Read a Girl #23: "Normal People", Sally Rooney

Hey, you!

Fancy some young yet heart-wrenching love story? 

I read “Normal People”, by Sally Rooney, almost a year ago, but it was one of those books that stayed with me for a long time. And after I watched the BBC/Hulu adaptation of the novel a few months ago I just knew I had to share this book with you.

I’ll start by confessing one thing: while I absolutely love the author’s writing style, I have a hard time believing in her characters as they are VERY complex for people in their late teens/early 20s. But. Having said that. Wow.

It is impossible to read “Normal People” and not be touched by Marianne’s and Connell’s relationship. The violence. The tenderness. The love and devotion. This is certainly a modern classic that managed to perfectly capture what it is to be unconditionally in love and connected with someone. Forever.

My first book, “a spectacularly sad ending”, is a collection of poetry and prose about heartbreak, loss and survival. It chronicles experiences of love, loss, abuse and grief, and is for anyone who is or ever had to mend a broken heart. It's available as a paperback and also on Kindle. You can get it here.

🎵 This newsletter was written to the sounds of “So Long, Marianne”, by Leonard Cohen.

We have a playlist with all of the music featured on our newsletters. You can listen to it on Spotify.

My name is Renata and I am the Founder and Editor of Read a Girl, a platform promoting the work of women writers. My background is in journalism and I spent most of my career covering foreign affairs and travelling around looking for good stories to tell. Reading is a very big passion of mine and my favourite authors are Elena Ferrante, J.D. Salinger, Julian Barnes and Sylvia Plath.

You can learn more about me on this post and on my website.

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