Conversations with Friends: A Novel Paperback – August 7, 2018

I got on the Sally Rooney train after reading Normal People, and I've read every single book she's put out since then. I adore her stream of consciousness style of writing and I find all her stories to be such wonderful character studies. If there's anything this woman can do, it's write a character that is so, so, annoying but tragically relatable. Her debut novel, Conversations with Friends, perfectly encapsulates that feeling.The story follows two women in their twenties who get involved with an older 'cool' married couple, illustrating the age old adage of "No, you don't get it, they're not right for each other and we are!!" It's a tired trope, but people fall for it all the time in real life so it makes sense. In this book, however, it's more interesting because you have the main characters' thoughts at all times, so it's easy to empathize and, as the reader, you do.It's a great story, honestly. It really captures the chaos and bad decision making that is your twenties, in a way the feels interesting and sad and tragic and cool- all the things I thought I was in my twenties lol I think the main reason you should read it though is because Sally Rooney always has a lot of really intelligent and interesting things to say and this book is full of those things. Read it!

This was the first book I finished all year. I have struggled finding a book that captivates me after 2 chapters. Conversations with Friends was slow at times, with multiple characters introduced with small importance, however, this novel had a little bit of everything. Friendship, relationship, and family dynamics. Although I wish there was more explanation to what happens to France’s and Bobbi’s relationship, along with the outcome of her fathers struggles, I would recommend this novel to my friends.

Frances is 21 years old, works at a job she is not at all engaged with and almost would seem to prefer to not have, goes to college, and performs her spoken word poetry with her best friend/ex-girlfriend Bobbi at night. The latter has gotten enough attention to draw into their orbit Melissa, a 30something writer and photographer who wants to profile them, and her husband Nick, a working actor who has found only minor success. While Melissa and Bobbi hit it off, Frances and Nick develop a connection of their own and it’s not too long before they wind up in bed together. This doesn’t feel like a spoiler, as it is very obvious that it’s going to end up there. This obviously has reverberations for Frances’s relationships with both Bobbi and Melissa. Sally Rooney is one of those authors that has a devoted following, so I was really excited to start reading her work with this, her debut novel. But if I’m being honest, I didn’t really understand the fuss. This is a character book, which I’m inclined to like, but without a character I found compelling. Frances is a frustrating protagonist. Not because she’s aimless or sleeps with someone else’s husband or is trying to figure out who she is, but because she’s just not very interesting while she’s doing all of that. I didn’t find her unlikeable, I just found her boring. I found myself wondering why and even if I was supposed to care about her or her connections with Nick, Bobbi, and Melissa. I had a hard time understanding how a person seemingly so empty and detached could write poetry that was engaging enough to get anyone’s attention. What kept my interest was the quality of the prose. Rooney’s writing is subtle, and she has a real knack for dialogue and descriptions. Her words are clearly deliberately chosen but she never slides into flowery language. Her use of language alone makes me want to read her other books, but I hope they’re better than this one.

I really loved this book. A lot of reviews critique the plot, which I found more or less irrelevant, or the main character's likability. I actually loved how unlikable the main character was. This book is worth reading just for Rooney's incredible descriptions and characterization. Are these the most fascinating characters I've ever encountered in a book? No. But her characters have this really delightful way of surprising you. You think of them one way, and then they say or do something and all the dynamics take a fun twist.I do have two issues to mention.-One- When I first started this book I wasn't sure I would enjoy it at all because I have already read Normal People and the main character is so similar to Marianne. Eventually Rooney's writing itself won me over, but sometimes I can't enjoy multiple books from the same author because the patterns become too pronounced and this book felt that way at first. I might have liked it even more if it was my first read by this author.-Two- SPOILERI was disappointed by the way the queer relationships were depicted in this book. I wish the book had spent more time developing the Bobbi and Frances dynamic. I believe Frances is meant to have lasting feelings about Bobbi dumping her, but so much time is spent on her myopic obsession with Nick that her desire for Bobbi doesn't really come across. The love scenes between Nick and Frances are sexy, whereas the physical tension between Frances and Bobbi is barely mentioned. I liked that they got back together in the end, but then Frances and Nick had a phone call that made it seem that she was going to go right back to him a month later which I found disappointing. I can only imagine this ruining their friendship (again) which is a shame because I think their friendship/dynamic would have been interesting if it had been explored more.