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Normal People

The multimillion copy bestseller

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Normal People

By: Sally Rooney
Narrated by: Aoife McMahon
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** Listen to the modern classic behind the Bafta-winning series. **

'The literary phenomenon of the decade.' Guardian
'A Tube stop-missing, escalator-reading tale.' Evening Standard

Connell and Marianne grow up in the same small town in the west of Ireland, but the similarities end there. In 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.

Normal People is a 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 they can't.

'Tender and devastating.' Guardian
'A book to cancel plans for.' Grazia
'A classic coming-of-age love story.' Vogue

:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'An emotional rollercoaster from cover to cover.' Claire

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'It will stay with me for a long time.' Linny

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'The hype is entirely justified.' Caitlin

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ' This is a book to cherish, to keep and be thankful for.' Celestine

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A masterpiece, pure and simple.' Jamie

Sally Rooney's book 'Normal People' was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 2018-12-24

©2023 Sally Rooney (P)2023 Faber & Faber Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Romance Women's Voices
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Loved this book, well written and read, would have loved a sequel. The characters were complicated and lovable and the story was so relatable and addictive

Loved this book, well written and read, would have loved a sequel

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The same person reads for all characters
Very weird and as she is using a funny voice to be the man

Reading is not amazing

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This may have just been a little too raw for me. The story is pretty basic and a good rendition of a “will they? Won’t they?” But the ending just fell flat for me after such a huge build of real and raw emotion on display. Like I say, Rooney does a great job of making it relatable through non complicated text but occasionally it could come across as too simple. It made relating it to aspects of your own life that much easier.
As writing this I have only JUST finished it and feel there is a lot to process but my initial thought is that it’s a worthy title if not a little overpraised/hyped. Very glad I listened to it and came to it but probably wouldn’t revisit it.
I would say that it felt like one of those “It’s like real life though, isn’t it?” Sort of stories. A lot left up to your interpretation in the end.

Oh, great narrator. Really got all the characters across well

Good. Probably wouldn’t revisit

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Audio performance is to be commended but as a tale it did not resonate with me. Could not get passed two supposedly bright main characters then acting so stupidly .... also found it difficult to sympathise with them when their own behaviours could be so poor. I am sure the literary critics must have loved those ironies .... so I suppose I should just have left the tale to them !

Not quite sure what the fuss was about in terms of as a book...

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This is different to how I thought it would be, in that it was a romance between two young college students and the connection they have with each other. Was the first book I have tried by this author and it made easy listening. .

Gets better as it goes along

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