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The much selling, much loved, much hyped, much TV adaptation success, second novel by Sally Rooney, and this I agree, one of the most outstanding writing talents to emerge for awhile, Sally Rooney. A book much talked about and praised as this, sets pretty high expectations for first time readers such as myself. But I did enjoy this, although I did read it in two spurts, so I couldn't really call it compelling. A modern day relationship story of 'that couple that always get back together' you know the type?

The blurb tells the story, or one of the zillion other reviews. I just want to say my little piece, yes it's a great work, very well written, it has an almost genius non-use of speech marks, some clever crafting that puts the featured couple dead centre and plays the supporting characters almost as shadowy archetypes, so many good things! It's still... for me, just another in a long line of American or European middle class writers, with a classic or art background and well-schooled producing literary statements of our times, yes Rooney does it far better than most of her peers, and it works well for her that she's Irish and writes these Dublin based tales... but in the long run, it's a middle class fable written for, and consumed by the middle class? I don't deny it's a great book, I just deny that it is as great as many say, just because it fits so well with middle class Euro-American audiences. 8 out of 12. But yes, if you haven't read it... read it, and be entertained, surprised and beguiled :)

2020 read