Rooney was born in County Mayo in 1991 and studied English at Trinity College, Dublin where she also obtained a master’s in American Literature. Whilst at Trinity, Rooney rose to become the top debater at the 2013 European Universities Debating Championship and it was her 2015 essay about this experience which brought her work to the attention of agent Tracy Bohan, with whom Rooney shared the manuscript for Conversations with Friends.
After a seven-way auction, Conversations with Friends was published in 2017 by Faber and became a huge critical hit, earning Rooney the Sunday Times Young Writer Award. A television adaptation followed in 2022. 2018 saw the publication of Normal People, a breathtaking novel which traced the relationship between Marianne and Connell and swiftly became a cultural phenomenon. It, too, was adapted for television, as well as scooping Irish Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, Costa Book of the Year and Waterstones Book of the Year. Her other novels are Beautiful World, Where Are You (2021) and Intermezzo (2024) which was shortlisted for the 2024 Waterstones Book of the Year.
Intermezzo Prize Draw - Closing 23 September 2024
Win a blue & white alabaster Chess & Draughts set with inlaid chest, plus an Intermezzo tote bag and pin set.
Two brothers navigate the turmoil and joy of love after the passing of their father in this breathtaking novel from the hugely acclaimed author of Normal People and Conversations With Friends.
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