'Conversations with Friends' by Sally Rooney
What makes a good novel is a highly subjective judgement, and what some well informed readers describe as 'A nuanced, page turning portrait', 'a lucid and exacting style' or 'a dynamic debut novel' is bound to be a matter of contention for others. So Zadie Smith, New Yorker, the Irish Times and my daughter who thinks it's great, I respect your opinions but I beg to differ.
In my view, one of the things that makes good fiction writing is matching the size of the plot to the size of the format. This is true whether the fiction is flash, short, novella or novel. And this book fails to do that. The plot is fundamentally the story of a young woman, Frances, who has previously been in a relationship with her best friend Bobbi, but who falls for an attractive, married actor Nick, with whom she has an affair. And that's it really. It isn't enough for an entire book, and I found it difficult to sustain my interest long enough to complete it.
In terms of the craft of writing, I found that much of the descriptions were diluted by irrelevant detail that didn't really contribute anything, and the opening was sadly lacking in any kind of hook to draw the reader in. The characters weren't really sufficiently well-depicted for the reader to heavily invest in them and I was only mildly interested in their fates.
A positive is the way that the author handles intimacy, always a tricky area, and she does it confidently and honestly which is something many writers fail to achieve.
However, I struggled to complete this novel, and I consider myself a diligent and committed reader, therefore my verdict contrasts sharply with the praise lavished on this book.
Verdict: don't read.
In my view, one of the things that makes good fiction writing is matching the size of the plot to the size of the format. This is true whether the fiction is flash, short, novella or novel. And this book fails to do that. The plot is fundamentally the story of a young woman, Frances, who has previously been in a relationship with her best friend Bobbi, but who falls for an attractive, married actor Nick, with whom she has an affair. And that's it really. It isn't enough for an entire book, and I found it difficult to sustain my interest long enough to complete it.
In terms of the craft of writing, I found that much of the descriptions were diluted by irrelevant detail that didn't really contribute anything, and the opening was sadly lacking in any kind of hook to draw the reader in. The characters weren't really sufficiently well-depicted for the reader to heavily invest in them and I was only mildly interested in their fates.
A positive is the way that the author handles intimacy, always a tricky area, and she does it confidently and honestly which is something many writers fail to achieve.
However, I struggled to complete this novel, and I consider myself a diligent and committed reader, therefore my verdict contrasts sharply with the praise lavished on this book.
Verdict: don't read.
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