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Original poster

to think that Sally Rooney and her mates must be really bloody boring company? NO SPOILERS PLEASE

111 replies

PorkySisyphus · 18/05/2022 06:32

Am currently 10 eps into Coversations With Friends.

How are all of her characters so interminably navel-gazey, muttery and downright boring? Her lead females especially. Jesus, this new one is the drippiest drip that ever dripped.

And the love interest? Eurgh. All the charisma of a lumpy bowl of yesterday's porridge. He also looks like Zach from Gilmore Girls if he were a try hard actor (emphasis on the or) which is tickling me every time he comes on screen.

I'm Irish. I'm not young and have zero experience of Dublin uni life. If these shows are reflective of it then I'm pretty glad about that.

QUB circa 1999 was much better craic with actual parties and fun and people not living in phone-glued-to-hand, frumpy jumper clad perma-misery over their own shitty relationship choices.

Its all so bloody draining and avoidable.

I know I can just not watch but I'm sick and need distraction.

Also it's my birthday but I can't eat. Please send virtual cake.

OP posts:
Sparklingbrook · 18/05/2022 07:49

RedHelenB · 18/05/2022 07:47

What channel is it on?

It's on BBC Iplayer. All 12 episodes (6 hours). Brace yourself. Grin

Moaningturtle1 · 18/05/2022 07:56

I enjoyed NP, but looking back I think that was more to do with lockdown one than anything. Really can’t get into CWF.

burnoutbabe · 18/05/2022 07:56

I struggled through the conversations book, it was just self conscious twaddle. Won't attempt the tv show!

DorritLittle · 18/05/2022 08:04

I haven't braced myself to watch yet but I also thought CWF was pretty dire. I thought it was full of self absorbed, unlikeable characters and a fairly boring plot. I mean, I was pretty self absorbed and idiotic as a youth but I had fun while being so! Everyone in her books seems so flat. NP was a bit better.

IrishMamaMia · 18/05/2022 08:04

I really enjoyed NP both the book and TV show. I also listened to the BBC4 radio adaptation of Beautiful World Where Are You? I like and admire SR, she's super talented but a bit bored of her style for now. I'm sure I'll go back to her some day. What I love most about her is the interest she has attracted to young female Irish authors and I am really enjoying their work right now :)

Sparklingbrook · 18/05/2022 08:07

I think the most interesting thing about CWF the tv series is that it stars Taylor Swift's boyfriend. That's about it.

CanofCant · 18/05/2022 08:12

Happy birthday OP!

I started reading the book and didn't get very far tbh. So self indulgent, I was told by another that is was an 'amazing' book so I'm perhaps not the correct demographic.

FrancescaContini · 18/05/2022 08:15

siucra · 18/05/2022 07:34

I think calling someone an anti-Semite is a bit foolish. She just doesn’t support Israel’s treatment of Palestinian people. It’s a political stance not a hatred of an entire people. We need to be careful with language.

I totally agree with you.

I loved NP but shall give this a miss, now I have read these comments. Thanks for saving me some time 😊

luckylavender · 18/05/2022 08:18

PorkySisyphus · 18/05/2022 06:32

Am currently 10 eps into Coversations With Friends.

How are all of her characters so interminably navel-gazey, muttery and downright boring? Her lead females especially. Jesus, this new one is the drippiest drip that ever dripped.

And the love interest? Eurgh. All the charisma of a lumpy bowl of yesterday's porridge. He also looks like Zach from Gilmore Girls if he were a try hard actor (emphasis on the or) which is tickling me every time he comes on screen.

I'm Irish. I'm not young and have zero experience of Dublin uni life. If these shows are reflective of it then I'm pretty glad about that.

QUB circa 1999 was much better craic with actual parties and fun and people not living in phone-glued-to-hand, frumpy jumper clad perma-misery over their own shitty relationship choices.

Its all so bloody draining and avoidable.

I know I can just not watch but I'm sick and need distraction.

Also it's my birthday but I can't eat. Please send virtual cake.

Just don't watch it. I've just finished the book, it was fabulous.

Sodthatforagameofsoldiers · 18/05/2022 08:18

I HATED Normal People. I felt furious I'd wasted so much time reading about self absorbed, boring, unrelatable dickheads being twatty to each other and having unrealistic sex. I haven't quite forgiven the friend who told me I 'must' read it...

Thus, I have not gone anywhere near CWF. And it sounds as though that decision is a good one. Grin

Happy birthday OP!

bookworm14 · 18/05/2022 08:31

I’ve never understood the adulation she receives - I think I’m just too old to appreciate her. Her characters all come across as unbearably self absorbed and introspective. I know all young people are a bit like this, but surely not to this extent? They all need to get a bloody hobby!

Rooney is actually part of a wider trend of younger millennial novelists whose characters are only interested in themselves and their love lives. See also Naoise Dolan, Megan Nolan etc. The only novel of this type that I found genuinely interesting was No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, which at first appeared to be standard millennial navel-gazing but turned into something else entirely.

Jackiebrambles · 18/05/2022 08:33

Scrubsupswell · 18/05/2022 06:38

Normal People was one of the most tiresome books I’ve ever read. I don’t get the appeal of reading about arrogant bores proudly living in the mundane

Me too, I just didn't get the fuss about it at all.

Afterfire · 18/05/2022 09:09

bookworm14 · 18/05/2022 08:31

I’ve never understood the adulation she receives - I think I’m just too old to appreciate her. Her characters all come across as unbearably self absorbed and introspective. I know all young people are a bit like this, but surely not to this extent? They all need to get a bloody hobby!

Rooney is actually part of a wider trend of younger millennial novelists whose characters are only interested in themselves and their love lives. See also Naoise Dolan, Megan Nolan etc. The only novel of this type that I found genuinely interesting was No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood, which at first appeared to be standard millennial navel-gazing but turned into something else entirely.

Completely agree.

My nearly 19 year old dd loves all this sort of stuff.

Twice divorced 40 something me finds it all incredibly shite. Life is too short for so much drama!

saveforthat · 18/05/2022 09:17

YABU because you have watched 10 episodes! There's plenty of options if you want distraction.

Manicsfan · 18/05/2022 09:22

It's a deliberate false use of language for political ends.
I've reported that post.

tedgran · 18/05/2022 09:23

Friends daughter reccomended CWF for our book group, I thought it was rubbish, full of self centred people. CBA to read anything else by her, let alone watch the programme!

Gremlinsattack · 18/05/2022 09:44

CWF definitely hasn't translated well to TV. I'm a bit ambivalent about Sally Roony. I find her characters pretty unlikeable and wish the women weren't such masochists, but do really enjoy her writing style. That's all been lost in this adaptation so far, though I'm only 3 episodes in.

CupidStunt22 · 18/05/2022 10:02

veronicagoldberg · 18/05/2022 07:21

The popularity of Sally Rooney makes me lose faith in the reading public.

So dull.

She's an anti-Semite too, which only makes matters worse.

She's not and I'm pretty sure you actually know that. Hope so, anyway. If you don't understand the topic you shouldn't be commenting.

shumway · 18/05/2022 10:09

I feel bad for her - definitely a bit of tall poppy syndrome going on.

DaisyQuakeJohnson · 18/05/2022 10:14

One of the actresses said she found it difficult at first because it was blatantly obvious it was 'marriage written by a 20 yr old'. It made me laugh because it was so descriptive, so succinct and yet so scathing at the same time.

Elsiebear90 · 18/05/2022 10:40

I enjoyed it overall, but I had issues with certain aspects which felt unrealistic and not properly explored, like Nick and Melissa’s marriage as an example. I thought it would have been interesting to witness more of them as a couple and explore their dynamic, but we never got to see much of that. The whole series revolved Frances and Nick, yet to me their relationship was the least interesting one, lacking a lot of emotional depth and based around stilted awkward conversations and sex.

I also think it was unrealistic how no one really challenged them about what they were doing, everyone pretty much just acted like him being married and his wife being completely unaware was no big deal. It was bizarre at times.

Nether the less, overall I did still enjoy it, just felt it definitely had a few issues.

bookworm14 · 18/05/2022 12:50

This is a very good article about Sally Rooney. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/banality-of-sally-rooney-beautiful-world-where-are-you

DashboardConfessional · 18/05/2022 14:11

DaisyQuakeJohnson · 18/05/2022 10:14

One of the actresses said she found it difficult at first because it was blatantly obvious it was 'marriage written by a 20 yr old'. It made me laugh because it was so descriptive, so succinct and yet so scathing at the same time.

It totally is though! Over 30? Married? Well obviously by now you must hate each other's guts and hold each other in contempt.

Pursefirst · 18/05/2022 14:16

@veronicagoldberg SR isn't an anti-Semite so perhaps get your facts right before you start spouting tosh.

thisplaceisweird · 18/05/2022 14:18

I've never met anyone that 'goes on' quite in the way her characters do, on some sort of moral high ground about feelings and socialism etc. And I've hung out with plenty of academic lefty types. They are always quite boring characters, maybe that's the charm. I'm enjoying the series for now anyway.