelf for a few years. I might rid of it now... Those passages were truly bad. Where was the editor???
Lol!! Yea … this was a challenge. And it’s not Irish authors, I just don’t get on with Rooney. I dunno… that’s to you lol
Would really love to hear your thoughts on Antkind by Charlie Kaufman.
preach! refreshing point of viewwww thank youuuu
LOL YES!!!!! Thanks for watching :)
I love you for this 😂
LOL! ❤️ I’m glad that people received this so well 🤣
You are feeding my soul. New subscriber❤
LOL YAY! :)
Many of the sentences are written in Irish dialogue like a person would actually speak out loud. In real life people don’t speak with grammatical perfection. No wonder you don’t like it because you’re not reading it properly. I’m literally staring at the words seeing them make perfect sense while you’re incorrectly reading them in a way that makes no sense. Btw I’m British so it’s probably easier for me to see the sense in the sentences because they are written as we speak.
Thanks for you feedback and insight! I’ve read other Irish authors, who have written in dialect, and I got in with them splendidly and loved those books. I primarily read British authors, with a lot of dialect. I can understand very well, written or spoken. Rooney’s writing just isn’t for me and that’s ok.
This is such a brilliant review, thank you for it.
Aw thank you! Not gonna lie - I was initially a little nervous to post.
Questioning my sanity brought me here :D
I studied political science and Sally Rooney reminds me sooo much of all the sheltered upper-middle class 'Marxist' students who are so full of themselves, and so superficially obnoxiously aware of their 'privilege' without any real awareness. They all think they understand 'the human condition' because they have pseudo-intellectual conversations about it. Pretentious and annoying. The thing is, I have enjoyed books about pretentious and annoying characters - but it is the author's job to make me care about the characters and Rooney isn't doing it.
There are SO many excellent Irish writers out there, who represent Irish writing much better - because Irish writing is usually grounded, down-to-earth, intelligent and the complete opposite of her stuff. And she is not an average Irish person herself, having gone to Trinity College (an elite college). I lived in Ireland for 10 years, her type is the reason actually normal people are priced out of the country lol.
LOL YAS!!! You've said this perfectly. What you've described is exactly what i LIKE about the other Irish authors I have read, with more to come. It really baffles me how Rooney is considered ... good. Like ... no. LOL. I read other authors who don't have the marketing and PR and they just blow most popular stuff out of the water.
Emily Henry's characters are always "pick-me girls" (especially Beach Read), and I had to stop reading her books. This has to stooooooppppppp!
Now that you mention it… 😳
Agreed this has to stop 🤣
THE WORST BOOK EVER HAHAHA I loooooove a good book rant ;)
Book rants are the best 😂
I'll skip this one, but read "Normal people" and found it the worst book I read. It's cringe, shallow, futile and text-message-style writen. It's a mud puddle of words.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who feels this way about her writing 🫠
A mud puddle of words!!! I love that lol
i read normal people and felt the same way about her writing i hated it so much
Her writing … it’s not for me 🤣
Well, I imagined Frances as an autistic person, so from this point of view her behaviour is quite logical. 😅
I can see that!!
This review is funnier than your Mol Flanders one🤣 I’m actually laughing out loud. Have you tried normal people?
LOOOOL! Oh Moll Flanders 🤣 I haven’t and I won’t 🤣
"he's hot. he's hot. he's hot. I don't care" - me with a lot of fantasy nowadays :(
I have trouble seeing why that sentence is "passive voice"... the sentence is a bit awkward as she should have written, "I am familiar with the idea that capitalism was the crazy thing"
I found that with a lot of her sentence I had to reread them to figure out who was doing what
It's is my favourite of all time because francis resonates my personality like 95% accurate even though I'm not a girl and I'm from india she is like female version of me.If i write my thoughts over a pages they looks exactly same as francis cold,boring and bland.
Only thing i didn't like about this is book is one sided political views and constant criticism of captalism for not reason at all.
I’m glad this book really resonated with you! Goes to show just how personal reading is!
YES!!! That really annoyed me too!
Yes.
This is the Wendy Williams of book reviews.
🤣
soo true it was the worst book I've read
Glad I’m not the only one 😅
i agree 😂 the worst
🤣🤣🤣🙌🏼
"The Math ain't mathing."🤣 Those quotes were hard to understand. I'm not surprised you had trouble reading them.
Yeaaa they were hard to understand. Someone tried to tell me it’s because it’s writing in Irish dialect. I’ve read Irish dialect before and loved those books so, nope I just don’t get in with Rooney.