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Intermezzo
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
24 posts | 16 read | 20 to read
An exquisitely moving story about grief, love, and family, from the global phenomenon Sally Rooney. Aside from the fact that they are brothers, Peter and Ivan Koubek seem to have little in common. Peter is a Dublin lawyer in his thirties--successful, competent, and apparently unassailable. But in the wake of their father's death, he's medicating himself to sleep and struggling to manage his relationships with two very different women--his enduring first love, Sylvia, and Naomi, a college student for whom life is one long joke. Ivan is a twenty-two-year-old competitive chess player. He has always seen himself as socially awkward, a loner, the antithesis of his glib elder brother. Now, in the early weeks of his bereavement, Ivan meets Margaret, an older woman emerging from her own turbulent past, and their lives become rapidly and intensely intertwined. For two grieving brothers and the people they love, this is a new interlude--a period of desire, despair, and possibility; a chance to find out how much one life might hold inside itself without breaking.
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Mpcacher
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

This is the first time I read a book by this author and it took me a while to get used to the writing style, which included lots of inner dialogue and some incomplete sentences. Once I did, I got hooked on the story and although I found myself wanting to yell at the male characters at times due to their poor communication skills, I got attached to them. The female characters were strong and likeable. Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the digital ARC. 4/5

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breadnroses
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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By god, Sally Rooney, you‘ve done it again. Our best living fiction writer idc idc!! (Photo taken seconds before Theodore tried to take a chomp of out the book lol)

Anna40 The photo is fantastic 🥰 2d
breadnroses @Anna40 Thank you! 🐈🥹 2d
5 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Kazzie
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
Pickpick

She‘s back! Loved this book. Also, the lack of communication which is classic Sally Rooney didn‘t lead to the characters ruin, as it has in the past. The ending was happy :)

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Abailliekaras
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

I enjoyed this more than BWWAY. The story of 2 brothers Peter and Ivan, I love how intimate & fly-on-the-wall it is, giving us a sense of real people. They‘re complex & flawed so we sympathise with one, then the other. Their conflicts feel true, details add texture. Explores siblings, grief & changing relationships. Some plot points felt contrived but it was an immersive reading experience.

LiteraryinPA Great review! I‘m on hold for this at the library. 2w
Abailliekaras @LiteraryinPA thank you! I hope you enjoy it. 4d
26 likes2 comments
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Abailliekaras
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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I‘m so behind on my book reviews! 🫠 stand by for a batch of them coming soon (after I‘ve had a coffee 😅) … 📚

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ChrisBohjalian
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Yes: I loved INTERMEZZO, the new novel from the brilliant Sally Rooney.

25 likes1 stack add
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Amor4Libros
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

First Rooney, and enjoyed the experience, mostly. Not a 5-star for me due to its length, which made me feel like the story was dragging at times.

Even though I enjoyed this one, it does not make me curious enough to read her backlist.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

41 likes1 stack add
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Rachel.Rencher
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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We made it through the first quarter of the school year! Time to enjoy a long weekend filled with books. I'm finishing up the tagged book while Lucas enjoys Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree. 🤍📚

BarbaraBB Looking so comfy 👌🏽 3w
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Chelsea.Poole
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

I‘m ready to name this as the best of Rooney. Brothers Ivan and Peter are each dealing with their grief over the loss of their father. They have issues with each other, and are searching for connection. Each finds it with the women in their lives. Tangled up human emotions abound. I loved it and I adored the audio narration which added to the experience.

sarahbarnes I think I agree with you on this. I haven‘t stopped thinking about it since I finished reading it. 💛 3w
AmyG I just put a hold on the audiobook. Thank you. 3w
BarbaraBB What a review. Another one. I must get to it soon! 3w
69 likes3 stack adds3 comments
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Branwen
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Happy Friday, littens! 💕📚 Who else is super hyped for the weekend?!

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Cathythoughts
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

What a beautiful book, Sally Rooney gets right into the characters minds and hearts. She writes relationships and life with such intimacy and insight. I could relate to all of it and was moved to tears. I loved it. A page turner for me.

BarbaraBB Wonderful review 🥰 4w
Tamra I‘ve never read anything by Rooney - sounds like I should give her a try! 4w
Cathythoughts @BarbaraBB Thanks Barbara, have a wonderful trip in Gladstones ❤️ 4w
See All 17 Comments
Cathythoughts @Tamra She‘s great. This is the best yet 👍🏻❤️ 4w
Tamra @Cathythoughts I will try to borrow the audio edition. 🎧 4w
Suet624 I don‘t often cry while reading a book, but there were sections in here….😭 (edited) 4w
Cathythoughts @Tamra Oh I hope you can get it. I look forward to your thoughts 🥰 4w
Cathythoughts @Suet624 It‘s a very moving emotional book 🥰 4w
BarbaraBB Thanks Cathy, it‘s been lovely so far! 4w
dabbe 🖤🐾🖤 4w
LeahBergen I received a parcel from you today!! Thank you so much, my friend. 😘😘😘 I‘ll stash it away until my birthday. 4w
sarahbarnes I definitely cried, too @Suet624 @Cathythoughts ♥️ 4w
Lesliereadsalot Really looking forward to this one! 4w
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 3w
Cathythoughts @LeahBergen Sorry only getting back now. That‘s great the parcel arrived 👍🏻🥳 3w
Cathythoughts @Lesliereadsalot Oh great. And I look forward to your thoughts. ❤️ 3w
Cathythoughts @TrishB Thankyou X 3w
64 likes17 comments
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sarahbarnes
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

I am such a fan of Rooney‘s writing, and this book was as exquisite as anything she‘s written. Her ability to capture emotions and human imperfections and interactions on the page is just astounding. I was sad to leave these characters at the end of the book and they are going to stay with me for a long time.

Cathythoughts I just finished it. I am sad to leave these characters too. 💔 4w
Suet624 100% agree. 4w
42 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Suet624
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

I loved it and had to wait a few days before picking up another book which is unusual for me. Even now, other books seem bland in comparison. Each character resonated with me and I‘m enjoying being in their company still.

BarbaraBB Wow. Each review makes me more curious of this one. 4w
Ruthiella Have you read other books by Rooney? I am wondering how this compares to her other novels. 🤔 4w
Suet624 @BarbaraBB I can imagine. Seems as though folks either love it or hate it. 4w
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Suet624 @Ruthiella I have read several of her books. I like this one the best. It‘s the totality of the experience that really got me. And the ultimate satisfaction of knowing i just went so deeply into the majority of the characters‘ experiences. Hard to describe. Rooney has her typical spells of confusing sections but I had the patience to stay with her. It was so immersive and I‘m still surprised by the effect it had on me. 4w
sarahbarnes I just finished it last night and completely agree with you. It‘s so good. Her writing and characters are just stunning to me. 4w
squirrelbrain I‘m listening to this on audio. I‘m liking it, but get lost in some sections. I‘m wondering if it might be better in print. 4w
Anna40 I think I read an excerpt in the New Yorker. Is one character a chess player? 4w
Suet624 @sarahbarnes I‘m glad you felt the same feelings. 💕💕 4w
Suet624 @squirrelbrain I can‘t say - I have trouble with audiobooks. But I can only imagine that print would be easier to focus on her writing. 4w
Anna40 @Suet624 I thought it was a short story which didn‘t work too well for me as it seemed unfinished. Now I know why. I did like the writing and characters. I‘m sure my library has a long waitlist for this one 😞 4w
Suet624 @Anna40 I scored. For some reason no one had grabbed it at my library so I did! People seem to have differing opinions on Rooney so maybe there won‘t be a long wait at the library. Plus it‘s longer than a lot of books and that seems to put folks off too. Good luck! 4w
Anna40 I‘m 107th in line 😂 it‘s ok I‘ve got lots of other books I can read first ;). 4w
Suet624 @Anna40 Good Lord!!! 4w
58 likes4 stack adds14 comments
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Megabooks
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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I have never read a worse piece of ableist bullshit. The fact that Sylvie feels she shouldn‘t be in a relationship because she‘s disabled is just such bullshit. I know this is supposed to be a great meditation on grief but the founding principle of that grief is embarrassingly faulty. People in chronic pain do not need this message. I really hope it turns around in the last 80 pages bc otherwise I want to throw my copy off a bridge into the river.

shortsarahrose I read a review that said that Ivan was basically a stereotype of autistic people (even if not labeled as such by the book) and then immediately took this off my tbr. Definitely don‘t need to read this now hearing how ableist it is 🤬 1mo
ChaoticMissAdventures Oh my goodness, I had not heard this about the book. I have it waiting to read but haven't started yet. This is so sad to hear. 1mo
Suet624 So many mixed reviews about this book! I‘m enjoying it. I‘m only halfway through but I just see it as a character study and I‘m sure that there are people that experience the situation the way she describes it. 🤷🏻‍♀️ (edited) 1mo
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Megabooks @Suet624 It\'s not that I don\'t find it relatable as a disabled person in chronic pain. It is all too relatable to feel unlovable/undatable or not allow yourself to open up to that. I think I\'m just frustrated that...even if Rooney had allowed Sylvie to have an interior life where she explained this or questioned this, I would\'ve enjoyed it more as a character study. It felt limp and half-baked. 1mo
Megabooks @ChaoticMissAdventures See my refined thoughts to Sue above. It\'s just frustrating that they\'ve put her injury/pain front and center, but the author hasn\'t really allow the disabled person to wrestle with these thoughts about herself. She just seemed to be put there to be a physically disabled foil to her emotionally stunted ex. 1mo
Suet624 I appreciate your thoughts on it. 1mo
Megabooks @shortsarahrose I am not one to write about whether neurodivergent rep is correct or well done, but Ivan is a very nuanced character, and honestly my favorite of the whole bunch. I think his brother may see him on the spectrum negatively, which is awful, but Ivan just comes off as shy, awkward and nerdy to me. He\'s getting the best development arc as far as growing as a character through the book, and he is the most empathetic towards the others. 1mo
shortsarahrose I appreciate your thoughts on Ivan and also your critique of the chronic pain rep, which would definitely frustrate me. Far too often disabled characters are reduced to just their disability. 1mo
BarbaraBB Wow Meg, thanks for speaking up. I‘ll read this book with you and your thoughts in mind for sure 🩷 1mo
Suet624 I 100% agree with your thoughts on Ivan. He‘s a gem. 1mo
Megabooks @BarbaraBB thanks B. I‘m not as angry as I was yesterday, but she missed a real opportunity to give Sylvie depth. The issues her character brings up are quite real for a lot of disabled people, but for a 450 pg book, I think she could‘ve gotten at least one chapter in her head examining her relationship with Peter from her perspective. 1mo
BarbaraBB It sounds like a missed chance indeed. 1mo
Centique Im so interested to hear your take on this. I totally agree that we need more nuanced and authentic representations of disability and illness. Ive only read one Rooney book so far and you know me - my TBR is so huge i dont know if ill ever get to this one 🤷🏻‍♀️ 4w
62 likes13 comments
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Suet624
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Like Sarah said already, this book is so good. The development of Rooney‘s characters is so well done. About halfway through and it‘s hard to stop reading.

(Another sculpture in a 200-acre field in Vermont.)

@sarahbarnes

TrishB This is funny - my daughter is currently reading it and hating it! 1mo
Suet624 @TrishB Really? Her writing can feel very dense sometimes but I like that kind of thing. Im sorry to hear she‘s not enjoying it. 1mo
TrishB She absolutely loves all her other books and is massively not enjoying this one but won‘t abandon it yet. 1mo
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squirrelbrain Interesting to see two very different views! I listened to a tiny bit on audio last week but not sure if it works in that medium. I‘ll try again this week. @TrishB 1mo
Jas16 So looking forward to reading this one. 1mo
Suet624 @squirrelbrain I was wondering if the audio would be difficult. I‘ve got a paper version. To be honest, I had to read the first chapter twice to get into the rhythm of the writing. 1mo
BarbaraBB @TrishB My daughter just bought it too. I am interested in what‘s she‘ll think now too! 1mo
squirrelbrain That‘s good to know Sue. I‘m getting the (digital) print copy soon too from the library so may try that instead. 1mo
TrishB @BarbaraBB let me know! 1mo
kspenmoll That‘s great- on hold at my library. 1mo
Suet624 @kspenmoll well you‘ll notice there are a lot of positive and negative reviews for this one! I wonder how you‘ll feel about it. 1mo
sarahbarnes Ah, I‘m glad you‘re loving it so far. That‘s how I‘ve been feeling too - it‘s hard to put it down. 1mo
50 likes12 comments
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sarahbarnes
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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This book is transcendently good. I can‘t put it down; I never want it to end. It‘s been very good company during my waiting around for ballet to end time this week. 📖

LiteraryinPA What an endorsement! I‘ve never read anything by Rooney. Would this be ok to start with? 1mo
BarbaraBB Such an endorsement indeed. I need to find the perfect circumstances to read it! 1mo
sarahbarnes @LiteraryinPA I think you could start here for sure! I do think it‘s been fun to see the evolution of her writing since her first book (also very good). So you could also start with that. And then her second one is also so good. The one she wrote before this one is the one I liked the least, but still liked. 1mo
See All 9 Comments
sarahbarnes @BarbaraBB I think you will love it ♥️ 1mo
BarbaraBB I liked the third the least too so am very happy this one is one you love again! 1mo
Suet624 Just starting it. Glad to know you are enjoying it. 1mo
sarahbarnes @Suet624 interested to hear what you think of it. 1mo
sarahbarnes @BarbaraBB I was a little hesitant about this one because of that, but it is so good. 1mo
42 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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Amor4Libros
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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First Rooney…I‘ve always been hesitant to read her (I feel it might not live up to the hype for me), but this one really intrigued me!

43 likes1 stack add
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perfectlywinged
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Very excited about Rooney‘s newest novel about two brothers.

sarahbarnes I‘m loving it! 1mo
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notreallyelaine
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney

There is no such life, slipping free: life is itself the netting, holding people in place, making sense of things. It is not possible to tear away the constraints and simply carry on a senseless existence. People, other people, make it impossible. But without other people, there would be no life at all. Judgement, reproval, disappointment, conflict: these are the means by which people remain connected to one another.

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sarahbarnes
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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So excited! I‘ve been holding onto a B&N gift card for this. And there‘s a bonus short story included! 🎉

BarbaraBB Exciting. I haven‘t read any reviews of this so far, so can‘t wait for yours! 1mo
sarahbarnes @BarbaraBB I‘m very optimistic! 1mo
Suet624 Yippee!!! 1mo
44 likes3 comments
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Leftcoastzen
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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I‘m in a reading slump yet I run out & get this right away. So not in love with the cover. My excuse to go to the bookstore was Halloween card shopping!🎃

RaeLovesToRead Yeah, I prefer the UK cover for this one.. 1mo
Leftcoastzen @RaeLovesToRead wow ,just looked up UK 🇬🇧 cover , much better! 1mo
RaeLovesToRead Less... fawn! Lol 1mo
sarahbarnes Yes!! Can‘t wait to get this (despite the cover 😁). I‘ve been holding onto a gift card for this! 1mo
54 likes4 comments
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BekaReid
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Pickpick

I'm always nervous starting a highly anticipated book, but Sally Rooney did not disappoint. Character based and introspective, this novel explores themes of grief, relationships, sibling dynamics, and life (its meaning, how we create a life, and the question “Is it enough to simply be?“). Rooney deftly illustrates the frustrations of trying to be understood and understanding each other. (Release date 9/24/24)
And speaking of sibling dynamics 😺🐱

CatLass007 Hi beautiful fur angels 😻😻😻 3mo
Leftcoastzen Adorable!🥰😻😻 3mo
26 likes2 comments
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BekaReid
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Edgar helped make the beds and then promptly fell asleep. I dipped back into Rooney's Intermezzo. Only 20% in but am enjoying it so far.

Leftcoastzen 😂😻👏so cute! 3mo
24 likes1 stack add1 comment
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BekaReid
Intermezzo | Sally Rooney
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Scored this ARC on Sunday and managed to squeeze in a little reading time before the crazy work week. Seriously cannot wait to dive in again!

LiteraryinPA That‘s a great cover! It‘s exciting that you got an ARC of hers! 3mo
23 likes1 stack add1 comment