Beautiful World, Where Are You

Sally Rooney has firmly established her style in this latest book. The continuity is both good and bad. Where it’s lacking is in the moments that are raunchy or otherwise rom com stylized. Where it excels is in Rooney’s expert skill at illustrating the lives of sometimes painfully awkward people. For all her talents, this book has a more disjointed and stilted flow than her previous ones. The most cohesive thread is her thought provoking metaphysical positions on relationships, culture, and history. This commentary is explored masterfully through a written conversation between characters. Another great thread is how technology has become woven into the background of our lives. Through this theme Rooney explores how technology is a positive and negative influence in our lives. It bridges divides between people and at the same time further isolates us from even our closest connections. In the end the good did not outweigh the bad enough to grab me. Seeing these characters lives play out, I could not help but be reminded of Simply Red’s “Holding Back the Years.” Like the song, this book is a melancholy reflection on what could have been. And at the same time we see that the Beautiful World we seek is in the quiet acceptance of what is.

I found this book endless. It is hard to believe all the information in this book was necessary. The only thing missing was the number of sheets of toilet paper each character used. Is this what friends with benefits is all about?

This is just sex scenes with a flair for belittling women.

This doesn’t have quite the inescapable pull of Normal People. Indeed to stay with the first 2/3 of the book, the dullness of the epistolary style Rooney used exclusively there, took some effort. It seemed almost worth giving up. But then you come back to most of the rest of the book and it is a rush headlong into a pretty exciting drama and excellent writing. Too bad that the goal of that rush is something so ordinary. Is that what happened—our characters locate that beautiful world. Too bad: a better concept would have been to have that beautiful world remain elusive.

Let me start by saying I never leave reviews. I also really enjoyed the authors other novels. But this one? It’s terrible. I don’t see how it ended up being Goodreads top 2021 fiction novel. I didn’t even finish it. Every time I opened this book I would find my mind wandering. I would even begin to nod off to sleep. I kept trying to push through but eventually said this is enough.. I just can’t get into it.

I found it hard to connect with the characters in this book, however by the end of it, I found a beauty in the chaos of everyone’s personal worlds and their entanglements. Personally I enjoyed the insight the philosophical emails provided to develop the characters further although I didn’t connect with them - got me thinking about the beauty within our differences and the presented question in the title.

I enjoyed her other books immensely, and I enjoyed reading about the characters and their relationships and enjoyed her vivid, detailed descriptions of the scenes and settings. I did not enjoy the lengthy email exchanges between characters where they discuss philosophy, love, religion and the environment etc. I did not feel they added to the story or my understanding of the characters.

Beautiful book where r u. Just not good. First two had me hooked so I was very disappointed and out change for three Starbucks. Don’t get lazy on us Sally as this accumulation of words clearly predicts. 😬

Rooney has created a unique narrative style by contrasting confessional wild surges of feeling in epistolary exchanges with dispassionate descriptions of her characters’ behavior and conversation that somehow becomes exhilarating. The level of invention of contemporary intimate conversation and nuanced movements is breathtaking.

Just amazing. I wasn’t sure I like this book at first but was completely drawn in as the characters developed. Rooney captures all the subtle nuances of relationships with such poignant grace. Can’t wait for the next one.