Normal People is a novel that moved me. It's a book that could've so easily veered into the grandiose, but instead maintained a quiet kind of significNormal People is a novel that moved me. It's a book that could've so easily veered into the grandiose, but instead maintained a quiet kind of significance, an insistence of the momentous in the everyday. Its story hinges on two central characters—Connell and Marianne—their thoughts, their flaws, their conversations, their relationship(s). On the surface, the story's plot isn't much: two people living their lives, coming together and drifting apart. But what draws you into this story is not the structural but the personal. Rooney's characters are so tenderly drawn, so well-realized. Their conversations feel authentic, filled with pockets of humour and hints of vulnerability and the undercurrent of things unsaid. More than anything, though, the novel's moments ring true. They are not disembodied Deep Literary Moments, but individual, particular, personal moments—not about meaning as a distant concept, but about meaning as a lived experience.
Like I said, this book moved me. I finished it crying but not knowing why, only feeling that I'd read something that struck me as remarkably honest.
(Thank you to Penguin Random House/Knopf Canada for providing me with an eARC of this via NetGalley!)
---------------------------------- i dont know why but im crying right now
ill come back and write something more coherent later on, but i honestly dont know how to wrap my head around this book....more
I cried. Multiple times. I love this book so much. ________________________________________ First read: January 27, 2018
4.5Second read: November 3, 2018
I cried. Multiple times. I love this book so much. ________________________________________ First read: January 27, 2018
4.5 stars

nothing emma mills writes could ever disappoint me
idk how to articulate the reasons why this book felt like when youre walking outside in the cold but then you hit a patch of sunlight and stop to bask in its warmth for a moment bc damn its like mother nature herself decided to momentarily give you a warm hug when you needed it most on your unforgiving treacherous walk to class
I just love Emma Mills's books. so much. so so much. First of all, I love YA contemporaries because at their heart, they're all about character. So many books get caught up in convoluted plots and ostentatious writing that the characters end up barely recognizable. Emma Mills, though, is so ridiculously, undeniably talented at writing characters. Part of that is because she just intuitively gets how to write dialogue—it's always realistic, organic, funny, believable. And Foolish Hearts is no exception to this. The fact that I'm able to review this book in JULY even though I read it in January should tell you how much its characters have stayed in my mind. I absolutely adored Claudia and Gideon (omg he was the cutest) and Iris. I'm basically gonna be using every superlative in the book to describe my love for Foolish Hearts: I absolutely, totally, completely, wholeheartedly loved everything about it. Also, Emma Mills's books are hilarious. They're pretty much the only contemporaries out there that have made me actually laugh out loud, A LOT. I wish this review was better or more specific, but I don't really wanna be technical about Foolish Hearts. I just want to get across how freaking much I loved it, and how I have loved (and will love) anything that Emma Mills could ever write.
Yeah. Go do yourself a favour and read Foolish Hearts, and then after that all of Emma Mills's entire body of work....more
i swear every time i finish this novel i feel bereft. you get to know the characters and their world so intimately, become sFifth read: July 1-5, 2020
i swear every time i finish this novel i feel bereft. you get to know the characters and their world so intimately, become so absolutely absorbed and invested in their fates, that the end of their story almost feels like a loss. regardless, Emma is an absolute delight. ive said it once and ill say it again: my love for this novel knows no bounds.
------------------------ Fourth read: August 28, September 2 2019
all of this book's characters are like my lil family. i love them all so much ...more
_____________________________ third read: july 23-28, 2019
anne elliot: *exists* me: [image]
anyway this was so beautiffourth read: july 11-12, 2020
[image]
_____________________________ third read: july 23-28, 2019
anne elliot: *exists* me: [image]
anyway this was so beautiful i cried for the last 20 pages
Persuasion is an exquisite novel. It has one of the most expert depictions of inner emotional experience that I think I've ever read. Persuasion is not a novel about Anne Elliot; it's a novel that is Anne Elliot. This is a book that lives and breathes in its character's psyche. Its emotional nuance and minuteness allow it to derive its most significant, personal moments from those that seem the most unremarkable: fleeting moments of eye contact, perfunctory questions, gestures of politeness. And so just like life, the stuff of Persuasion is more about derived rather than imposed meaning: the novel doesn't need to orchestrate for events to happen on a grand scale for those events to be considered momentous and so meaningful. Instead, it's concerned, in Austen's words, with the "solid" and the "substance"—what something appears to be and what it actually is—and how its characters, namely Anne, discern and make meaning out of the discrepancies between the two.
Oh, and also, Anne Elliot is just a marvel of a character. I love her so much, and I always feel for her so immensely. No, I've never had my engagement to a man broken off only to have that same man come back 8 years later and propose to me again—but I might as well have, because I could so easily identify with Anne. She really is, as Austen describes her, a combination of fortitude and gentleness, a character whose hold on you is all the more remarkable because she never outright demands any attention—she earns it.
Anyway, I love this book, if you couldn't tell. _____________________________ second read: may 16-18, 2018 ______________________________ first read: june 5-10, 2017
LOVED THIS SO MUCH. LOVED ANNE SO MUCH. LOVED WENTWORTH SO MUCH. ALLL THE LOVVEEE
WHERE TO BEGIN??? (this is about to be long af so bear with me as I sort through the endless amount of thoughts I have about this) ► now that I've read 4 Austen books, my ranking is as follows: 1) Pride and Prejudice (is anyone surprised tho), 2) Persuasion (as I've already mentioned, I LOVED IT !!!), 3) Northanger Abbey, and lastly, 4) Sense and Sensibility (it was rli long ok)
► first of all, ANNE IS MY HOMEGIRL. I absolutely LOVE her. I'd to go to war with her any day. She's admittedly the least exceptional heroine of Austen's that I've read so far, but she is by no means boring. She's not witty like Elizabeth, or stoic like Elinor, or naive like Catherine. She's twenty-eight, much older than all of them, so she's had a lot of time to think her decisions and values through.
► There are so many adjectives I'd use to describe Anne, namely self-possessed, opinionated, patient, and sensible. The cards she's been dealt could be worse, but they're certainly not the best: her dad (i will be roasting Sir Walter in a sec) and older sister are assholes, her younger sister doesn't give two shits about her (Mary is funny tho hehe), and her mom died when she was young. She's old (by the standards of her time, that is), unmarried, and her family has fallen on hard times (because of said asshole dad's shitty decisions). There are only two people—Lady Russell and Mrs. Smith—who care about her at all. And yet, despite ALL THAT, Anne is never self-pitying. She keeps her head up and rolls with it with such grace and aplomb. Honestly, what an absolute trooper.
► LOOK AT THIS
"She knew that when she played she was giving pleasure only to herself; but this was no new sensation. Excepting one short period of her life, she had never, since the age of fourteen, never since the loss of her dear mother, known the happiness of being listened to, or encouraged by any just appreciation or real taste. In music she had been always used to feel alone in the world; and Mr and Mrs Musgrove’s fond partiality for their own daughters’ performance, and total indifference to any other person’s, gave her much more pleasure for their sakes, than mortification for her own."
I mean, the whole passage is basically about how lonely she's been for a long time, and yet it never seems like she's bringing it up for pity or sympathy. In fact, she's happy that at least others have what she doesn't/didn't. Anne is too good for all of us tbh. it's ok Anne I will love you (and so will Capitain Wentworth, *wink wink*).
► Onto my boy Captain Wentworth. There are very few people who could ever deserve Anne, and good ol' CW is definitely one of them. HE IS WONDERFUL. That letter tho. If there was ever an appropriate time to use the word "swoon," this would be it.
"I can listen no longer in silence. I must speak to you by such means as are within my reach. You pierce my soul. I am half agony, half hope. Tell me not that I am too late, that such precious feelings are gone for ever. I offer myself to you again with a heart even more your own than when you almost broke it, eight years and a half ago. Dare not say that man forgets sooner than woman, that his love has an earlier death. I have loved none but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant. You alone have brought me to Bath. For you alone, I think and plan. Have you not seen this? Can you fail to have understood my wishes? I had not waited even these ten days, could I have read your feelings, as I think you must have penetrated mine. I can hardly write. I am every instant hearing something which overpowers me. You sink your voice, but I can distinguish the tones of that voice when they would be lost on others. Too good, too excellent creature!"
NO WONDER ANNE WAS SHOOK AS HELL. HONESTLY I'M GETTING EMOTIONAL READING THIS RIGHT NOW. WHAT THE HELL FREDERICK HOW DARE YOU
[image] (me in the end when Anne and Wentworth finally talked about their Feelings)
► I can't tell you how happy I was for Anne and Wentworth in the end. Imagine falling in love with someone, almost marrying them, then messing it up, then 8 years later they're back and you still wanna be with them but you think they love someone else but not really and it's all MESSY AND COMPLICATED AND THE WHOLE TIME YOU BOTH STILL LOVE EACH OTHER BUT WON'T JUST ADMIT IT TO EACH OTHER DAMMIT.
► I think Anne and Wentworth's relationship is a reminder of how much our feelings get cloaked in and obstructed by social decorum and our fears and anxieties and pride, etc. I certainly don't think that's something that's specific to Austen's time.
► This book also brings up a lot of interesting points about the extent to which we're willing to be influenced by other people's opinions. The book is called Persuasion after all. Was Anne wrong to be persuaded out of her engagement? How much are we willing to trust those closest to us? And how does our personal confidence in our choices factor into all of this? I have more questions than answers, really.
"Anne wondered whether it ever occurred to [Captain Wentworth] now, to question the justness of his own previous opinion as to the universal felicity and advantage of firmness of character; and whether it might not strike him that, like all other qualities of the mind, it should have its proportions and limits. She thought it could scarcely escape him to feel that a persuadable temper might sometimes be as much in favour of happiness as a very resolute character"
(I told y'all Anne was opinionated)
► the time has come for me to roast Sir Walter. let me start by saying: what an absolute shitbag. 100%. Undeniable. But I'll be damned if he isn't hilarious. I mean if I had to deal with him on a daily basis, I'd lose my mind in about 5 seconds, but reading about him was loads of fun. this scene made me laugh. he's so damn ridiculous.
"The worst of Bath was the number of its plain women. He did not mean to say that there were no pretty women, but the number of the plain was out of all proportion. He had frequently observed, as he walked, that one handsome face would be followed by thirty, or five-and thirty frights; and once, as he had stood in a shop on Bond Street, he had counted eighty-seven women go by, one after another, without there being a tolerable face among them. It had been a frosty morning, to be sure, a sharp frost, which hardly one woman in a thousand could stand the test of. But still, there certainly were a dreadful multitude of ugly women in Bath; and as for the men! they were infinitely worse. Such scarecrows as the streets were full of! It was evident how little the women were used to the sight of anything tolerable, by the effect which a man of decent appearance produced."
when you count the number of women passing you (87 !!!) and all of them are ugly!!!! #JustSirWalterThings I would kill to get Sir Walter a twitter I would love to see what nonsense he'd spew on there
► Speaking of Sir Walter, I love the fact that Austen is totally throwing shade at the notion that women are vain through his character. Admiral Croft is like sorry Anne we had to move the 29730231 mirrors your dad had in his room when we moved--we didn't need that many #YourDadisHellaConceited
"Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Elliot’s character; vanity of person and of situation. He had been remarkably handsome in his youth; and, at fifty-four, was still a very fine man. Few women could think more of their personal appearance than he did."
► also, Persuasion has some killer quotes.
"Captain Harville: 'I do not think I ever opened a book in my life which had not something to say upon woman’s inconstancy. Songs and proverbs, all talk of woman’s fickleness. But perhaps you will say, these were all written by men.' Anne: 'Perhaps I shall. Yes, yes, if you please, no reference to examples in books. Men have had every advantage of us in telling their own story. Education has been theirs in so much higher a degree; the pen has been in their hands. I will not allow books to prove anything.'"
CAN I GET A HELL YEAH
(About Mrs. Smith) ↓
"A submissive spirit might be patient, a strong understanding would supply resolution, but here was something more; here was that elasticity of mind, that disposition to be comforted, that power of turning readily from evil to good, and of finding employment which carried her out of herself, which was from nature alone. It was the choicest gift of Heaven; and Anne viewed her friend as one of those instances in which, by a merciful appointment, it seems designed to counterbalance almost every other want."
talk about goals. who knew Mrs. Smith would be an inspiration.
OK. I BELIEVE THAT IS ALL. I NEED TO BELIEVE THAT THAT IS ALL BECAUSE THAT WAS A LOT. If any of you made it this far, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed me gush about the beauty that was Persuasion....more
i have no words. i really dont. leigh bardugo has crafted something inimitable with this series.
_____________________Second read: December 22-26, 2018
i have no words. i really dont. leigh bardugo has crafted something inimitable with this series.
_________________________________________
First read: September 27-30, 2016
EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO CRY FOR A BIT
(seriously though these characters mean so much to me and this book was the equivalent of 100 consecutive triathalons but for your emotions and there is a possibility that i may never read another book again because i will never get over how utterly and heartbreakingly perfect this one was)
----------------------------------------------- May 27, 2016: PREORDERED THIS TODAY. Also found out that there will be preorder goodies and that it'll have RED stained pages!!!! SO. FREAKIN. EXCITED.
In the meanwhile, this will be me waiting for this book to come out.
leigh bardugo is really out here giving us the pinnacle of YA literature with the masterpiece that is six of crows Second reread: December 20-22, 2018
leigh bardugo is really out here giving us the pinnacle of YA literature with the masterpiece that is six of crows _________________________________ Reread: August 30 - September 1, 2016
THIS BOOK MAKES ME WANT TO SCREAM MY LOVE FOR THE CROWS TO THE ENTIRE WORLD _______________________________________ First read: March 26-27, 2016
[image]
Where do I even begin with this book?????
Six of Crows had pretty much everything I look for in a book: 1) WONDROUS CHARACTERS. I tried to pick a favourite but I failed — they're all seriously amazing and, ultimately, the heart of this book. These characters are competent and smart and flawed and vulnerable and interesting and lovable. In one word: authentic. ALL OF THEM. And incredibly diverse, which makes me so so happy. (Also, more authors should follow Bardugo's lead in crafting female characters. Her female characters are undoubtedly people. Yes, they're capable and independent, but they're also so much more than that. They're not reduced to being paragons of INDEPENDENCE AND STRENGTH!!!, but rather independence and strength are mere parts of the much bigger whole that is their characters.) 2) CHARACTER DYNAMICS. If there's one thing I love more than fantastic characters, it's fantastic character dynamics. First of all, there was a PROMINENT FEMALE FRIENDSHIP in this book, which was so refreshing to see. Second of all, the camaraderie in this book makes me want to pound my fists in the air. I'm a sucker for any book with not only compelling characters, but also compelling friendships between those characters. Third of all, GLORIOUS OTPs GALORE.
[image]
3) NARRATIVE STRUCTURE. The reason why I felt like I knew all these characters so well was because we got see from almost all of their perspectives. Perspectives which, might I add, were all distinct and recognizable. 4) WRITING STYLE. The writing style wasn't insanely lyrical or mind-blowing, but to me that's not a shortcoming. I don't think that's the kind of writing style this book needed. Instead, the writing style in Six of Crows was simple, but intricate. Bardugo really knows how to make her characters and world shine. She skips all the sugarcoating and flash for a much more scaled back writing style, which ultimately served to make her characterization and world-building all the more impactful. 5) THE PLOT. This plot was SO MUCH FUN. It's a pretty straightforward heist narrative (save for some plot twists which I did not see coming) but that didn't make it any less interesting. I just ate up this story. I love the plotting, I love the tactics, I love the thrill of it all. There wasn't a single scene of this book that bored or irritated me. It was enthralling from start to finish.
[image] (This gif is the perfect encapsulation of this book)
6) Bonus: THE AUDIOBOOK. I listened to the audiobook of Six of Crows and DAMN. It was SO good. I loved all the narrators, and hearing the story out loud made it so much richer for me. Would highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you have the chance.
Final thoughts:1) Pls go read this book. 2) I'm so excited for Crooked Kingdom. 3) This book's design is damn beautiful. HAVE YOU SEEN THOSE BLACK PAGES? 4) I'm gonna go stock up on fanart now.
PS: I have a Six of Crows playlist to ease with the massive hangover I have from this book. Listen if you please. c:...more
Seventh read: April 25-June 27, 2020 (listened to the audiobook during my runs)
petition to replace all my internal monologue with the rosamund pike prSeventh read: April 25-June 27, 2020 (listened to the audiobook during my runs)
petition to replace all my internal monologue with the rosamund pike pride and prejudice audiobook on loop _________________________________________
Sixth read: August 15-20, 2019
no review this time, just pure, unabashed love. i am just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of love that i have for this book. ______________________________________ Fourth (and a half) read: August 15-23, 2018
If there was ever such a thing as a perfect book, this would be it. __________________________________________ Third read: September 25-October 8, 2017 (on audiobook)
as amazing as ever. rereading Pride and Prejudice feels like coming home. I love this book so much.
also, Rosamund Pike's narration of the audiobook was sublime. _________________________________ Second read: May 2-May 5, 2017
ok but can I get a Pride and Prejudice sequel real quick, preferably one titled Pride and Prejudice: 2 Pride 2 Prejudice
(for realsies though, I loved this so much. It made me laugh and Feel Things so much more than I expected. never again will I say that reading classics isn't my thing)
Here are a bunch of P&P gifs because I need to vent my love for it somehow and this is is the only relevant place to do so (i hope i don't break goodreads bc THERE WILL BE A LOT OF GIFS)
[image] I'm pretty sure Darcy's smile is the definition of RADIANT
[image] I will never not be SHOOK™ when I watch this scene - question: how do you get over a scene like this (answer: you dont)
[image] HE'S SO SMITTEN I'M EMOTIONAL
[image] THE ICONIC HAND FLEX
[image] GOOSEBUMPS EVERYWHERE. DAT EYE CONTACT
[image] when you unexpectedly meet the super rich guy whose proposal you rejected and he's soaking wet and it's super scandalous and you're shook #justgirlythings
[image] what a smooth-talker. when will Mr. Collins learn to stfu tho
[image] A THOUSAND TIMES YES !!!!
[image] [image] this scene always makes me laugh so much - it's basically the 19th century version of the Michael Scott EVERYBODY FUCKING CALM DOWN gif
[image] CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS LINE IS STRAIGHT FROM THE BOOK!!! DARCY!!! CALLS!! HER!! THAT!! LOVELIEST ELIZABETH!!! i need a moment
[image] one of my favourite things to do is say this line in an exaggerated posh british accent - IT'S SO MUCH FUN hehe
[image] LOOK AT THESE CUTIES
this review is like 90% gifs but it's already my fav review that i've ever written
with that being said, I am off to watch the P&P 2005 movie, the BBC mini-series, and the Lizzie Bennett Diaries. IT'S GONNA BE A FUN COUPLA DAYS.
Update: I watched all of them and they all made me love this book even more than I already did - are we surprised? no. my love for P&P is infinite and ever-present
Edit: Removed my rating for this because I read it such a long time ago and I think if I reread it now (which I will soon) I'll A) find it a lot easier to read and B) love it a hell of a lot more!
(Also I bought the stunning Penguin drop cap edition of this today and I'm in love with it it's so pretty c':) ____________________________________ (Reviewed June 28, 2014)
I DID IT! I FINALLY FINISHED READING THIS. :')
Pride and Prejudice and I had a complicated relationship to say the least. At first, I just couldn't get through it. I was incredibly bored and the writing was proving to be a constant struggle for me to get used to. I read 183 pages and then gave up (at which point I wrote the review that is below this one). I really didn't want to leave it unfinished but I had decided that if I wasn't enjoying it, then it wasn't worth my time and hey, at least I tried, right?
Having been disappointed with my reaction to such a well loved classic, I thought I would watch the movie which I knew I would love a lot more. I watched the movie, LOVED it (A LOT) and was convinced that I should at least do the book justice and finish it. Surprisingly, upon trying again the next day, I found it much easier to read and actually quite enjoyed it. The plot picked up and I was able to appreciate the characters much more.
As to why I disliked the book so much throughout the first half, I don't know. I think I just wasn't in the right mood. You certainly can't rush a Jane Austen novel, something which I undoubtedly learned the hard way.
I guess you could consider this book Mr Darcy and me Lizzy. Much like Lizzy convinced herself that Mr Darcy didn't have any redeemable qualities, I convinced myself that this book just wasn't the book for me. Then, after taking a breather and watching the movie, I decided to give the book another chance and I am very, very glad that I did (and I'm sure Lizzy is glad she gave Mr Darcy a second chance too!).
Needless to say, this book was quite the tumultuous read for me. Maybe after a couple of years I will reread it and come to appreciate it more but for now, it will have to be a solid 2 star read for me (whoops rated it down - what can ya do ?).
Preface: I initially gave this book a rating of 2 stars so....
Yes, I am an abomination. Cue the incredulous screaming.
First of all, I did not finish reading this. I couldn't, I just couldn't. I read almost 200 pages, hoping that the story would pick up or I would find it easier to read, but alas, it was all in vain.
The thing is, I tried. I tried so very hard, but in the end I was like You know what, if I'm not enjoying this then at least I tried right?
Put simply, I just did not like Pride and Prejudice . I found it painfully boring, something which wasn't helped by the fact that it wasn't exactly an "easy" read. And you're probably all like: Well, it's the 19th century, whaddaya want? They're not exactly party animals. And to that I say: I guess the 19th century isn't for me then. To be honest, I just felt too much of a disconnect with the time period and all that it entailed to be able to appreciate the characters or what they were saying. I'm not saying that I hated it, I didn't. It's by no means a bad book, just not the book for me.
In the end, I just came to the conclusion that I didn't want to force myself to read something that I knew I wasn't enjoying.
I feel really bad giving this a low rating since pretty much everybody and their mother has read and dearly loved this but when it comes down to it, Pride and Prejudice is still a book - It's a classic, yes, but that doesn't mean that it's gonna get a 5 stars by default. I wish I loved it but I didn't, and that's really as simple as it gets.