ARC Review 💚

Intermezzo (Sampler)

Happy Publishing week to Sally Rooney!

Intermezzo - meaning a light dramatic, musical, or other performance inserted between the acts of a play. Interesting fits so well for the story of Peter and Ivan following the death of their father.

Whilst the content of Sally Rooney’s books can never be described as light per se , this has all the quietly written human melodrama we’ve come to expect from her. The writing is skilfully crafted, you can tell each word has a reason it’s there and why. My only criticism would be that the beginning of the novel, reads kind of like it begins in the middle of a sentence, which for me threw me a bit.

This book moves away from some of her previous works in terms of being a more personalised character study of each brother, their relationships and thoughts on eachother.

I didn’t really get a sense of where the book was going next from the first chapters but I look forward to reading the rest to find out!

There is brief mention of autism and one of the characters being autistic - I look forward to whether this is mentioned further and the type of representation we see in the writing.

Thank you to @netgalley, @faberandfaber and Sally Rooney for an advanced copy of the first chapters of this book before its release date in exchange for my honest thoughts.

#intermezzo #sallyrooney #newrelease #faberandfaber #books #bookstagram #bookeeviews #bookreviewers #bookreviewersofinstagram #booklover #booknerds

The two chapters in this extract feature two bothers - one in each chapter and Rooney employs a different writing style for each.

Really enjoyed this extract and looking forward to reading the full text.

10/10. just purchased the book and this one will probably be my fav of salls <333 thanky ou netgaley for this sampler!

Great sample thank you. This book has just been released and I bought my copy yesterday. I’m sure this will be another hit for Sally.

Sally Rooney has done it again. This author has the most exquisite way of descriptive writing and really sets the tone. I don’t know how to explain it other than it itches the brain. I will never get over how amazing the writing is when it comes to interpersonal connections and actually contemplating the words you’ve just read, making you really think, absorb and learn from those words.

This time we follow the story of two brothers, opposites in character and face handling their grief of their father.

The monotonous of every day, when life and time moves on regardless whether you’re ready to or not. Retrospective thinking and the intangible aspect of their lives.

We get the inside scoop of each character, poised into place, Rooney really sets the scene, allowing to really see through the characters eyes and hits you like a wave of deeper meaning.

Starting off with Peter, the apparent older brother who seems to have their life together as a lawyer yet seems to have his head stuck between two women, merging them almost. Why grieve when he can surround himself in women and work.

Ivan is an awkward young adult, who clearly isn’t sure on what he’s meant to be doing, he questions everything but also cares deeply. He’s fearful of regret or doing something wrong. I really enjoyed his internal thought process and how raw and vulnerable his thinking was.

We wade on through the complex dynamics of the family relationships as well as where love and lust comes into play, I can really see it has been set up nicely for true character development with the underlying theme of navigating your way through life when grieving.

I really enjoyed the chance to read this as an arc, I can’t wait to see how it ends and how each of the brothers stories progress.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley and Faber Books for the chance to read and review this sampler arc.

4 stars for now!

Normal People is one of my all time favourite books and I fear if this book keeps going on how it did in the sampler, it might be a strong contender!

I loved this so much and it was only a sampler :( Sally Rooney's writing is one that amazes me everytime and truly reignites my love for reading. I am 100000% getting this when. its published! release day couldnt come any sooner!

I’m already in love and need more (lucky for me it’s pub day today!!). I’m already engrossed in the characters stories and need to know what happens next. The writing is chefs kiss (obviously, it’s Sally Rooney). I’m so excited to keep reading!!

Wow, another winner for sure for Sally Rooney, unless of course the book goes downhill after the 52 pages I read. Ivan and Peter are two brothers who are 10 years apart in age and a lifetime apart in character. Peter is the older of the two and a successful barrister. At the start of the book we learn he has a young friend Naomi whom he appears to be having casual sex with, at the same time he has a longtime girlfriend Sylvia who has had a debilitating accident. Ivan at age 22 is shy and awkward, a one time chess champion he now plays at clubs competing against a room full of people at the same time. At one event he ends up sleeping with a woman 14 years older. They both are shy and nervous around each other at first and although my chapter sampler ended here I feel the heart of the story will be these two. I cannot wait to read the entire book. Highly recommend.

#Intermezzo #NetGalley

In this 50 page sampler, Sally Rooney managed to capture my attention which is not an easy feat. I’m not sure how, but up until now I have not read any of Sally Rooney’s writing. I’ve heard others praise her writing style, social commentary and characters but this is the first time I’ve experienced her work for myself.

In this short extract we are introduced to two brothers who have to deal with complex romantic relationships, strained family dynamics and the pressure of their jobs. As the blurb explains, one brother is a successful lawyer and the other is a competitive chess player. This focus on chess was a particular selling point to me. Over the last few years more and more books about chess have come out and each time I learn something new about the fascinating game and the brilliant (but often obsessive) people who play it. I think that these two characters will be the main focus of the book, not only in the sense that they are the main characters but also because the book is set up as a character study. As other reviewers have said, Rooney seems to shine when writing about interpersonal relationships. I can see why this is true. She creates deeply flawed but fascinating people and bares their souls to us.

Whilst contemporary novels are not usually my cup of tea, my interest has been peaked when it comes to Intermezzo. I think that when the book comes out, I will read it slowly and treasure the words that Rooney has written on the page. I love a book that makes you think, and I have no doubt that Intermezzo will do this.

A very interesting opening, and as a huge Sally Rooney fan, I’ll definitely be reading this one. While this is still so very obviously Rooney, there are some subtle, and greater, differences here; enough to get me excited for the next instalment.

Wow what a sampler! As always Rooney’s writing has pulled me in and I am left wanting more.

In these first two chapters we are introduced to 2 brothers Peter and Ivan, who are coming to terms with the death of their father. The character’s are interesting and well written and I’ll definitely to buyers by a copy of Intermezzo to see where this story takes them.

I've just read the extract which is the opening of the novel. It's wonderful, I pre-ordered a copy immediately.

Warm and cozy: That's how it feels getting back into Sally Rooney's writing.

After this sampler, I can't wait to read the full book in a couple of days. I'm really curious about the topics I already know about are going to be developed during the rest of the book.
The tea and my blanket are ready for me to sit and enjoy this new promising novel. Oh, can't imagine a better plan.
Can't wait to go back "home".

Two brothers working through their grief and the relationships around them. Beautifully written authentic characters

I really enjoyed the first few chapters included in this sampler of Intermezzo by Sally Rooney. The two brothers, Ivan and Peter, are painted in true Sally Rooney fashion, with extreme humanity and depth. It was easy to begin to relate to them in their grief and difficulties with human interaction. I also really enjoyed seeing how their stories paralleled and differed from one another. I can’t wait to read the rest when it is released!

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney is a captivating exploration of complex family and romantic relationships, grief, and personal growth. Following the lives of two brothers, Peter and Ivan, the novel dives deep into their family dynamics and the impact of their father’s death. Rooney’s signature style shines through, with sharp dialogue and insightful commentary on modern issues like wage labor, the housing crisis, and social media. Intermezzo feels like a step forward for Rooney, offering a rich, character-driven narrative that will leave readers both challenged and deeply moved.

I’ll be first in line to get a physical copy tomorrow at my local bookstore (even though I’ve already preordered a signed copy). I’m convinced Sally Rooney can do no wrong—I’m obsessed with all her work, and this is just another masterpiece. Forever grateful to Faber for providing an ARC, I’m indebted!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Faber for an advanced digital copy of this book.

First of all, I would like to thank netgalley and the publishing house Faber for the preview copy, even if only a small preview of the first chapters, of this book.

Normal People is one of my favorite books ever, so I had to request this one too!
This is just a sampler, so they are really only the first chapters of this new release by Sally Rooney, but they are certainly evocative. I found the author's unique writing style, unmistakable and which is at the same time magnificent and annoying - but it certainly makes reading a unicum! The story is very particular like almost all of hers, made even more so in this aspect, in my opinion, by her writing style. What can I say, I can only say that it intrigued me and certainly when the book comes out I want to try to read it!

Whilst I’m aware of the Sally Rooney phenomenon, and enjoyed the TV adaptations of both Normal People and Conversations, this sample of Intermezzo was the first time I’d read any of Sally’s work. I’ll be brave and say whilst I liked the story and am intrigued to read more, I really wasn’t keen on the writing style. It really needed breaking down into clearer more concise paragraphs - it read like someone very breathlessly trying to get all their thoughts out. Which I guess is the point, and I’m sure million-selling Ms Rooney won’t be too worried that I wasn’t keen!

I received a sampler of this book and really enjoyed the 52 pages!
I would have loved to read and review the entire book as the plot was very interesting and follows two brothers through their grief. The sampler is a great eye opener to the fact that this will be a great book.

Difficult to review as it is just a short sample but I got drawn into this book immediately and can’t wait to read the full story.