Join a book club that is reading Normal People: A Novel!
Normal People: A Novel
NOW AN EMMY-NOMINATED HULU ORIGINAL SERIES • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • “A stunning novel about the transformative power of relationships” (People) from the author of Conversations with Friends, “a master of the literary page-turner” (J. Courtney Sullivan).
“[A] novel that demands to be read compulsively, in one sitting.”—The Washington Post
ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE
TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: People, Slate, The New York Public Library, Harvard Crimson
Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins.
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.
Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship, and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t.
WINNER: The British Book Award, The Costa Book Award, The An Post Irish Novel of the Year, Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award
BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire, Vox, The Paris Review, Good Housekeeping, Town & Country
“[A] novel that demands to be read compulsively, in one sitting.”—The Washington Post
ONE OF ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY’S TEN BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE
TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: People, Slate, The New York Public Library, Harvard Crimson
Connell and Marianne grew up in the same small town, but the similarities end there. At school, Connell is popular and well liked, while Marianne is a loner. But when the two strike up a conversation—awkward but electrifying—something life changing begins.
A year later, they’re both studying at Trinity College in Dublin. Marianne has found her feet in a new social world while Connell hangs at the sidelines, shy and uncertain. Throughout their years at university, Marianne and Connell circle one another, straying toward other people and possibilities but always magnetically, irresistibly drawn back together. And as she veers into self-destruction and he begins to search for meaning elsewhere, each must confront how far they are willing to go to save the other.
Normal People is the story of mutual fascination, friendship, and love. It takes us from that first conversation to the years beyond, in the company of two people who try to stay apart but find that they can’t.
WINNER: The British Book Award, The Costa Book Award, The An Post Irish Novel of the Year, Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award
BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Oprah Daily, Time, NPR, The Washington Post, Vogue, Esquire, Glamour, Elle, Marie Claire, Vox, The Paris Review, Good Housekeeping, Town & Country
BUY THE BOOK
These clubs recently read this book...
Community Reviews
i soft dnf this book about 2 years ago only have read the first 8 pages. picked it up again a few days ago and finished it and discovered i am just not the target audience for this book. i did not like it at all. the fmc and mmc were insufferable. i liked it in the beginning, but once i got like 80ish pages in, it got boring and just really annoying. without the audiobook, i probably would have dnf this for a second time.
This is a quintessentially millennial story. I am having a hard time trying to put into words WHY I liked it. I think itâs because the characters are my generation, awkward, bad at communicating their feelings, anxious, and damaged. Which is probably how I would describe myself, especially back in college. Itâs a story of two people who are figuring out who they are and what they want from life, and thereâs something about the writerâs style that I quite enjoyed. On the first page when I realized the author didnât use quotation marks I almost didnât continue reading, but surprising I got used to that stylistic choice.
The story is very stream of consciousness, very raw and real and ultimately the inner workings of the characterâs brains are relatable to me. I did watch the Hulu series first, and a lot of the dialogue is verbatim. Anyway, this isnât much of a review, but I think this book is suited toward my fellow millennials who can probably relate to the feelings of uncertainty about their place in the world and in relation to other people, and what being in love for the first time feels like.
The story is very stream of consciousness, very raw and real and ultimately the inner workings of the characterâs brains are relatable to me. I did watch the Hulu series first, and a lot of the dialogue is verbatim. Anyway, this isnât much of a review, but I think this book is suited toward my fellow millennials who can probably relate to the feelings of uncertainty about their place in the world and in relation to other people, and what being in love for the first time feels like.
I personally think this book explains one thing people have been through at least once in their lives
Beautifully written though I remember feeling more frustrated with the characters and their lack of understanding, communication, and willingness to make something they want work. The book touched on subjects that I've not read in other books - such as toxic relationships in regards to abuse and submission and were writing in a way where I felt responsive to these things. Well written, but not my cup of tea. Plus the ending killed me - I'm a sucker for a good ending and this one just kinda leaves you high and dry.
Beautifully written book, I love Sally Rooneys writing style (besides the lack of “…” for dialogues). Sexless & Sexy ending, happy endings are just a reflection of everything we wished would go right for ourselves in the end. And yet, we are all just Normal People.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.