Bookseller Reviews
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A Millenial Classic
A story about a millennial boy-girl relationship like no other; Rooney has you rooting for young love in this up to date love story.
Exceptional
I was shocked by how much I loved this book, I picked it up one Sunday afternoon and didn’t stop reading until I finished it at 1am. I saw so much of mysel... READ MORE
You will be rooting for these characters
Having enjoyed Rooney’s Conversations With Friends, I had high expectations of this one - and she managed to exceed my expectations. I found myself rooting... READ MORE
Get Lost in the World of Marianne and Connell
This was recommended to me by a friend, and I am so glad I was introduced to it. Sally Rooney's "Normal People" explores intimacy like few other books, cap... READ MORE
A beautifully written look at life
I read this recently and really enjoyed it. I can see why some people say that nothing much happens but to me it wasn't that simple. Seeing the two charact... READ MORE
Book of the decade
I'm an avid reader, always have been, and normal people is seriously my favourite book of the past decade. Its a story of how having a history with someone... READ MORE
Infuriating but insightful
Something about this book is enjoyable, even if the main characters' lack of communication with each other is absolutely rage-inducing at times. Yet there ... READ MORE
Synopsis
Marianne is the young, affluent, intellectual wallflower; Connell is the boy everyone likes, shadowed by his family’s reputation and poverty. Unlikely friends, and later lovers, their small town beginnings in rural Ireland are swiftly eclipsed by the heady worlds of student Dublin. Gradually their intense, mismatched love becomes a battleground of power, class, and the falsehoods they choose to believe.
Normal People is a tale of deceptive simplicity, a very accessible narrative of two seemingly mismatched young people who share a profound, inescapable understanding. Beyond that however is something properly universal, a study of how one person can forever shape and impact another. Marianne and Connell emerge almost shockingly real and deeply vulnerable in their different ways.
Sally Rooney has evolved into perhaps the most nuanced contemporary observer we have. Brimming with longing, regret and intimacy, Normal People is everything, as a culture, we need from our fiction. It is a story that is absolutely universal to us all, and it is brilliant.
- Publisher: Faber & Faber
- ISBN: 9780571334650
- Number of pages: 288
- Weight: 240g
- Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 17 mm
Customer Reviews
View allWorst read of the year
Empty characters without personality, zero story, the disappointment of the year for me. Would like to send it back and ask my money (and wasted time) back... READ MORE
Does anything happen?!
Really didn’t enjoy. Abandoned at chapter 10.
Unimpressed
I thought after reading the reviews that I would really enjoy this book. But I don't. Sooo boring, I care nothing for the characters (except possibly Lorra... READ MORE
interesting, but a bit overrated
I would give a 6.7/10, but interesting and bold book
A book about today's lost generation
A story mostly about two young people with different backgrounds - Marianne and Connel.
It is about their relationship over the years - at school and at un... READ MORE
Frustrating from start to finish
Normal People is a well written book that does draw the reader in, but the plot goes nowhere and there’s a lack of characters with redeeming qualities. As ... READ MORE
A good read
I thoroughly enjoyed this book-such amazing powers of observation in such a young author.
Shame about the binding
Gift for my daughter on our hols.
She enjoyed it.
Less so however that in the three days it took to read the paperback had utterly fallen apart.
Bit shoddy
Bluebell
The first chapters seemed to concentrate on sex and after that it was all about mental health and suicide. This book did left me wishing I had never bought... READ MORE
loved it
Quick easy read
Very enjoyable!
I actually quite enjoyed it, being a young adult myself. I thought it was a good representation of modern relationships. The personal struggles that these ... READ MORE
Sloppy, half-baked and at best mediocre
This is the sort of novel that would inevitably be lapped up by The Guardian. Speech marks are discarded in a feat of failed, self-indulgent avant-gardism.... READ MORE
You shape you're own perception
I read this book last summer and revisited it again after the BBC Drama was aired.
The book explores love, and friendship. How even the most popular peopl... READ MORE
Empty
After hearing such good things about Normal People I was left disappointed. It is an easy read, however nothing happens. I wish there was more to the story... READ MORE
Absolutely wonderful
A universal story of first love, simply heart breaking and perfect.
Genuinely terrible, incredibly shallow, dull, poorly written, and I hated every character
Incredibly boring book with hugely unlikeable protagonists. Poorly written, akin to some terrible tumblr fiction written by a teenager. Genuinely have neve... READ MORE
Disappointing!
With all the hype, I had great expectations from this book. It was such a big disappointment.
I’ve seen lots of 5* reviews. Not sure why. Perhaps it’s a ... READ MORE
Love love love
I felt as though I was in this relationship and it’s painful but beautiful to read
Amazing
A raw and real story of a millennial relationship. I couldn't put this down and love Rooney's writing style.
It's simplistic but superb. Hoping for a seq... READ MORE
:(
Well, it wasn’t for me..
Couldn't finish it
I could tell straight away it was written by a really young person. The story itself is everything that's wrong with modern 'relationships'.
I personally c... READ MORE
Amazing read!
This book is so good! I really didn't expect much from it because it didn't use speech marks (which really bugged me) and it was about a 'different', 'quir... READ MORE
Normal People - not my cup of tea
I wouldn't generally write a review of a book that I couldn't be bothered to finish, I read all the gushing reviews and about the awards that it had won, s... READ MORE
Interesting storyline
Initially it was difficult to get into this story, as no speech marks are used. However, once you get into it, the story really hooks you! There is a few t... READ MORE
Utterly sublime writing!
There are some writers who are simply in a league of their own, and Sally Rooney is certainly one of them.
The characters of Marianne and Connell feel so ... READ MORE
I think I missed something.
Not for me. I didn’t really get it. Sorry.
I think I loved it, but I don’t know why...
I know I’m a bit late to the party with this one but after the beast that was ‘The Institute’, I needed something a little more bite-sized and I could not ... READ MORE
4 stars
.
Easy holiday read
Read this one on a beach holiday in a few days. Just a nice, easy read, with characters we can all relate too. I hadn’t watched the TV series, so now it’s ... READ MORE
Challenging read, but so worth it. A book that will have a special place in my heart.
“ All these years, they’ve been like two little plants sharing the same plot of soil, growing around one another, contorting to make room, taking certain u... READ MORE
BEAUTIFUL
this has to be one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. I’ve never been so attached to characters and their lives. It is a moving read and a journ... READ MORE
Not Worth The Hype
The story follows the relationship of Marianne and Connell through high school and college which is complicated by their social and economic differences.
... READ MORE
You Can't Hurry Love
There are some books that you can read without paying them much thought or attention, whilst still getting a sense of enjoyment and fulfilment and a basic ... READ MORE
Loved it
Loved the book, now looking forward to watching the television series!
lovely book - would definitely recommend
i really enjoyed this book, i don't know why people wouldn't! each to their own i suppose
A special story about love
I read this book back in April but I've waited until now to review it because I wanted to watch the television adaptation and contrast and compare.
This ... READ MORE
Must read!
Such a lovely book to read, I wish I had read the book before the series though! I enjoyed ‘Conversations with Friends’ more I think as I was more excited ... READ MORE
A modern classic
"Normal People" deserves all the hype it has received. It's an easy read but also a highly insightful novel which makes you rethink the university experien... READ MORE
I couldn’t put it down!
I love this book so much! I finished it in a day and honestly couldn’t put it down. I became so invested in Connell and Mariannes story, and their developm... READ MORE
Can't stop thinking about it
I read Normal People by Sally Rooney after my mother couldn't stop gushing about it, and I fell in love. The excellent writing, the masterful portrayals of... READ MORE
Normal People
This may be among the only romance novels I've read that truly encapsulates the undefinable love that transcends both romance and friendship.
This is not love
I didn't like the book. I thought it would be a modern love story. Love is mistaken by the author with dependency, sex, submission, low self-esteem, toxic ... READ MORE
Good
I enjoyed this although I found the writing style quite flat.
normal people
I found this book mostly captivating - at least for about the first two-thirds. It didn't take me too long to get around the lack of speech marks, and thou... READ MORE
Great read!!
Would 100% recommend this book! Sally Rooney is one of my all time favourite authors having read “conversation with friends” and “beautiful world, where ar... READ MORE
Normal People
Normal people follows Marianne and Connell through their late teens to early adulthood. Their relationship is very complicated and a bit all over the place... READ MORE
So painful to read...
My sister bought the book and read it first and she kept pushing me to read it, she said to see if I have the same reaction and the same feeling towards th... READ MORE
He says, she says…
I’ve just finished this book and quite honestly I’m more than disappointed.
After seeing all the hype online I was excited to read this as my first boo... READ MORE
incredible!
a brilliantly written novel that really shows the dynamic between two people who cannot help but fall in and out of each others lives. It really shows the ... READ MORE
Pleased that I picked this up!
Just like everyone else I got lost in this book during the first national lockdown. This is not the normal type of book that I would pick up but I am so pl... READ MORE
very good book
Such a good book, and excited to watch the series.
Thought provoking love story
This was the first of my Christmas present books that I read, and my last book of 2019, and I closed the year with a brilliant read. It is a subtle love st... READ MORE
Contemporary/Romance
I listened to this on audio.
I fell in love with this story
Amazing!
I could not stop reading this book! Great story, relatable, human and touching.
Normal people
An exceptional book to read, because sally rooney is a gifted writer.
Loved it
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I think the author does a great job of exploring how our relationships, new and old, shape the way we view ourselves and... READ MORE
An honest opinion
Many people seem to love it, so maybe it’s just me that doesn’t see it as a literary masterpiece. First off, I found the story pretty dull; I didn’t develo... READ MORE
I loved it!
Such a great book that got me hooked on from the moment I read the first page. It is not your average teen love story but it is so much more. This book sho... READ MORE
A must read
Raw, emotional, realistic, touching, vivid - this book is everything. Beautifully written. Perfection.
Phenomenal
Sally Rooney's "Normal People" is a brilliant and complex coming-of-age love story. Stylistically unusual, it's written in short staccato sentences. This l... READ MORE
Brilliant read
I really enjoyed this novel even though it's many years since I was at school as a pupil at least. The characters are well drawn and believable. I am lovin... READ MORE
Normal People
I have watched the TV series twice and now reading the book. The book explains Connells background more , that he is illegitimate and doesn't know his fath... READ MORE
Amazing
I was gripped by the book and then gripped by the tv series. Each section had me laughing and crying. Excellent read!!
Don’t be fooled into reading this because of the series
So I watched the Normal People series on BBC iPlayer and I absolutely loved it to pieces I was addicted to the plot and the characters, and so I decided to... READ MORE
Enjoyable
I enjoyed this book, the story flowed very well. I didn’t think the two main characters were very attractive, rather too precocious and sexualised. However... READ MORE
Brilliant!
Proves you can really love your soul mate, the person everyone wants you to be with and let them go to pursue bigger and better things. A very moving book ... READ MORE
Disappointing
With all the fantastic reviews I read about this book, I had such great expectations! But I was highly disappointed and struggled to stay interested in the... READ MORE
Enjoyable
This was a good book and an easy read I found. Although I don't feel it lives up to all the hype it has had.
I got through this book very quickly but no... READ MORE
Normal People
Quirky , took a bit of getting into & didn’t have the most satisfactory ending . None the less a good read & worth while.
Amazing book
Loved this book and read it along with watching it on Television.
Both were excellent and didn’t want the story to end.
Enthralling
It is a testament to the brilliance of the writing style and storytelling that you are able to believe that you are the only person in the world who truly ... READ MORE
Underwhelming
A good example of hype outweighing the reality. The characters were interesting enough, if a bit shallow. The plot is flimsy. I didn’t really feel like I w... READ MORE
amazing book
love the way she rights.
So relatable
I loved this book! It has got me back into reading as i fell in love with the story and the characters. Sally rooneys writing is very good and recomend her... READ MORE
A compelling, easy read
As a couple, Marianne and Connell shouldn’t work. They are polar opposites. And they don’t always work. Theirs is a story of teenage attraction Into adulth... READ MORE
beautiful story
I absolutely loved this book. Me and my friends discussed the book after reading and it was fascinating how we all were conflicted as we took away somethin... READ MORE
TV show better than the book
I enjoyed the book because it allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the characters, but I felt the TV show was better than the novel.
Normal People
Bought as gift. Excellent service, fast delivery.
Amazing Book
I enjoyed this book very much & had already watched the drama on TV & was pleased that they were the same as it's often the case that having watched someth... READ MORE
Brilliant read
I watched the recent TV series like millions of others but always like to read the book beforehand, unfortunately I hadn't managed to so read it after. Ra... READ MORE
Loved this book
Book was a lovely read.
Makes you feel something.
Subtle and powerful; a relationship you want to watch, or want for yourself. Completely deserving of a second read, I'm sure at some point there'll be a th... READ MORE
Believe the hype
I had heard so much about how good this book was but only came to read it after I had watched the BBC TV adaptation. Without hesitation, although the serie... READ MORE
Beautifully written if rather boring
I must have totally missed the point when reading this book. I read all the book and really gave it a chance. I was full of expectation! Sadly the booked... READ MORE
Heartfelt Love Story
A thoroughly enjoyable book from start to finish. An episodic account of a love affair between two Irish teenagers from different backgrounds who move fro... READ MORE
Could not put it down!
Amazing.
Loved this book
Really good book. Took me a few chapters to get into it and then I read it in a day. Ending isn't very good though!
Class
Subtle study of two imperfect humas and their relationship over the course of 5 years. I loved how the characters, their personalities and motivations, cou... READ MORE
Not a typical, predictable romantic novel
Not at all a typical, predictable romantic novel but a beautiful expression of two ordinary people trying to fit in with the world. Through their undeniabl... READ MORE
Modern classic
One of the best books I have read ever. Truly captured the ups and downs of your one true love. It almost makes me want to re-live my youth again to feel t... READ MORE
Such a great read!
Read it in 4 days and loved every bit of it!
Amazing
I had to read this before watching the show. Such a good read!
Trash
Hi. I bought this book after two or three sales assistants at Waterstones insisted that I should buy it as it was such a great book. I did and then recomme... READ MORE
One of my favourites
I bought the book after the hype for it died down. I wasn’t expecting much as it’s not normally the type of book I go for. I must say that I thoroughly enj... READ MORE
A true classic
All the clichés and accolades are right. I came to the novel after the TV show and I was staggered both at how amazing the adaptation had been and also how... READ MORE
heartbreakingly honest romance
not too perfect, just a perfect representation of relatuonships on and off
Normal but complex
I’d watched the BBC series a while back before reading the book. Although I would have enjoyed reading the book without seeing the TV series, having seen ... READ MORE
Beautiful
Heartbreaking yet unique and individual. Highly recommend.
Thoroughly enjoy Sally Rooney's works
This was an amazing insight into modern day relationships and communication. I could not stop reading this.
Overrated and predictable
Written in a very frustrating reported speech style, rather than speech in "quotation marks" (like so). The story is nothing special. I read this before th... READ MORE
Underwhelming
Underwhelming. I do not understand all the hype around this book. The lack of quotation marks was confusing and the emotional plot of the story was frustra... READ MORE
heart shattering
Honestly i picked up this book from water-stones and left it on my book shelf for a while, until the next day i picked it up and i really couldn’t stop rea... READ MORE
100% recommend!!
i genuinely could not put this book down. a great love story by Rooney which has you rooting for teen love completely!
Beautifully raw and moving
I decided to read Normal People after watching the series which was released during the first lockdown and falling in love with the characters. Naturally, ... READ MORE
Awesome, Romance book favourite book
I feel that normal people is very relatable book is like a lot of couples loving each other one moment then falling out and the loving each other again thi... READ MORE
Cute but confusing
I couldn’t quite grasp the point of this book but I was still hooked. Wanting to now what happens next. I was a little disappointed by the ending but I’m h... READ MORE
Sally Rooney is a genius !
I couldn’t recommend Normal people , or any other of Sally Rooneys books more ! They are so well written that you can’t put the book down. You feel as if y... READ MORE
broke my reading slump
i have tried reading books like i used to for YEARS and this novel made me love books all over again. it’s a simple story but sally has really put their th... READ MORE
Trite and trivial
A novel full of dreary Millennial types, dull dialogue, and sexual encounters, with a feeble or failed attempt at irony overlaying much of the writing. But... READ MORE
Stunning and a realistic romance
This is beautiful. I deeply related to Marianne as a character. I think the romance is beautiful and shows what a realistic relationship can sometimes look... READ MORE
You have to deal with it
I expected a lot as this a very hyped book on social media. It was not what I expected. Sally Rooneys writing style is very plain. She does not judge just ... READ MORE
Amazing!
This book was amazing it was well written and easy to read. Definitely on the ‘spicy’ side but overall great book. Just wish it didn’t end the way it did
refreshing read for escaping a not so fictional reality
the way sally rooney has crafted this novel truly is a treat to be read. The words are magical, they focus purely on eachother not the description.
Love, heartbreak and trauma
By far my favourite book of Sally Rooney’s. From miscommunication to family trauma this book beautifully describes the highs and lows of Connell and Marian... READ MORE
An OK second book
I prefer Conversations with Friends, I found Normal People repeated the same themes but at a slower pace. The topics of young love, socio-economic class, m... READ MORE
My favourite book of all time
Simply could not put it down
Below normal to the point of pure nothingness people
This is about 2 people that are nothing, to each other, to me, to the world, to this “story”. They don’t even know each others name. This isn’t normal, thi... READ MORE
Dull
Not good at all, really boring.
And just like that, I'm a Sally Rooney fan..
This is my first Sally Rooney book and I understand what the hype is. The writing is crisp and very modern. It reads like I am actually there. Never read a... READ MORE
First book I ever fell in love with!
Cried the whole way through! Absolutely loved this book
21st Century Shakespeare
I’ve had this book for less than 24 hours and haven’t been able to put it down for once second! The story line just keeps gripping at my emotions, drawing ... READ MORE
Are you a reader or a fly on the wall?
A beautiful story that touches on so many important topics but in a none dramatised and real to life way. I didn’t feel like a reader but more of a fly on ... READ MORE
Really great read!
Really easy read, finished it in a day! Would recommend reading this before watching the series.
Wonderful observation of young lives
I came late to this novel, having only read it recently, but found it such an accurate observation of young lives. I am now a pensioner but remember all t... READ MORE
Easy read. Really enjoyed
I really enjoyed this! It kick started me back into reading. Highly recommend reading before you watch the series. I love books that have been brought to l... READ MORE
The Dutch House
I loved this book. Well written. I found the characters fascinating. Loved the style of writing, I do enjoy family sagas. Best book I've read for a lon... READ MORE
Normal people
I made the possible mistake of buying the book after watching, and loving the series, so had a preconception of what I was getting into.
That said I absol... READ MORE
Great modern view of relationships and mental health
I really enjoyed Normal People even though I was expecting not to (too much hype). As the book develops you feel more entwined with the characters, their f... READ MORE
Simply perfect
Perfectly encapsulates the struggles of mental health issues and what it means to fall in love. It is not a sweet romantic fairy tale but an honest look at... READ MORE
Peaceful ending even if its slightly dark
Sums up the beauty of not wasting your time on earth and such a cute story. I was actually surprised about the ending which I didn't think I would be and o... READ MORE
Will always recommend
Great book to get back into reading. The story is in the 3rd narrative so it’s as if you’re watching the characters lives unfold. You feel every emotion yo... READ MORE
Disappointing
I was really excited to read normal people but throughout the whole book there was never a point where I was ever really fully hooked and whatever was comi... READ MORE
Disappointing doesn’t begin to cover it
I was very excited to receive this book as a birthday gift as I had heard such great things about it. I hadn’t seen the television adaptation so was fresh ... READ MORE
A story every teenager should read!
I'M COMPLETELY OBSESSED!!!
Normal people
A book about awkward young love, depression and abuse. The love story between Connell and Marianne is what kept me up reading late in the night, and forcin... READ MORE
Had to ditch this book
Has pick me girl vibes
Engaging fast read
Really enjoyed this book, didn’t put it down
Enjoyable
I have to start by saying that I won an audiobook copy of Normal People on the Reading Agency website. If it hadn't been for the competition I don't think ... READ MORE
Normal People Book Review
When I read Normal People for the first time, I have to admit that I didn’t immediately fall in love with Rooney’s writing. The popularity of the book is c... READ MORE
will they? won’t they? in book form
this book is the perfect blend of romantic drama and coming of age story, that follows to lost people who lose themselves constantly but never seem to lose... READ MORE
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