Cover of Conversations With Friends

Book · 2017 · College students

Conversations With Friends

by Sally Rooney · Recommended by 9 people on 2 podcasts

mentions
13
people
9
podcasts
2
episodes
9
recommendations
4

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Tell us a little bit about the book we chose our pick this month is one of the most talked about debut novels in recent years and it is conversations with Friends by the young Irish writer s Rooney.
Elizabeth Flock · The Book Review · Aug 2019 Listen at 18:46

What they say about it

Grouped from 13 mentions
  • Discussed on The Book Review podcast“debut novel Conversations with Friends”
    10
  • Compared to Normal People“whereas Normal People it felt more grownup”
    4

The best things said about it

5 of 13 · every mention
Recommended
Conversations with Friends is the most accurate depiction of what it's like to be, I don't know this for sure, but I just mean what I think of what it means to sort of be in a feminine state of mind in your 20s.
Soman Chainani The Tim Ferriss Show · Feb 2024
Recommended
There's this category of book that I can recommend to anybody who comes to me and says, "What book should I read?" I always tell them Secret History by Donna Tartt, A Little Life by Hanya, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.
Soman Chainani The Tim Ferriss Show · Feb 2024
Critiqued
The other was Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and I just felt with both of them both of them were very Millennial novels and I'm sure appealed to many many people maybe even some of whom are not Millennials themselves but I felt like the stakes were very low.
Tina Jordan The Book Review · Sep 2018
Discussed
Whereas Normal People it felt more grownup and more it just felt like there's more substance to it and so I you know I'm very much in the camp of Normal People over Conversations with Friends.
Brandon Taylor The Book Review · Sep 2021
Discussed
Sally Rooney is a young Irish writer who burst onto the scene with her debut novel Conversations with Friends a few years ago now and then she followed it up with a mega bestseller Normal People which was made into a very successful television show.
Brandon Taylor The Book Review · Sep 2021

9 people who brought it up

Most recommendations first

Why people recommend it

Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney is a celebrated contemporary debut novel that explores complex interpersonal relationships, modern romance, and youthful identity among a circle of characters in Ireland. The book drew significant attention and discussion among various podcast guests and hosts. On The Book Review, staff members including John Williams, Livia Gershon, Greg Cowles, and Lauren Christensen all mentioned reading or revisiting the novel during their reading segments, while Elizabeth Flock introduced it as a selected book club pick, highlighting it as a heavily discussed debut. Soman Chainani praised the novel on The Tim Ferriss Show, recommending it as a top choice for readers seeking suggestions and describing it as an exceptionally accurate depiction of youth and the feminine state of mind in one's twenties. Conversely, the novel also faced some critique; Tina Jordan shared on The Book Review that she found the stakes of the book to be rather low, classifying it alongside other works as a quintessential millennial novel that appealed to many readers despite her own reservations about its narrative tension.

Every mention

13 counted mentions · 4 passing or ad reads below
Soman Chainani So there's this category of book that I can recommend to anybody who comes to me and says, "What book shoul… 2
Recommended
“So there's this category of book that I can recommend to anybody who comes to me and says, "What book should I read?" I always tell them Secret History by Donna Tartt, A Little Life by Hanya, Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney.”
Recommended
“Conversations with Friends is the most accurate depiction of what it's like to be, I don't know this for sure, but I just mean what I think of what it means to sort of be in a feminine state of mind in your 20s.”
John Williams what I read this time around was conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney a novel that got a lot of atten… 1
Recommended
“what I read this time around was conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney a novel that got a lot of attention last year”
Livia Gershon I actually just finished the book conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney which I didn't read when it ca… 1
Recommended
“I actually just finished the book conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney which I didn't read when it came out I think two years ago”
Brandon Taylor Sally Rooney is a young Irish writer who burst onto the scene with her debut novel conversations with frien… 3
Discussed
“Sally Rooney is a young Irish writer who burst onto the scene with her debut novel conversations with friends a few years ago now and then she followed it up with a mega bestseller normal people which was made into a very successful television show”
Discussed
“whereas normal people it felt more grownup and more it just felt like there's more substance to it and so I you know I'm very much in the camp of normal people over conversations with friends”
Discussed
“I think in the first two books normal people and conversations with friends they were written I think at the same time almost”
Pamela Paul and then I gave my copy to Greg I said you can have it I'm done 2
Critiqued
“and then I gave my copy to Greg I said you can have it I'm done”
Discussed
“conversations with friends or normal people”
Elizabeth Flock tell us a little bit about the book we chose our pick this month is one of the most talked about debut nove… 1
Book club
“tell us a little bit about the book we chose our pick this month is one of the most talked about debut novels in recent years and it is conversations with Friends by the young Irish writer s Rooney”
Greg Cowles I am reading Sally Rooney's debut novel conversations with friends it came out I think in 2017 1
Discussed
“I am reading Sally Rooney's debut novel conversations with friends it came out I think in 2017”
Lauren Christensen interestingly right after I finished that book picked up conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney 1
Discussed
“interestingly right after I finished that book picked up conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney”
Tina Jordan the other was conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and I just felt with both of them both of them wer… 1
Critiqued
“the other was conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney and I just felt with both of them both of them were very Millennial novels and I'm sure appealed to many many people maybe even some of whom are not Millennials themselves but I felt like the stakes were very low”
Other mentions (4: passing, ad reads, own books)
Passing
“you read conversations and normal people yes”
Passing
“previously had only read a few pages maybe 30 pages of conversations with friends before giving my copy to our colleague Greg kohs”
Passing
“so that's three books one forthcoming from Brandon Taylor and three books by Sally Rooney they are conversations with friends normal people and her latest beautiful world where are you”
Passing
“you gave me conversations with friends which I have read and enjoyed”