I started Normal People on Friday morning, I’d finished it by Sunday lunchtime. It’s one of those books that I found myself reading as I walked along the street or stood at the bus stop. I even leant against the wall at the dentist’s reading it while my kids were having their teeth checked in the chair in front of me. It’s that good. Sally Rooney’s second novel has been longlisted for the Booker prize. An Irish author, she’s only 27 years old, a wonderful young talent. I loved her debut novel Conversations with Friends, though it took me longer to get into it. This one however, swept me away from the start. It is a love story that begins when Marianne and Connell are just teenagers and it follows their lives and their tumultuous relationship over the next few years. It had echoes of David Nicoll’s One Day. Ronney writes beautifully. Her characters bounce off the page. Their deep connection is magnetic. I felt like I knew them and worried about them even when I’d put the book down. If you want an all absorbing book that you can’t put down, this is it.
Normal People by Sally Rooney
Loved this book, thanks for the recommendation.
I’m now reading “the silence of the girls” by pat barker; it’s a woman’s perspective on the Trojan war. If you haven’t read it yet; I thoroughly recommend it!
Fantastic book. Engaging and honest. I had literally finished reading it and saw that BBC 3 is to televise the story later this month. It will be really interesting to see this adapted for TV. I have also just about finished Notes to Self. Very addictive. The writing just flows. Please keep the recommendations coming.