Review by Olivia Heggarty
Sally Rooney bounced back with an eagerly-awaited bang in early September with her new novel, Beautiful World, Where are You. Following Rooney’s previous two novels, Conversations with Friends and Normal People, this third project has been awaited with both apprehension and anticipation. This is due to the incredible success of Rooney’s first two novels, both on page and the screen. Being a fan of Rooney’s novels already, I was waiting with an eager hand for the third.
In reviews of the novel, there has been a vast mix of opinions regarding Rooney’s plot lines – complaints about her novels having themes too similar to one another – novels filled with fragile women, misunderstandings within non-committed relationships, unhealthy and toxic family structures and falling out with friends. And I have to say that I agree. Rooney’s novels contain all of these themes and often when reading her work it feels as if she injects parts of her novels into her other work. However, I don’t view this necessarily as a flaw in her writing. While originality is indeed something I value and encourage, Rooney personally isn’t concerned with plots, but relationships between people. This is what makes her stand out as a writer…
The Gown Online 