#47 in Literary fiction
Normal People
- 304
- Pages
- about 6 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 10 weeks on the list, peaked at #4
- Irish Book Awards
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About the book
Normal People is a 2018 novel by the Irish author Sally Rooney. Normal People is Rooney's second novel, published after Conversations with Friends (2017). It was first published by Faber & Faber on 30 August 2018. The book became a bestseller in the United States, selling almost 64,000 copies in hardcover in its first four months of release. It was also a bestseller in China, where its coming of age theme was popular with younger readers. A critically acclaimed and Emmy nominated television adaptation of the same name aired from April 2020 on BBC Three and Hulu. A number of publications ranked it one of the best books of the 2010s.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.4 across 2,167 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 92% of the weight and the score stays at 7.4 — the Literary fiction average of 7.6 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.0 | 78 | 4% |
| Hardcover | 7.4 | 2.1K | 96% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“I spent the majority of this book internally screaming “JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER!!” The only reason I didn’t do that aloud was so I didn’t disturb my husband who consistently expresses he’ll never understand why I choose to read these books. 🫠”
“Why is this book so popular? Seriously, why? Was everyone knocked on the head or something? The fact that this book is hailed as being the next big modern classic, and that it's listed on the Times Next 100 is an insult to actual modern classics and all the other books on that list that are really deserving of the high praise and title. First of all, the blurb is nothing like the story at all. Where it's supposed to be a “great romantic story,” it becomes a plotless, sex-filled story with detestable characters who have no redeeming qualities. Every other page contains a fairly vivid depictio…”
“I did a lot of crying while reading this book. The window into the loneliness of damaged souls. “Even in memory she will find this moment unbearably intense, and she's aware of this now, while it's happening. She has never believed herself fit to be loved by any person. But now she has a new life, of which this is the first moment, and even after many years have passed she will still think: Yes, that was it, the beginning of my life.””
Frequently asked
What is Normal People rated?
7.4 out of 10, from 2,167 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is Normal People worth reading?
Readers give it 7.4/10 from 2,167 ratings, which puts it ahead of 2 % of the Literary fiction shelf.
How long does it take to read Normal People?
About 6 hours at an average reading pace — 304 pages.
Where does Normal People rank?
#47 in Literary fiction on the current snapshot.
Was Normal People a bestseller?
Yes — 10 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #4. Sales are shown here but never scored.
What age is Normal People for?
Normal People sits on the Young adult shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 13 and up. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 304 pages — shorter than 86% of the ranked books in Literary fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Literary fiction — with scores between 7.4 and 7.5, closest to this book.
