stargazer

My first Sally Rooney, a beach read and a modern classic

Summer is lacking towards the end, which is a bit sad, but hopefully we have a few nice weeks left before autumn sets in. Also, Booker season is in full flow. Are you joining in? It seems Endling, which takes place in Ukraine, is a reader favourite so far. And Audition, which apparently isn’t a straightforward read, has me seriously intrigued.

My reading has been a mixed bag recently as you can see below.

Intermezzo [2024] by Sally Rooney ★★

Sally Rooney has been called a writer defining a generation. Whichever generation that is, I feel concerned for them. Rarely, have I read such an excessively navel-gazing novel, where the characters are completely absorbed in themselves. There are no topical themes, no reflections on the outside world, no deep (or even mildly interesting) musings. There are just 454 pages of navel-gazing, two more or less insufferable brothers and their decidedly one-dimensional love-interests. According to many readers, Intermezzo is her best and most mature work so far. Needless to say, I won’t be coming back for more.

Apologies. I didn’t mean to write a rant review (although it sure felt good). Sally Rooney is clearly a much beloved author and I am glad for the people who connect with her novels. The problem is, there is close to zero overlap with what I like to read about and what she chooses to focus on. Which is fine – we cannot all love the same authors.

Broken Country [2025] by Leslie Hall ★★★1/2

Broken Country is a family drama involving a love-triangle, secrets from the past and a murder in the present. The novel is what I would characterise as the perfect beach read. It kept me turning the pages like there was no tomorrow and I was fully invested in the characters (opposite other books, I could mention). Some of the content came across slightly cliched and the murder mystery solution has actually been used in another bestseller, I recently read. It is the type of story, which kept me 100% engaged whilst reading, but as soon as I closed the book, I’d more or less forgotten about it. If you are looking for a summer read, which isn’t life-changing in any way, Broken Country might do the trick.

Stoner [1965] by John Williams ★★★★

Stoner is the type of quiet story, I often enjoy. It follows the protagonist from his youth, growing up on farm, to his death many years later. Deviating from his path as a farmer, he falls in love with English literature and becomes a literature professor. He discovers himself as a teacher, falls victim to university squabbles and politics and engages in an unsuccessful marriage. His life isn’t a remarkable life and Stoner isn’t a remarkable person. And yet, it is an impactful, gripping story, which I will keep thinking about for a while. A couple of people try to make life difficult for our protagonist throughout the story. It is hinted that both of these characters have more depth and complexity to them than first meet the eye, but this isn’t explored further, which I would have liked. This is a small niggle in an otherwise solid and well-written novel.

That was all for now. What have you been reading recently?

For more bookish Sunday posts, please visit Caffeinated Reviewer who hosts Sunday Post and Readerbuzz who hosts The Sunday Salon.

39 comments

    • Thanks Nicki, I am in the minority, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend Sally Rooney books. If you want to read/listen to an extract, you can probably get Intermezzo via Libby. Glad I didn’t spend any money on this novel.

  2. I’ve read two books, Beautiful World Where Are You and Normal People, by Sally Rooney. I just reread my reviews, and I seem to like both books, both of which deal with the lives of young people, so I don’t know why I didn’t read Intermezzo.

    I have Stoner as a paperback and a Kindle book, but I haven’t read it yet. Now I feel motivated to do so soon.

    • If you enjoyed Beautiful World and Normal People, there is a good chance you will enjoy Intermezzo as well. It seems to be a big hit amongst the Rooney fans and I think the protagonists are a bit older compared to previous books. Great if I could motivate you to read Stoner, that was one of my favourite reads during the last couple of months.

    • Thanks, Rooney is definitely not an author for me, but seems I am in minority.

  6. Oh no. I have Intermezzo by Sally Rooney on my reading shelf. The only reason I bought it from the airport was because I wanted to give her another chance. I read Normal People and my god, I hated that book. The characters were so infuriating. I was hoping Intermezzo would be different.

    • Haha, I didn’t care much for the characters in Intermezzo and they didn’t really come alive for me. Interestingly, the characters and their connections is what other people like about her writing. Just goes to show, we are all different and like different books. Which is great. But I won’t be reading more Sally Rooney.

  8. Interesting assortment of books! I really enjoyed the audio version of Sally Rooney’s Normal People, though I haven’t picked up any of her other novels. Intermezzo doesn’t sound especially appealing, but I loved Stoner when I read it years ago. Several titles on the Booker longlist caught my eye. I’m hoping to read Audition and Love Forms first, then see how many more I have time for.

    • If you enjoyed Normal People, there is a good chance you will like Intermezzo as well. So maybe give it a try? We agree on Stoner, I found it such an engaging read with an imperfect protagonist, who felt very real. Hope you will enjoy whatever you pick up from the Booker longlist. Thanks for stopping by!

  9. I haven’t read Intermezzo, I have read a couple of her other books and she’s just not for me – I don’t need to love characters to enjoy a book but I find a lot of hers unbearably whiney.
    I do have my eye on Broken Country too!

    • Sorry you didn’t get on with the Sally Rooney books you’ve read, but I am kinda glad not to be the only one. Yes, unbearably whiney feels about right!

        • Well, I guess you think when so many people love her books, maybe you are missing something? At least that is what I thought. But now I feel certain i that her books aren’t for me. One book was enough.

  10. I haven’t read Intermezzo but the characters in Rooney’s other books are generally young and unhappy.
    I had a copy of Stoner and gave it away unread – it sounds as if I’d better find a replacement copy.

    • As I understand it, the characters i Intermezzo are meant to be a bit older and more mature compared to protagonists in Rooney’s previous books. That certainly doesn’t make me want to pick up her previous books. 😉 Ah you should have held on to Stoner – definitely worth a read.

      • I suppose Sally Rooney’s characters are ageing along with her!
        My thoughts are that if I’m meant to read something, the book will turn up. That said, I’m keeping an eye out for Stoner again 😀

        • I agree, her characters grow up with her. So maybe you were not meant to read Stoner, if you didn’t keep it? I hope, it crosses your path again at some point, definitely worth a read in my opinion.

    • Yes, it was somewhat depressing, but I don’t really mind that (I loved Jude the Obscure, which is in a different league when it comes to depressing reading).

      • And I love Tess, which is probably the most depressing ever, lol. so not sure really why Stoner didn’t work for me.
        And thanks for your Sally Rooney rant. I didn’t feel attracted to reading her, so you just confirmed!

  12. Okay I will take the Rooney book off my tbr list. That’s a lot of pages if it’s not good bahh. I have read & liked the other two books: Broken Country is a page-turner … and Stoner – is bleak but good. Here are my thoughts on Stoner https://www.thecuecard.com/?s=stoner
    Enjoy the rest of your summer!

    • I really enjoyed reading your review of Stoner, it seems we enjoyed many of the same aspects. If you’ve enjoyed Sally Rooney’s other novels, you may like Intermezzo. I am definitely in the minority with my opinions. Thanks and you too!

  13. LOL at your rant review. I only read one Sally Rooney book but I did it via audio so the whole lack of punctuation didn’t bother me.

    Have a great week!

    • Haha, I try not to write rant reviews, but sometimes it just comes out, when I start to write. 😉 You are right about the lack of punctuation. It can be annoying, but audiobooks are a nice way to get around it. Have a lovely week!

  14. I haven’t read a Sally Rooney yet, but I watched the tv series and can imagine the navel gazing; I loved your rant any way! Broken Country sounds the perfect holiday read, 100% immersion is just what I want!

    • Well, you should give Sally Rooney a try, if you enjoyed the tv series. I will stay away from her books, but most people seem to enjoy them. Broken Country is a great holiday read, but don’t expect extensive literary qualities ;-).

  15. We are so lucky that there are enough different books in the world to meet everyone’s tastes, aren’t we??? I think I’ve read two Sally Rooney’s and liked both of them. I know I loved the Normal People series. I see I gave that book 4 stars and Conversations With People 5 stars.

    Stoner is on my list!

    Endling is also on my list because the publisher’s ad popped up on my IG and the cover grabbed me immediately. Plot sounds good, too.

    • We are lucky, there are books out there for everyone’s taste. And it is amazing we don’t all like the same books. Wouldn’t that be boring? I hope you will enjoy Endling if you get to it. I’ve seen a lot of praise for that novel.

  16. Hello there. I recently read The Heart In Winter, a novel by Kevin Barry. It’s set in Montana during the 1890s, and is beautifully written and very affecting.
    Neil S.

    • Glad you enjoyed it. I’ve heard good things about Kevin Barry, but never read any of his books.

  17. I completely agree with you on Sally Rooney, and her characters that are mostly so self-absorbed. I could not connect with any of her novels either. Perhaps Generation Z does? With their aesthetically-pleasing Instagram posts that are largely all about themselves and not others or the world? (I am an early Millennial), who knows? I’m glad you’ve enjoyed Stoner. I also loved it.

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