'Conversations with Friends' by Sally Rooney is a novel that delves into the complex relationships and personal issues of young college students in Dublin. The story follows Frances and Bobbi, two 21-year-old university students who perform spoken word poetry together and become entangled with a married couple, Melissa and Nick. As their relationships overlap and intersect, the characters navigate themes of friendship, love, self-discovery, and growing up. The narrative offers a deep understanding of the emotional struggles and self-awareness that young people experience as they try to find their true selves.
Rooney's writing style is described as direct, strong, and engaging, with complex and well-developed characters that captivate the reader. The novel captures the intensity of early adulthood, portraying the challenges and complexities of relationships, self-consciousness, and personal growth. The dialogue is smart and funny, with moments of beautiful imagery woven into everyday scenes, creating a compelling and thought-provoking narrative that explores the nuances of human emotions and interactions.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Contains themes of infidelity, mental health issues, self-harm, and alcoholism.
Has Romance?
While romance exists, it is intertwined with complex character dynamics and themes of infidelity.
From The Publisher:
CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS WILL BE ADAPTED FOR A BBC THREE DRAMA, PREMIERING IN 2022!
***PRE-ORDER SALLY ROONEY'S NEW NOVEL, BEAUTIFUL WORLD, WHERE ARE YOU, NOW***
'This book. This book. I read it in one day. I hear I'm not alone.'
- Sarah Jessica Parker (Instagram)
'Fascinating, ferocious and shrewd.' - Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies
'I really like Conversations with Friends. I like the tone [Rooney[ takes when she's writing. I think it's like being inside someone's mind.' - Taylor Swift
Frances is twenty-one years old, cool-headed and observant. A student in Dublin and an aspiring writer, at night she performs spoken word with her best friend Bobbi, who used to be her girlfriend. When they are interviewed and then befriended by Melissa, a well-known journalist who is married to Nick, an actor, they enter a world of beautiful houses, raucous dinner parties and holidays in Provence, beginning a complex ménage-à-quatre. But when Frances and Nick get unexpectedly closer, the sharply witty and emotion-averse Frances is forced to honestly confront her own vulnerabilities for the first time.
FROM THE AUTHOR OF NORMAL PEOPLE, THE BOOK OF THE HIT TV SERIES, NOW AVAILABLE ON THE BBC
Ratings (75)
Incredible (10) | |
Loved It (27) | |
Liked It (20) | |
It Was OK (9) | |
Did Not Like (6) | |
Hated It (3) |
Reader Stats (136):
Read It (72) | |
Currently Reading (4) | |
Want To Read (40) | |
Did Not Finish (2) | |
Not Interested (18) |
4 comment(s)
After I read it again I decided to give it 3 stars. It's not as terrible as I remember it, has some really good bits in it. But it's just not a book for me, didn't like the topic or the characters, however I liked the way it was written and I will try to read other books by her to see if I like those better
I do think sally is a genius.
Probably my favorite book of hers.
Her first and her finest.
Twenty-one-year-old Frances is studying in Dublin. As an aspiring writer, she performs spoken word poetry with her ex-girlfriend, Bobbi. When Melissa, a well-known journalist, offers to interview them, Frances begins an affair with Melissa's husband, Nick. A complex manage-a-quatre is formed.
Despite loving both Normal People and Beautiful World, Where Are You, Conversations with Friends is the Rooney book that I return to time and again. It's just perfect. The pacing, the dialogue and the body language of the characters, work together to create the most brilliant moments of tension. It is relatable, and immersive.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction - with a touch of the unconventional.
What can you read after
Conversations with Friends?
About the Author:
Sally Rooney was born in 1991 and lives in Dublin, where she graduated from an MA at Trinity College in 2013. Her work has appeared in Granta, The White Review, The Dublin Review, The Stinging Fly, Kevin Barry's Stonecutter and The Winter Pages anthology. Conversations with Friends is her first novel.Follow her @sallyrooney
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