Welcome to . . . Read With Us Discussion Day
Bonny and Carole and I are posting discussion question(s) today for our latest RWU book . . . Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. Join the discussion by commenting on our blogs.
Let’s begin!
To get things rolling, I’m going to ask the same quesstion I always ask . . . Did you read Intermezzo? And if you did, what did you think?
Personally, I find the way Rooney writes – and how she draws readers into her novels – to be as intriguing as the stories she tells, so I’m going to focus my discussion today on some of the more “structural” elements of the book.
- Rooney narrates the novel from three perspectives: Peter, Ivan, and Ivan’s love interest Margaret. Why do you think Rooney chose these three as her narrators? How do their styles of narration differ, and what do these differences tell you about their characters?
- Intermezzo is a book of love and loss. What emotions did you feel as you read the novel? Did any of the story make you cry?
- If you’ve read Rooney’s previous novels, how did this one compare in style, themes, and impact?
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
(Be sure to visit Bonny and Carole today for additional questions about Intermezzo.)
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Don’t forget: We’ll be discussing the book on Zoom tonight – 7:00 pm Eastern Time. There’s still time for you to join us! Just let me know of your interest either with a comment or by sending me an email (see sidebar, above) — and I’ll send a Zoom invitation.
PS – If you are planning to join us on the Zoom, but haven’t received an invitation from me (I sent them Monday evening), please let me know so I can get the Zoom link to you today.
Rooney sure threw us into the book and Peter’s scattered thinking with his chapter coming first! I think she used that as a way to introduce Peter and his character. He certainly wasn’t a very logical person, despite being a lawyer. She showed how insecure and apologetic Ivan was through his narration, and I welcomed Margaret’s chapters as she seemed to be the grownup in the bunch. I may be hard-hearted because I don’t think I’ve cried over a book since I first read Charlotte’s Wed as a child, and this one didn’t even make me misty-eyed. I’ve read Normal People and Conversations With Friends, but don’t remember much about them. I think her characters may be growing up (aging) as Rooney and her readers get older.
I finished this book realizing that I am not a Rooney fan… and that is okay. I did not cry and I did not even like the characters. I simply could not connect with them at all. For me the book was a lot of nothing until the last chapter (and that felt very, very fake to me). I have only read one other book of Rooneys (and what I remember of it was all the texting that, for me, seemed a waste of time.) I remember reading Bonny’s thoughts somewhere about how this story could have been so different if Peter and Ivan were sisters versus brothers and perhaps that book might have worked better for me.
I have not read the book, but it is sitting on my Kindle. I purchased this book because I like to push my boundaries in reading, and I am sure this book will do it. Reading the same authors and the same genres all the time is not stimulating, and everybody’s brain needs some stimulation. Having said that, I didn’t feel like this was the time to appreciate it. Sally Rooney is not one of my favorite authors. Lately I don’t have a lot of bandwidth that encourages me to explore reading that challenges me too much. But I fully intend to read it eventually, maybe in the spring. Have a wonderful discussion!
I thought the book was fantastic. I always appreciate reading about grief and how it impacts people’s lives and relationships and I think Rooney did a terrific job at writing about that. I don’t recall crying but I did have a lot of emotions – frustration and sadness probably topped the list. Style wise I think it’s similar to her other novels but it’s quite a bit longer than her others and I think that’s a good thing. I am curious as to why Naomi didn’t get a voice as a narrator, I think that would have added an interesting element to the book overall.
This was only my second Rooney novel. I didn’t care much for the first one I read (Beautiful World, Where Are You), so I was a bit worried about this one, but I ended up really liking it. I think I now understand better why people get annoyed with her — I had a hard time reading Peter’s run-on sections, for instance, until I understood why she did it. I really liked getting into the heads of the two brothers, but I’m not really sure why we got Margaret’s as well. I am looking forward to discussing this tonight!
I started reading this book and after several chapters of Peter’s alcohol and drug addled stream of consciousness, I decided life is too short & there are other books I would rather read.
Then came Sally Rooney’s charge into the Israeli-Palestinian crisis which was when I decided she’s not an author I care to support.
It’s always a good thing to lay a book aside when it’s just not your cup of tea! You’re right . . . life is too short for books you don’t want to read. I’m glad you stopped reading — and hope that maybe our next selection will be a better fit!
Thanks fo giving it a try.
I’m sorry I missed the discussion last night! I really enjoyed this book. I thought the characters were very human and I felt drawn into their stories. And, yes, definitely emotional. I cry often and though I don’t remember if I did this time, I probably did 😉
I’ve only read Normal People and thought it was ok. This one was much better in my opinion.