Didn't think much of Normal People

[Susanna85]

I keep seeing love for Normal People online.
I read it and then watched the BBC series.
Perhaps I was expecting more, given the show's apparent popularity.

I thought it was alright as a book but completely forgettable afterwards. And the TV episodes were not captivating, I began scrolling through my phone etc. Why is everyone loving it so much!? Or is it just clever advertisement

Nor me. Read the book - okayish, actually prefer the t.v series which is rare but even then not overly taken.

@Susanna85

What is your "AIBU" ?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/telly_addicts/3892899-Normal-People-on-BBC3

This is a good topic to discuss this on.

I was the same. I wanted to like it but it was dull and I didn’t find the characters very likeable. And the ending.....

I liked it. Brought back a lot of memories of my teenage years.
It was a bit slow in parts and maybe too many episodes. I thought the two leads were brilliant.

I absolutely loved it. But I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone. I thought it was so well made.

Unlikeable characters.

Pretty shit - didn't bother watching more than one episode. My young adult DC thought it was dire.

I wouldn’t recommend it to my DSs of 21 and 18 nor my parents in the eighties as I don’t think they would enjoy it.

Understandably the makers are trying to get a second series going. Connell and Marianne married with kids? Wouldn’t want to watch that really.

If you stick with it, the male character especially does a lot of growing up etc. I felt it was great at capturing the intensity and confusion of young love. It also dealt with depression and anxiety really well towards the end, especially in the context of rural Ireland.
Some aspects didn’t ring true for me; my experience of college in Dublin was not having dinner parties and drinking wine, haha! But quite a lot of them were supposed to be really rich, so I suspect that was the point. Different bleedin’ world.

I didn't like it much the actors were on Graham Norton very pleased with themselves it was just meh.

I loved it. Such a good exploration of teenage relationships and finding ones way and In many ways so much like my own university experience it was painful watching.

I thought it was particularly good at understanding how often misunderstandings happen in relationships by both parties making assumptions and not saying what they actually think. That puts it rather crudely but I thought it was painfully well observed.

Are you being unreasonable for not liking it? Is that what you mean - well, no, obviously. We all have our own tastes. But anyone I’ve spoken to who identifies/d with it loved it.

My teen self would have loved it more.

@Lindjam I don’t think unlikable characters = pretty shit. E.g Marianne’s mother was unlikable but that in part was because her role was well acted, well observed and her circumstances understandable.

Connell’s mother was a star.

Sorry I should have been clearer. Unlikeable characters, AND it was pretty shit.

I didn’t really like the book and only managed one episode of the tv show. I can’t believe how popular it is, everyone else I have spoken to in real life absolutely loves both book and tv show!

Found the book particularly annoying where the male character (I think?!) wants to move in with the woman but doesn’t ask or anything, just behaves like a complete melt and causes all sorts of mischief. Or something. I wanted to shout USE YOUR WORDS!!! At them all.

Also in the tv show the girl is way too pretty, skinny and stylish to be the oddball outcast she’s supposed to be.

Thought the whole thing was dreary and annoying but everyone in my real life loves it.

Maybe it didn’t gel with me because I couldn’t relate to it. Dinner parties for people who were late teens/early twenties and holidays in Italian villas.

I loved it but can absolutely see why you wouldn't enjoy it.

I am a big fan of what DH calls Big Face Dramas, where nothing much happens but characters' erm, characters ... are explored in detail. I liked the way it explored issues around money and class too.

I loved the book and read it in one go. I enjoy David Nicholls and Ian McEwan books for the same reasons.

I didn't like the book. Unlikeable characters and muddy writing.

@Lindjam oh. Well then I just disagree. I didn’t think it was pretty shit.

I thought it was great at the beginning but wasn't keen on it towards the end, especially the last couple of episodes. Got too soppy and depressing.

Gave up on the book - very tedious. Tried to watch it on TV but again it was just a bit boring. It’s a teenage angst story which could have been done better.

@LaPampa Indeed. I am quite sure there will be things I love (Killing Eve, Lewis) that other people think are dreadful.

I got as far as about episode 12 and after they broke up for the eighth millionth time I started feeling really stabby towards the pair of them so I gave up.

It was like treading treacle.

Stories where two characters are on/off multiple times do get very frustrating.

I struggled through it, it was all just too much. It felt like it was trying so hard to be relevant and thought provoking and just ended up being trying.
DD 23 loved it.