"Beautiful World, Where Are You?": A Heartfelt Novel of Hope and Discovery

tommy kemp: The end wasn’t the best but overall still a good book.

United States on Dec 26, 2023

liv dalfino: omg!!!! i didn’t realize i’d love this book as much as i loved it. i picked it up in february, stopped at around 10%, then picked it up again a couple days ago and finished it quite quickly. this book is wildly relatable, such a great look into life, purpose, and friendship. I loved it!!!!!!! i kinda got annoyed that she mentioned covid but this is an extremely realistic book and i found myself not minding it at all. so yay!!!

United States on Dec 25, 2023

Sergio: Title: A Captivating Journey Through Life and Friendship

"Beautiful World, Where Are You: A Novel" by Sally Rooney is a literary masterpiece that left me truly captivated. Rooney's talent for weaving intricate narratives and exploring the complexities of human relationships shines brightly in this novel.

Compelling Characters: The characters in this book feel incredibly real and relatable. Rooney has a unique ability to delve deep into their inner worlds, making you feel as though you're intimately acquainted with each of them. You'll find yourself drawn into their lives, their thoughts, and their struggles.

Thought-Provoking Themes: "Beautiful World, Where Are You" explores themes of love, friendship, mental health, and the search for meaning in a world that often feels chaotic. Rooney's thought-provoking prose invites readers to reflect on their own lives and relationships.

Intelligent and Poetic Writing: Rooney's writing is nothing short of brilliant. Her prose is both intelligent and poetic, which makes for a delightful reading experience. Each sentence feels carefully crafted, and the narrative flows effortlessly.

Deep Exploration of Modern...

Spain on Sep 29, 2023

Zeba: The book received was in a good condition. I must say this one keep you on your toes till the end.

India on Aug 29, 2023

Frank Torstensson: Svårt att tro samma författare som skrivit den här boken

Sweden on Jan 21, 2023

Joana Elizabeth Bastidas Peñuelas: If you are in your twenties or early thirties, you will enjoy this book.

Mexico on Nov 07, 2022

Kate: I am a few generations beyond millenial and have to fight the been there done that feeling when I read the work of young novelists. In the early chapters of this book, I found myself judging the self-absorption of the two young women friends who communicate mainly in writing. At the same time, I admired the freedom with which they poured out their thoughts to each other. Alice suffers from the success of her joy, writing. Eileen, beautiful, smart but not so successful, sabotages opportunities for happiness with her self-doubt, willful ambivalence, etc. Both are burdened by their own sophistication which seems to blind rather than enlighten. Even a trip to the grocery store triggers guilt over exploitation and planet murder. May we all have such problems, this boomer thought. Their male boyfriends/friends tend to provide touchstones of reality. Felix, a warehouse worker uninterested in literature, a bit disheveled himself psychologically, is shrewdly insightful. Simon is very kind to Eileen even when she seeks him on a whim. The characters progress subtly with a climactic unveiling in the later chapters and ends not dramatically but meaningfully which is what I think these 4 are...

United States on Jan 16, 2022

Origpic: Where does Sally Rooney go now? In 'Beautiful World, Where are you?' a novel more of conjecture than story, the main character Alice, debates the worth of novels themselves. What does it mean, Alice asks, when you write novels about first world characters, their angst, their preoccupations and struggles, in a world going to hell in a handbasket? She does not use the handbasket cliché because she's too good a writer, with far to firm a grasp on language to write anything quite so obvious, but her conundrum is the conundrum of the obvious. What is novel for and what is the worth of a novelist involved herself and her own petty problems? That Rooney is a novelist writing about a novelist just makes these questions more poignant. Alice, who, like Rooney is successful, asks if she will be able to write again or at least to write fiction again. Will Rooney or will the weight of the world grind her down? If that is a cliché too then it's a cliché the novel is intent on dealing with and in a broader context asks what does art matter? If, indeed, what Rooney and Alice, her alter ego, are doing is 'art'. Yes, it is and the interweaving of the the email debates between Alice and her best...

Canada on Oct 18, 2021

switterbug/Betsey Van Horn: I was an early reader of Irish writer Sally Rooney, before she shot to stratospheric fame. I was offered an ARC of CONVERSATIONS WITH FRIENDS, not expecting to love it as I did. It’s not that I don’t enjoy stories about Millennials--it’s just that sometimes there’s too much navel gazing or whining and stuck-ness in issues that can make my eyes roll. But Sally Rooney? She’s a delight!

Navel gazing in Rooney’s book is organic and watchful. She writes her literary opuses as if they were screenplays. I’m not talking about just the filmic quality of the narrative. But in BEAUTIFUL WORLD, as in all three of her novels to date, you could pluck the breathtaking images right from the words themselves. The dialogue, characters, and story are three dimensional, and every scene pops and delivers and allows you to interpret on your own terms.

BEAUTIFUL WORLD touches on themes of beauty, celebrity, social media, mental health, friendship, love, the continuum between friendship and love, and the fluidity of attraction. As always, I feel that the author connects deeply with the reader as she writes. Even when the tone is wry, tense, or accusing between characters, I...

United States on Oct 05, 2021

Philip: This is a bit like a bad date with someone you are really into. Even though it is not their best day, you still relish their presence and you still would rather go through awkwardness and some boredom to be with them. You can still tell that behind the boring conversation and long pauses there is still the person that fascinates you.

It is like that... Just when the long, drawn out philosophizing about the future of the world and society makes you want to put down the book, you catch a glimpse of the fascinating relationships between very interesting characters. Just when the awkward (very awkward) love scenes make you roll your eyebrows, there is a chapter when you just wish you could grab the characters by the hand and talk to them.

If you love Sally Rooney you will finish this one and still be glad you had it because it is still engaging and stirs you up. If you don't like Sally Rooney you can point out all the flaws - of which there are many. If you have not read a Sally Rooney book before and you consider this for your first - I would suggest you go to "Conversations with Friends" and "Normal People" first and then return.

United States on Oct 03, 2021