Discussion
Topic: Books
I’m currently reading Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney and I’m about 2/3 of the way through and I was wondering if anyone else had a difficult time reading this book? I find the plot boring and I heard great things about the author/book which is why I got it but I am not meshing well with the writing style or storylines (maybe it’s going over my head). Does anyone have any insights?
2 comments
Dorian I loved this book, but Rooney’s writing style can be an acquired taste. I would say try Normal People, it’s a little more accessible and just follows two characters (but Beautiful World is my favorite of hers!). I would also recommend reading large chunks at once— I find Rooney is best when I can really settle into her style for a long period of time. Out of curiosity, what aren’t you meshing with?
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IzzyB I think specifically I wasn’t meshing with the pacing of the book. It tended to slow down during the e-mail sections and I found myself wanting to skip Eileen’s emails as I didn’t like her writing. I also wish there was a better balance of storylines because I felt like it was mainly focused on Eileen and a little bit of Alice and not as much Simon/Felix and I had a lot of unanswered questions about those characters. My last main concern was the fact that it felt like there was no progress with the characters/plot. The relationship between Simon and Eileen remained stagnant for 200+ pages and it felt like Rooney’s style of writing boiled down to ambiguity without a bottom line. Maybe I didn’t read into it the right way but there were many holes that left me wanting more.
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Dorian That makes total sense! A lot of what I liked about the book was the ambiguity and lack of learning from mistakes lol, but I can definitely see how that’s not for everyone. + I also wanted more Alice and a little less Eileen. I think you might like Normal People, but I don’t think it’s a must-read unless you really *want* to read more Sally Rooney
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Hailey It was a dnf for me and Normal People made me want to rip my hair out. Sally Rooney just isn't for me. I just find her books lack plot and her characters are either boring or just infuriating.
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