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Sally Rooney
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Normal People Paperback – 29 August 2018

by Sally Rooney (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars 118,556
See all formats and editions
2018 Costa Novel Award winner and longlisted for the 2018 Man Booker Prize: The feverishly anticipated second novel from the young author of 2017's most acclaimed debut Conversations with Friends.

Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in rural Ireland. The similarities end there; they are from very different worlds. When they both earn places at Trinity College in Dublin, a connection that has grown between them lasts long into the following years.

This is an exquisite love story about how a person can change another person's life - a simple yet profound realisation that unfolds beautifully over the course of the novel. It tells us how difficult it is to talk about how we feel and it tells us - blazingly - about cycles of domination, legitimacy and privilege. Alternating menace with overwhelming tenderness, Sally Rooney's second novel breathes fiction with new life.
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  1. Print length
    288 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Faber Fiction
  4. Publication date
    29 August 2018
  5. Dimensions
    13.5 x 2 x 21.6 cm
  6. ISBN-10
    0571347290
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0571347292
  8. See all details
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Popular Highlights in this book
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  1. She believes Marianne lacks “warmth,” by which she means the ability to beg for love from people who hate her.
    Highlighted by 7,010 Kindle readers
  2. Connell always gets what he wants, and then feels sorry for himself when what he wants doesn’t make him happy.
    Highlighted by 6,603 Kindle readers
  3. Connell wished he knew how other people conducted their private lives, so that he could copy from example.
    Highlighted by 4,879 Kindle readers
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Product description

About the Author

Sally Rooney was born in 1991 and lives in Dublin. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Granta, The White Review, The Dublin Review, The Stinging Fly, Kevin Barry's Stonecutter and The Winter Page anthology. Her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, was the most popular debut in the 2017 end-of-year round-ups. Rooney was shortlisted for the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award for 'Mr Salary' and was the winner of the Sunday Times/PFD Young Writer of the Year Award.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber Fiction; Export - Airside ed edition (29 August 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0571347290
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571347292
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.5 x 2 x 21.6 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 118,556

About the author

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Sally Rooney

Sally Rooney

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SALLY ROONEY was born in the west of Ireland in 1991. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Granta and The London Review of Books. Winner of the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award in 2017, she is the author of Conversations with Friends and the editor of the Irish literary journal The Stinging Fly.

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4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
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5 Stars
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This book is written perfectly for teenagers ,young & older adults.The story is based on teenagers becoming adults.It takes you on a journey of dealing with the difficult and complex issues while navigating outside the perceived norms of their peers.Marianne is from a wealthy but totally dysfunctional family.Connell is a handsome, athletic and popular boy, raised his whole life by his single mother.While the two of them have different upbringings they both see the world and themselves the same in a way.Both view themselves as flawed and desperately wish themselves to feel normal and able to concede the parts of themselves they think shameful and confusing.The book does go back and forth a bit.I would highly recommend watching the series first then read the book.
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Top reviews from Australia

Phoebe
5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant modern classic romance
Reviewed in Australia on 19 December 2020
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I read this after watching the show and there are differences here and there which are quite enjoyable. In terms of plot and content :: there's barely any explicit sex compared to the TV series.

You get a much better insight into Connell's headspace and get to analyse what the real issues in their relationship actually are. Amazing how you don't get told who is speaking but you know because each character has such a distinct voice. Also love how male and female feelings are both explored with sensitivity and without judgement. (The girl felt like the main character of the show but the guy feels like the main character of the book.)

It's delicate, enchanting, and endearing. My favourite thing is probably that it's not one of those stories where two strangers meet and sparks fly, or a high school romance that neatly ends at graduation. Life isn't like that. Sally goes to great pains to reveal reality through her fiction. Normal People is a bloody modern classic.
2 people found this helpful
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Angie
4.0 out of 5 stars Clever and engaging
Reviewed in Australia on 31 August 2018
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I thoroughly enjoyed this. Sally Rooney's writing is clever and acerbic and this, combined with an interesting structure (changing POVs and jumps in time, looking back at the events between those jumps), worked to keep me engaged and entertained. I did think the ending was a little saccharine, in light of the rest of the book, and some of the (secondary) characters felt a little two-dimensional and/or caricatured, but Sally Rooney's brilliant writing and ability to tell a story made it easy to forgive any minor flaws in plot or characterisation.
5 people found this helpful
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Karynne
3.0 out of 5 stars Normal people
Reviewed in Australia on 8 April 2019
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Normal People was well written but dragged on. It was mainly an exploration of the characters both of whom had good intentions but couldn’t face what was obvious. They seemed to put themselves and the reader through a lot of unnecessary anguish. There is not a lot of plot development, they move around a bit but nothing terribly interesting happens. Yes they were both nice people but nobody is normal of course when you scratch the surface a little. They both tried so hard not to offend each other or depend on each other they continued on floundering through life. Which is what normal people do. So a good insight into the characters thoughts but you feel like giving both of them a good shake. There’s a lot of over analysing going on but the writing is very good but left me feeling unsatisfied.
16 people found this helpful
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Aleks Canard
5.0 out of 5 stars If "Glimpse of Us" by Joji was a novel
Reviewed in Australia on 25 December 2023
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Every single page of this book evokes the feeling of lying beside someone after sex, the entire time wishing they were someone else. Or that you were someone else. Somewhere else. It will make you relive every intimate moment of your life as if it's the first time while you agonise over what you would've done differently.

And it will tell you, ever so gently, that which you already know but won't admit, that you still miss the person who left. That part of you, maybe all of you, will miss them forever. That when Bukowski said "there is a place in the heart that will never be filled and we will wait and wait in that space," he was telling the truth.

As well-written as it is heartbreaking, Rooney has created a masterpiece that will etch itself onto your heart and soul.
One person found this helpful
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Samantha
4.0 out of 5 stars A Brief Review Of "Normal People"
Reviewed in Australia on 10 September 2020
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“But part of the feeling was knowing the terrible hold he’d had over her, and still had, and could not foresee ever losing.”

Normal People is a love story about on and off relationship between Connell and Marianna who met in high school and leads on right throughout college.

This book is defiantly not for a younger audience.

I found this book compelling. In saying that it was very slow at some points, but pushing through those parts was worth it. Once I got into it I was committed.
The characters were easy to get to know, but not easy to work out. It was easy to love and hate at times.
The book felt a little bit awkwardly written at first as I am used to reading first-person perspectives but once I got into it; it was pleasant. It has defiantly changed my view on both this style of writing and this style of book and the type of book.

Normal People was a very mature book compared to what I usually read, but I enjoyed it.

Defiantly not for the younger audience.
All in all, I would recommend this book to people who love unconventional love stories, third-person books, and books that follow one or two characters.
One person found this helpful
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Tara Borg
5.0 out of 5 stars Turn Pager
Reviewed in Australia on 21 September 2023
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This book is written perfectly for teenagers ,young & older adults.
The story is based on teenagers becoming adults.
It takes you on a journey of dealing with the difficult and complex issues while navigating outside the perceived norms of their peers.
Marianne is from a wealthy but totally dysfunctional family.
Connell is a handsome, athletic and popular boy, raised his whole life by his single mother.
While the two of them have different upbringings they both see the world and themselves the same in a way.
Both view themselves as flawed and desperately wish themselves to feel normal and able to concede the parts of themselves they think shameful and confusing.

The book does go back and forth a bit.
I would highly recommend watching the series first then read the book.
Customer image
Tara Borg
5.0 out of 5 stars Turn Pager
Reviewed in Australia on 21 September 2023
This book is written perfectly for teenagers ,young & older adults.
The story is based on teenagers becoming adults.
It takes you on a journey of dealing with the difficult and complex issues while navigating outside the perceived norms of their peers.
Marianne is from a wealthy but totally dysfunctional family.
Connell is a handsome, athletic and popular boy, raised his whole life by his single mother.
While the two of them have different upbringings they both see the world and themselves the same in a way.
Both view themselves as flawed and desperately wish themselves to feel normal and able to concede the parts of themselves they think shameful and confusing.

The book does go back and forth a bit.
I would highly recommend watching the series first then read the book.
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Customer image
One person found this helpful
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Hendo
4.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully Written Love Story
Reviewed in Australia on 5 February 2019
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I thoroughly enjoyed this deeply felt and sensitively explored story of first love. It's incredible that this was written by such a young person- the insightful wisdom she reveals in the inner life of the characters is impressive. She writes with a simple yet poetic flair. The story follows the on-off love affair of two young people, first at school and then later at university. I really cared about the charactersI, which for me is the most important thing in keeping me engaged in the story. My only negative is that I didn't feel satisfied by the ending. it wasn't really an ending... I thought, is there a sequel?
3 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer HMS
3.0 out of 5 stars Easy read
Reviewed in Australia on 14 June 2019
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Nice to have a novel follow the characters. A bit drawn out and a few flaws in the overall plot but I enjoyed the read and found the characters relatable.
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avis.reads
5.0 out of 5 stars refreshing portrayal of a relationship that is not black and white;
Reviewed in the United States on 30 January 2024
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5/5 ☆☆☆☆☆
#andreeareviews

I have finally read Normal People! I watched the show last year and loved the refreshing portrayal of a relationship that is not black and white; it’s complex, both joyful and painful, and follows the growth of the protagonists.

Needless to say, I loved the book. I’ve been putting it off because this is the last Rooney novel that I haven’t read, and I am left with a massive book hungover that only another Rooney novel can fix. It’s impossible not to feel with the characters, from the awkwardness of the relationship to the impact of their personal trauma on it. It feels like Rooney reaches into your soul, turns it inside out and says: “Here, deal with this now.”. The writing is deceptively simple yet cuts straight to the heart.

We met Marianne and Connell in high school. On the surface, Marianne is an ostracised, weird girl with no friends and an aloof attitude that puts people off. Connell is a popular guy, having lots of friends and being the object of interest of many girls. Connell’s mother works for Marianne’s household as a housekeeper; thus, Connell meets Marianne outside of school whenever he picks up his mom. Their brief interactions give birth first to a form of hidden friendship that turns into lust and then love as they get closer and more intimate.

Their relationship is complicated in the true sense of the word and is deeply influenced by their trauma. Marianne was physically abused by her father; upon his death, the abuse continued with both her mother and brother physically and emotionally abusing her; she was ignored at home and at school, growing up without any friends and without being loved; in school, she was bullied and ostracised, becoming an apparently cold person, incapable of healthy attachment or love. She does not think she deserves to be loved, and I don’t think she knows what being loved really means.

On the other hand, Connell has grown up with a single mother, never knowing her father. He felt loved and appreciated at home; however, he is an introverted, quiet person; nevertheless, this doesn’t stop him from making friends in school and being easygoing and attractive. Later on, however, in college (they both go to the same college), connecting with people becomes harder, and he feels burdened by his social background, coming from a working-class family and hanging out in a circle of rich individuals (such as Marianne).
Their relationship evolves and devolves like a mesmerising dance from youth to young adulthood. They bring complexities into each other’s lives, driven by personal trauma, comfort, and a sense of having found home in that person who knows you and understands you fully. Connell, the quiet, brooding intellect, and Marianne, the sharp, unapologetic force of nature - their dynamic is a study of contrasts.

Connell’s internal struggles, the perpetual feeling of not being “enough”, and Marianne’s journey from isolation to self-discovery and perhaps self-love (I am not certain she reached it by the end of the book, but it does feel like she’s on her way) - Rooney peels back the layers, revealing characters so achingly human. And this is what makes Rooney’s writing stand out for me: the incredibly relatable characters, with awkward moments, misunderstandings, and hardship, to communicate feelings and thoughts. The plot becomes, therefore, a canvas where their insecurities, desires, and mistakes point to a poignant picture of love, friendship, and the quest for identity.

I said it before: Rooney is a master of dissecting the nuances of human connection. The themes of power, vulnerability, and societal expectations are woven into the narrative's fabric. The on-again-off-again nature of Marianne and Connell’s relationship isn’t just about love; it’s a mirror reflecting the intricacies of self-worth, societal pressures, and the messiness of growing up.

The exploration of intimacy, both emotional and physical, is raw and unapologetic. Rooney does not shy away from the uncomfortable, and that’s where the magic happens. The power dynamics at play, the impact of societal expectations on individual choices - it’s a literary feast for readers hungry for substance.

Finally, Normal People is not just a book for me; it’s a mirror reflecting the jagged edges of human relationships. Rooney doesn’t hand you answers on a silver platter; she hands you a mirror and says: “Look closely.”. In the end, you’re left with a breathtaking yet heartbreaking portrait of love and the messy, unfiltered journey toward self-acceptance, pondering long after the final page.
19 people found this helpful
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Estefania Gutiérrez
5.0 out of 5 stars Mi favorito en lo que va del año
Reviewed in Mexico on 20 August 2023
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Me encantó, llegó en excelentes condiciones, la historia es muy buena, en mi caso me identifique con los personajes, es muy fluido aunque la forma en la que están escritos los diálogos puede realizar confusa
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Matheus
5.0 out of 5 stars O livro é excelente, mas a capa deixa a desejar.
Reviewed in Brazil on 20 August 2023
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Normal People é uma série incrível, e por conta disso tive o interesse de comprar o livro, em inglês, para me adaptar mais ao idioma e tentar ter outro vislumbre da história. Se você gostou da série, muito provavelmente vai gostar do livro, que é igualmente muito bom e desenvolve mais alguns aspectos dos personagens principais.

Minha única crítica é com relação à capa. Comprei a versão com capa dura justamente pra ter um produto com qualidade e durabilidade maior. Para minha surpresa, a capa de verdade é completamente branca, com um plástico solto em volta que, aí sim, tem o design mostrado no anúncio. Achei extremamente decepcionante a falta de qualidade nesse aspecto.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Heart wrenching
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 April 2024
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This is not a happy read, but it is engaging and wonderfully written. The characters are very real.
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Juhe
5.0 out of 5 stars Beliebtes Buch bei Jugendlichen
Reviewed in Germany on 29 February 2024
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Das Buch war ein Geburtstagswunsch meiner Patentochter. Ich selber habe es nicht gelesen, kann also nichts dazu sagen. Die Jugendliche wollte dieses Buch unbedingt haben, obwohl ihr der Inhalt bereits bekannt war. Sie fand sowohl den Stil als auch die Handlung sehr gut. Es hat hat sie auch nicht gestört, daß sie es in Englisch lesen mußte.
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