Sally Rooney Sucks?!

In this video, I review Conversation With Friends and talk about my beef with Sally Rooney.

#sallyrooney #booktube #reading #review

[SashaRaquel]

totally agree with your discussion on target demographics! to say “it’s not made FOR you, that’s why you don’t like it” is too weak of an argument

[joana_jj_]

I'm just after DNFing Conversations with Friends AND Intermezzo. It's a real shame, there are so many excellent Irish authors but somehow she is the representative of contemporary Irish literature. I don't see any literary value in her work. It's all tell-don't-show, pretentious and privileged people who are annoyingly self-aware without real self-awareness. I hope everyone goes off and reads some sound Irish authors instead.

Irish books I read this year and LOVED:
- Small Things like These by Claire Keegan
- Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
- The Amusements by Aingeala Flannery
- Juno Loves Legs by Karl Geary (great writing but this one borders on misery porn)

Books I'm looking forward to reading:
- Nesting by Roisín O'Donnell
- The Coast Road by Alan Murrin
- Snowflake by Louise Nealon (this one sounds most Rooney-esque)
- Close to Home by Michael Magee
- Though the Bodies Fall by Noel O'Regan

[SiobhanByrne-gk]

I completely agree with you.I'm Irish and there are plenty of very good writers in Ireland so it is a mystery why a novelist like Rooney with little discernible talent has been so successful.Her books are tepid and utterly forgettable and characters are ciphers.What you said about the target demographic and good writing is completely valid. It does not matter what age you are -you can still recognize high quality writing.

[itskellyyb]

Yesss finally someone rises these points

[DanKirwan-jopd]

After reading her books, I thought a lot about how it was possible that Sally Rooney became a thing. I think the success of her low-quality writing is a reflection of this generation of readers. She is a writer for people who haven't read good books. They weren't brought up on the classics or great 20th-century writers and don't know what good writing looks like.

There is also another problem with her writing that isn't talked about much. Good writing "feels" good to the reader. Sentences are smooth and well-constructed. Paragraphs are structured smartly. Sometimes, Rooney's writing sounds like the book reports I wrote in the 4th grade: "He did this then she did that then we all did this other thing...The end."

[jacobmoniz]

1. Why do characters need to be likable? A lot of your criticism is based on your issues with the morality of the novel.

2. Frances doesn’t need to be "wise." Shes a 21 year old undergraduate. People are messy in their 20s.

[catalinamercedes]

same here I feel bad that I don't like her but now I feel fine, I am not the only one hehe

[CristinaAllegra]

I didn't read her yet cause more often than not the most talked about bestsellers are very simplistic and flat for people who actually read a lot. So I wasn't sure I was interested yet. I was considering trying with her last one. But will need to listen to other opinions before buying it.
Also: I think it would be cool to see a video about your all time fave books

[iwantcheesecake]

Plz make video on your favorite English classics🧚🏽‍♀️

[jonathanhall]

I am not a a big fan of her. But your opinion about how good stories should be enjoyed by different demographics doesn’t really stand. It can be easily prove wrong.

Every classics that are generally appreciated and has even been studied by scholars, have plenty of very well-read and experienced readers that dislike these books.

[ayeshazzz_]

Sally Rooney has such a simplistic writing style (I understand that's her intention) which falls quite flat in my opinion. Normal People was a easily-digestable read that requires very little focus, so I think it's great for if you wanna get out of a reading slump (like I did). It's nice book but I don't think it's worth the hype. So I do agree with your opinion!!

[CM-rttl]

Wow thank you thank you thank you, this book was so aweful I coulnt finish it it took me a MONTH to finish it cause I juste couldnt handle more than a few pages a day frances and absolutely everyone else in this book made me So mad. More so wtf I don t get why if you wanted to White a book about Middle class / POOR ?(Why does frances randomly has a poor era??? And a random endometriosis diagnostic when she barely had 1 pain episode and had tons of unpainfull sex thé whole book?) WHY would you write a book about rich chicks and their rich friends, spending their summer in a French villa, not caring a single crap about society except for these 2 pages about police brutality where fucking Frances says she s not like other White people she s less White inside JUST WHY. And wym conversation with friends, I didn't see a single friendship in this book, just unlikeable persons gravitating toward each others like flies around a big piece of cow pee pee poo poo. Please I had to skip at least 30 pages to finish this book. AND I THOUGHT I thought? Maybe I should finish it. Maybe there s a moral, maybe the book serves a purpose as thin as it can be, MAYBE Frances or someone please at least one person will question theyreselves and that will be the point of the book, over performative shallow people realising they re fake and mean and unintelligent, but no, I lost my mind by the end of it I ll never trust this rooney madame again NEVER. And the sex ?? Why is it depicted this creepy way?? I never, ever, in my entire life, struggle so much to finish a book, it was so dislikeabke, I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.

[pietroppic]

This video sounded like a Jordan Peterson fan describing literally anything ever

[michaelmarrinan]

1:51 this is actually a purposeful choice by the author, as the characters go to trinity

[ritwikmitra]

Your previous video is about U2 being the greatest band so I'd be more upset if you liked sallyrooney.