3.5 rounded up

How much of a feeling can one get for a book from reading just one chapter? I guess it all depends, but suffice it to say that in this instance a handful of pages was all I needed to know that Rooney will be following her usual style - from what we see of Alice and Felix this novel will portray the intricacies of the emotional lives of a handful of characters in their 20s - and I think (and hope!) this will be what the fans are waiting for. Looking forward to reading the full novel soon!

Thanks for the sneak peek of Sally Rooney’s book Beautiful World, Where are You?

I really enjoyed this first chapter. We meet Alice on a first date in the town she just moved to. She’s slightly awkward, as is her date Felix. She brings him back to her house but strangely the night dissolves. It definitely leaves readers wondering what Alice’s story is. I’d most definitely read the rest!

(None of the dialogue had quotation marks.)

I’ve just read the opening chapter of Sally Rooney’s upcoming release #BeautifulWorldWhereAreYou and it is everything I wanted it to be and more! I’m barely a few pages in and I’m already completely hooked by the characters. This first chapter, introduces us to Alice and Felix who are on a first date, in Felix's hometown, where Alice has just moved after living in New York. Perhaps the most wonderful part of this chapter is it's uncanny portrayal of a date that isn't going badly, but is not exactly going well. As always, Rooney is so perceptive in her evocation of young people and the issues/themes of their lives. I felt currents of those themes in this chapter and I wonder if they'll become more present throughout the book; it feels as though the housing crisis might crop up, for example. I adore Rooney’s writing style, and slipping back into one of her novels immediately put me at ease. It’s so effortless the way she can conjure character, place and atmosphere. Needless to say, I would recommend any and all Rooney books, and it looks like BWWAY is going to be no different.

This is SUCH a tease. Sally Rooney's writing is so easy to fall into - a couple minutes and a few pages in and I've recognized the rhythm and cadence with which she writes. Considering how much I enjoyed the first chapter, I imagine I'll love the rest of the novel. I'd love nothing more than to find out right now, though! Jealous of everyone who gets to read this one early and have the story with them a little longer than the rest of us.

This is the first chapter of a upcoming book and will entice readers to read the complete book. Rooney has a good writing style.

As others have noted, this is a very short extract which doesn’t give much away about the subject of the novel. However, it’s intriguing and I’m definitely interested in reading the rest. Sally Rooney’s insightfulness and subtle characterisation just seem to get stronger and stronger.

Such a tiny extract but oh so beautiful.. Sally draws us in to the scene from the very first sentence and doesn’t let us go. The extract reads very much like a short story and I am looking forward to reading the rest of the book.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the novel's extract in exchange for an honest review.

It's difficult to talk about chapter 1 without spoiling it too much, but the book's about Alice, a novelist and Felix, a warehouse employee. They's both in their lates 20s and meet for a first date.
The author's writing is as gripping as ever and since line 1 I was hooked. How can she do it? Plus, she has a way of creating such weird and real characters and situations that it's difficult not to connect to them to some degree. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the rest of it and from what I've read I'm guessing I'll really enjoy it.

Thank you to Faber and Faber LTD for this extract to Sally Rooney's upcoming novel "Beautiful World, Where Are You"

This extract only gave me 14 pages worth so I actually cannot critique this to the maximum as it isn't enough for me to form an opinion. However, it is just on par with Rooney's previous 2 novels so it is being held with high regard. I'm excited to see how this goes further.

I thought that this would be the full book and I’m disappointed to see that it is only a chapter. The chapter is intriguing though.

4 stars

I know that Sally Rooney is somewhat of a polarizing author in the book world for a variety of reasons, but I have to admit that the blurb for this book did draw me in. Reading the first chapter reminded me a little bit of Hemingway and the sparseness with which he writes. The interactions and descriptions are incredibly matter of fact without much attention given to the inner life of our characters. It didn't necessarily bother me when reading this chapter, but I think that it would if I read the whole book. I'm still not certain whether I will get the book when it comes out, but I am more intrigued than I was previously.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber & Faber Ltd for this extract in exchange for a fair and honest review!

I haven't read anything by Sally Rooney yet, even though I hear great things about her previous novels. Based on this first chapter I believe this to be a very intriguing book and I will probably check it all in its entirety when it's available.

A totally enticing first chapter teasing the reader to know more about Alice and her life and as to why she is now living in a rectory off the Irish coast. Sally Rooney ,with such skill, pulls you in with nuanced detail and imagery that leaves you longing to move onto chapter 2 .

Atmospheric, distant, mysterious. I’m not sure yet if I’d like to read the entire book. This is one of those stories that has to grow to me and the excerpt was just too short for me to decide whether I’d love the story or not. What I’m not a fan of are dialogues without quotation marks. They may make the story more atmospheric but also more difficult to read.

I really enjoyed Normal People and Conversations with Friends, and I suspect I'll like this one, too. The excerpt was intriguing, and I will certainly pick up a copy of the book when it's released.

This extract (the first chapter) of Sally Rooney's highly anticipated new novel Beautiful World, Where Are You introduces us to Alice and Felix, who meet for a date that goes somewhat ambivalently. It's hard to gauge much about the book from this extract, other than some mystery around the characters, as it's a very short chapter, though the style of dialogue is good, with a combative sense even though the characters are being outwardly nice. As someone who was more of a fan of Conversations with Friends than Normal People, it'll be interesting to see what this one is like, though from this short extract it didn't feel particularly distinctive.

When I reviewed Sally Rooney's short story "At The Clinic" (from which "Normal People" is derived), I was pleasantly surprised about her use of free indirect discourse. The same thing happened here (bear in mind I haven't read any of her novels... yet) and the words just flowed perfectly in my mind and my imagination.

This is apparently the first chapter of her upcoming novel but it kind of felt like a short story in itself as well. I'm very intrigued now and want to read more as soon as possible! Many thanks to the publisher for giving me a glimpse of an undoubted future great novel.

This extract was a good wee hook to this book. I was drawn to this having read several titles by Sally Rooney and I will be continuing by purchasing this book when out. Already we have a sense of who these characters are as she does in most books and I can’t wait to read about their story. I would have liked if this extract had maybe been two chapters long just to see a bit more about where it was going!

This extract has really intrigued me! it totally makes me want to pick up the book on its release date. honestly previously i havent been able to get into Rooneys books but this was interesting. while it was only a short extract therefore i didnt really get to know the setting or characters i would love to read more about them! also im in love with the cover of the book and have never read a book set in ireland before!

This was my favourite Sally Rooney yet. She is just such a mood. The story follows four characters, but mostly Alice and Eileen who have been friends for a long time but are now living in different cities and communicating mainly by email. The story is told by an external narrator, so only through the emails do we truly get a glimpse inside Alice and Eileen’s heads. This was different from Rooney’s previous books but I actually really enjoyed the style.

The style of the imperfect characters and relationships is very reminiscent of Normal People and Conversations with Friends. They are so real and raw that you can’t help but connect with them, even though they are far from perfect, and even frustratingly unlikeable at times. I can feel the heartache in these stories, the pressure of not knowing what you’re doing and where you’re going, what you thought your life would be versus what is. This is strictly a character driven story, and one that will sit with me for a long time.