“Normal People” was the first Sally Rooney streaming series to enrapture the viewing public, with Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones bringing sensitive jock Connell and snooty social outcast Marianne to life onscreen. But “Conversations With Friends” is the original Rooney, the debut novel that launched the Irish writer to such massive fame and acclaim that her public persona now primarily revolves around her discomfort with being so famous and acclaimed. This spring, the team that adapted “Normal People” for Hulu worked backwards to adapt her first novel, also for Hulu.
Whereas “Normal People” is a fairly straightforward romance, “Conversations With Friends” takes on a more complex relationship: a foursome made up of Frances and Bobbi, two university students/ex-girlfriends/best friends/creative partners; and Melissa and Nick, a 36-year-old successful writer and her 32-year-old husband, an actor. The two dyads become entangled when Melissa (Jemima Kirke) sees …
