I've read the first few chapters and think the writing is great. The internal dialogue Peter chapters are superbly done. My main complaint about the book is an unfair ageism thing. As a 62 year old grandfather, I'm having a tough time with the world weary characters being early 30s and younger than two of my three children. And at 22 I was engaged to my wife of now 40 years. I think i'll return to it when I'm in more of a mood for youth. Maybe the book makes me feel old!
interestingly I think that's basically true of Rooney herself—I think she got married at 25? and then locked into her writing career. meeting the right person at that age is truly lucky!
reading all these and yours kind of w one eye closed until i finish the book but the vulture one made me feel insane. like are we in class right now what’s with the generalizing theses
i don't think this would be a fair characterization of the review's argument but it often edges up to being like "this isn't a novel about love… it's a novel about novels…" as if being a novel about novels is inherently better than being a novel about love lol. but as i say she never really makes this argument so it's not really fair to pin it on her.
Oh—! The author of The Perfect! Her little dog must glow!
I don't how I know it but her little dog must be of noble bearing if sometimes quarrelsome and prone to hoarding…
I've read the first few chapters and think the writing is great. The internal dialogue Peter chapters are superbly done. My main complaint about the book is an unfair ageism thing. As a 62 year old grandfather, I'm having a tough time with the world weary characters being early 30s and younger than two of my three children. And at 22 I was engaged to my wife of now 40 years. I think i'll return to it when I'm in more of a mood for youth. Maybe the book makes me feel old!
interestingly I think that's basically true of Rooney herself—I think she got married at 25? and then locked into her writing career. meeting the right person at that age is truly lucky!
I haven’t read intermezzo, but there was a religious element to her last book too, agreed about never seeing anybody talk about that aspect of Rooney!
I had a substack post about it at the time but yeah it’s been in every one of her books except I think Normal People.
I read Normal People and thought it was fine, no particular interest in completing the Rooney oeuvre, but the James Joyce internal monologue footnote means I have to share this tweet: https://x.com/hollovvist/status/1747185681099600057?t=frNiUNIWlT0DlVya_5EhUQ&s=19
lmao
reading all these and yours kind of w one eye closed until i finish the book but the vulture one made me feel insane. like are we in class right now what’s with the generalizing theses
i don't think this would be a fair characterization of the review's argument but it often edges up to being like "this isn't a novel about love… it's a novel about novels…" as if being a novel about novels is inherently better than being a novel about love lol. but as i say she never really makes this argument so it's not really fair to pin it on her.
you were right to say like…. when are we going to talk about the WRITING.. content of the book…