Intermezzo (International Edition)

One of the best novels I've ever read, for my particular tastes. It is intelligent, real, and compassionate. The main characters are alive and so deeply drawn that we really inhabit their conscious (and subconscious) lives. Rooney has the amazing ability to let us feel just what they are feeling, through dramatic ups and downs, even when they're barely aware of what they're feeling. There's never a false or sentimental note amidst lots of emotions. The sex scenes are erotic but not gratuitous; they reveal as much about the relationships as the other scenes. The whole tone is grown up but innocent, complicated but warm-hearted, serious but humorous. Won't soon be surpassed. Oh yes, the themes: as reviewers have said, it's about grief, family, time, relationships ... but truly the themes are everyone's fundamental vulnerability and the healing power of love.

Sally Rooney is an author of great perception and skill. But having said that, those unfamiliar with her unique writing style may find this book off-putting. Rooney does not use Quotation marks in her prose. Therefore, all dialogue, whether between characters or in internal monologues, unfolds within the context of the same paragraph without the usual grammatical markings. Yet at the same time her prose has a definite rhythm which the reader can become accustomed to. Within 30 pages, I was able to embrace her unusual prose style and I found it both extraordinarily perceptive and moving.

“Intermezzo,” by Sally Rooney, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 464 pages, Sept. 24, 2024.

Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common. 

Peter, 32, is a successful Dublin lawyer. But in the wake of their father’s death, he’s medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two women: Sylvia and Naomi. 
Ivan, 22, is a competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward. Now, in the early weeks of his bereavement, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman.

This is mainly the story of the two brothers trying to understand each other and their mother. The romances play a smaller role. Peter’s chapters are rambling. Ivan is more focused. The book is a little too long and sections are over-stylized. Sally Rooney’s fans will like this novel, but it wasn’t a right fit for me.

No Joy

The Audible version IS NOT syncing with Kindle - so I can both read and listen at the same time (or switch back and forth) I paid full price!I I want and need it to work. It shows up in audible library and kindle - BUT it is not let allowing me to download it into Kindle free app on my iPad + this has happened before HELP NO Area below to clink and load audio portion