The highly-anticipated 3rd novel from Normal People author Sally Rooney, Beautiful World, Where Are You*, hit shelves around the world this week, and booksellers are celebrating the enthusiastic response from fans. At a sold-out launch event at British book retailer Waterstones in London on Monday night, a big crowd lined up in front of the store to be one of the first to snag themselves a copy and meet Rooney in person. It’s the first book launch the retailer has hosted since the 3rd instalment of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy* was released early last year. “It’s rare for a book launch to have such wide cultural awareness and such a cultural impact,” Waterstones Bea Carvalho said. “But that speaks to [Rooney’s] appeal… She nails what it’s like to be young today, but she also plays into our nostalgia, and so she appeals to all ages.” Too bad not everyone agrees with her…

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