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Conversations with Friends: A Novel by Salley Rooney
Synopsis:
“Frances is a cool-headed and darkly observant young woman vaguely pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin. Her best friend and comrade-in-arms is the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi. At a local poetry performance one night, Frances and Bobbi catch the eye of Melissa, a well-known photographer, and as the girls are then gradually drawn into Melissa’s world, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman’s sophisticated home and tall, handsome husband, Nick. However amusing and ironic Frances and Nick’s flirtation seems at first, it gives way to a strange intimacy, and Frances’ friendship with Bobbi begins to fracture. As Frances tries to keep her life in check, her relationships increasingly resist her control: with Nick, with her difficult and unhappy father, and finally, terribly, with Bobbi.
Desperate to reconcile her inner life to the desires and vulnerabilities of her body, Frances’ intellectual certainties begin to yield to something new: a painful and disorienting way of living from moment to moment.” -Audible
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Opening thoughts:
Honestly not sure where I got this recommendation from. I suspected it might have been from the Tim Ferriss Show podcast, but after having gone through the book, I wasn’t sure anymore.
Key notes:
Part One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
- She and Bobby were dating
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
- Reader’s note: I’m still a bit confused about everything but the main character’s name is Frances, she is bisexual, and she’s poem buddies with Bobby, she also has some fascination with this guy named Nick, who came to her and Bobby’s poetry show
Chapter 6
- Nick and Melissa were a rich married couple who introduced Frances to a lot of people
- Her parents never got along and Frances learned from an early age how to navigate his moods
Chapter 7
- While they were alone at a party, she and Nick shared a drunk kiss
Chapter 8
- She decided not to tell Bobby about the kiss. Frances noticed it was awkward between her and Nick when he and Melissa visited their next show
Chapter 9
- She and Nick started to have an affair, and Bobby suspected that she had strong feelings for Nick
Chapter 10
- Bobby finally confronted Frances over email about her hurtful comment accusing her of being jealous of Nick. She apologized and Bobby forgave her
- Frances was feeling upset and was looking for a reason to hate Nick because she felt like he was withdrawing his feelings. Eventually, while he was out of the country filming something, he sorta broke up with her via instant messenger
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
- They stayed at the private villa in France with Melissa and Nick
Chapter 13
- She and Nick made up and got back together again
Chapter 14
- They hooked up again
Chapter 15
- Frances was hurt when Nick admitted he still loved Melissa
Chapter 16
- Reader’s note: I’m honestly so uninterested in the story right now, especially in the main character, Frances. There’s nothing that I like about her, especially getting so emotionally involved in a married man. Curious if the reader is supposed to have sympathy for her, but I just really dislike her
Chapter 17
- Frances lost her temper and made a scene at dinner when Valerie was there. Later Melissa confronted Frances asking if she was sleeping with Nick, but she denied it
- Bobby came to nicks room and he admitted that Frances was with him in his room
Part Two
Chapter 18
- She ended up in the hospital because she had pain and was bleeding
- Reader’s note: Frances is so annoying. She does stupid things like calling Nick, and when he asks her questions, she has no answers and doesn’t know what she’s doing. She be epitome of stupid for all of the decisions she made thus far
Chapter 19
- She finally told Bobby everything but still needed to get an ultrasound
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
- Reader’s note: I’m pretty irritated at how jealous Frances is becoming over Nick and his relationship with Melissa, and also resorting to using Bobby to try and make Nick jealous like an immature person would. There’s absolutely nothing I like about her.
Chapter 22
- She and Nick had a fight because she lashed out about the whole situation. She admitted that her sadness and desperation was due to the realization that she loved him and he didn’t love her
Chapter 23
- Frances had an episode but luckily Bobby was there for her. Then eventually Nick came to visit
Chapter 24
- Reader’s note: I kinda wanna throw up. Nick is telling her how he came clean with Melissa about their affair. And now he’s apologizing for not telling her that he loved her, he just didn’t have the courage to. And she asks when he love her, and now he’s saying probably when they first met, maybe even before then (physiologically). And now she’s happy because she gets this idiotic version of love
Chapter 25
- Now that the affair was known to all parties, she and Bobby would have dinner parties at Nick and Melissa’s house. And everyone’s relationship with each other changed subtly
- Nick found out she was broke and lent her money
- Bobby kissed Frances but she was confused about why she did it
Chapter 26
- Nick opened up about his depression last year, as well as how his relationship with Melissa evolved from being distant and about to divorce into something where they figured out how to stay together
Chapter 27
- She lied to her mother and Nick about her diagnosis. Basically, it’s something from her uterus that would cause her pain
Chapter 28
- Reader’s note: I hate how most of this book is just Frances getting in her own head and being very emotionally immature, and then all the people around her, trying to affirm her and make her feel better, while she is closing yourself off and pretending like it’s fine while being visibly not fine
- She and Nick broke up and then she started her depressive episode where she was not in contact with anyone and felt isolated
Chapter 29
- Frances called Melissa and ultimately apologized. She also wrote an email to Bobby apologizing and explaining her thoughts after reflecting on her past behavior
Chapter 30
- She and Bobby made up and were something in between best friends and a couple
- She had lunch with her mom who told her that her father was definitely not doing well
Chapter 31
- Nick accidentally called her and they caught up a bit. She also told him about her diagnosis and he recommended she tell Bobby
- Reader’s note: I hate this so much. Now they’re talking and she’s trying to influence him to get back together even though it’s the stupidest decision they could try and make.
Closing thoughts:
Wow. I absolutely hated this book. Nothing is redeeming or admirable or even likable about the main character, at least in my opinion and with my value system. She kept making mistake after mistake, and sometimes the same mistake over and over.
And I would imagine most people wouldn’t agree with her pursuit of a married man, who is a massively insecure people-pleaser which makes him even more irritating. And yet for some reason she finds him so charming despite being a walking red flag. And yet the biggest red flag is herself. Even in the end after it all comes crashing down, she attempts to rekindle something with him.
Overall, would only recommend this book to my worst enemy, or maybe someone who loves terrible books. Do not read this if you don’t enjoy wasting your time.
One Takeaway / Putting into practice:
My one takeaway is to never read this book or any similar book like this ever again.
Nutshell:
Protagonist Frances decides to have an affair with a married man and it unironically ends terribly. She is the epitome of what not to do.
Similar books:
- Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
- Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
- The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Artemis by Andy Weir
- The Maid by Nita Prose
- The Housemaid by Freida McFadden
Rating:
1.5/5
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