RaveHarvard ReviewRooney writes about love and sex with depth and sensitivity, but never takes either topic too seriously. That is not to say that this is not a serious novel—the plot may be driven by young, attractive people falling in love and having sex, but it is at its heart about how to find meaning in an increasingly ugly world. Every sentence compels you to read more, but Rooney is at her best with Alice and Eileen’s correspondence ... Rooney excels at depicting the densely layered and varied ways that this generation communicates ... Rooney, unlike her fictional novelist, is willing to explore, rather than suppress, truths of the world. And while her text is tightly packed with meaning and imagery, it glitters less than it illuminates. She writes without pretense and with undeniable beauty.
Kiley Reid
RaveHarvard Review...the relevance of this book cannot be overstated. Reid has constructed a complex tale of twenty-first-century millennial life that scrutinizes racism in America today ... eid has a light touch, and she excels at using small details to convey character ... With its memorable characters and sharp portrayal of millennial life, the novel feels in some ways like it was written for the screen. But the novel is also filled with complicated ideas. Reid’s straightforward prose and sharp eye for social satire allow her to demonstrate clearly how race and privilege are inseparable from the way we structure our sense of self and our relationships with others. Such a Fun Age deserves a place on every reading list this summer.
