Monday Moments - Intermezzo

 I keep feeling that Sally Rooney is an author who's making her mark now, but will be used as an example of the era in years to come.  I've read her  very literary books - Conversations With Friends, Normal People, and Beautiful World Where Are You with mixed reactions. She can be almost too observational in her writing, and yet the descriptions of  the situations are spot on. Her characters are very flawed, and often not nice people - and yet that's very true in life. There are times when I question why I'm reading her books, and yet I'm intrigued. 

So - this new review of Intermezzo continues the same way. I'm glad I read it, but it wasn't "easy". This is not an entertaining book.  The brothers are a mess. The women they are with seem too clever, frankly, to be with them. And yet, I was compelled to find out how they all would fare.  Ivan is twenty two, his older brother Peter is thirty two, and their father just died. We follow them as they grieve, face each other emotionally, and react with their loves. It's a new interlude- possibilities abound, and old hurts must heal. 

Tough read, but interesting. Sally Rooney does tap into deep feelings and her writing is rather gorgeous. 

Beautiful World, Where Are You - a book review

 Critics love Sally Rooney, and I've been working on it. She's considered a writer for "this young" generation. Admittedly, I am older than her target audience, but I do appreciate good writing. I found her first two books interesting and yet annoying. Excellent writing, but her characters were not likeable and rather whiny. Strictly my opinion. 

However, third book's a charm. Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney kept me interested and engaged. Alice, a novelist; Felix, a warehouse worker; Eileen, an editor; and Simon, a handsome lawyer; are a mix of new and old friends with complicated histories. These folks have some depth to them.  Back blurb - They are still young - but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they worry about sex and friendship and the world they live in.

p.18 Alice:  I'm feeling a little loose and dissociative. It's April and the leaves aren't drifting. 

p.95 Alice: If novelists wrote honestly about their own lives, no one would read novels.

p.162 Eileen: On writing notes in a daily diary -  There was something delicate about living like that - like I was an instrument, and the world touched me and reverberated inside me. 

The characters felt very real and raw. They were concerned about today's world and yet not sure what to do about it. They were seeking stronger roots, perhaps even starting families. 

Back blurb: Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?

Words to ponder as we read our news, continue our lives, and worry about the future. Solid novel Ms. Rooney. 

Book Review - Normal People by Sally Rooney

Lots of buzz on this book and writer. Young, wise, and in tune with the times. Indeed, Sally Rooney's writing is quite good and I can see where she does have a grasp of the younger generation. However, for me, that did not make these people interesting. Yet, maybe, that's what does make them "normal."

Whiny, self-absorbed, and often annoying, Connell and Marianne have a secret relationship that isn't that big a secret. He's popular,a football star, and smart. She's lonely, smart, and strange. He's poor and is mother works at Marianne's house. Marianne's rich but doesn't flaunt it, yet there is that class distinction - stuff she takes for granted.

They strike up an intense relationship in high school and he seems to be her rock.

A year later, at Trinity College in Dublin, Marianne is in her element - a niche with friends and a cool aura. Connell's back being a small fish in a big pond. The two clash, connect, and veer into deeper corners.

Normal People was easy to put down. I never rooted for these two, whether apart or together, and their friends were a drag too. I'm in the minority in regards to reviewing this book. Every other review I read gushed about Ms.Rooney's perception and the brilliance of her character relationships.
Yawn.

Book Review - Conversations with Friends

I read a review of Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and it interested me.
i.e.  Written with gem-like precision and marked by a sly sense of humor, this book is wonderfully alive to the pleasures and dangers of youth, and the messy edges of female friendship. 

 Now I'll give my review - Sally Rooney, the author, is young herself and very into the zeitgeist of today's youth.

Our two protagonist friends - Frances - cool, observant, student/writer, and Bobbi - beautiful, rich, and rather self-possessed and confidant. They perform on a poetry night and are approached by a well-known photographer journalist (Melissa) interested in doing a story on the duo. As they are drawn into a flashier art world, Frances embarks on a dangerous flirtation with the actor/husband -handsome Nick. This leads to stress in the friendship, jealousy, and some  lessons in really being a grown-up.

I was interested in the story line and many of the bad decisions made by Frances (and Nick). I found some of the dialogue and situations to be too neat and tidy and contrived, but still intriguing. Rooney offers a fresh perspective on youth today, and I have her next book Normal People sitting on my shelf - in my queue. Meanwhile Conversations with Friends was a good patio read.