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j_yarbrough's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
jilliand973's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- The beauty is in the details… I’m beginning to realize I love stories that delve into one event/experience/lifetime by examining or telling the story through different lenses. The vast perceptions of one experience by multiple individuals is so raw and human. It is not for escapism but for deeper appreciation of the reality of humanity and connectedness that I appreciate this type of literature. It is a reminder of what matters, who matters in life. The human experience, relationships, tragedies, etc. in these stories serve as a reminder of how precious those little moments are, in a little life. We all have a world inside of us worth appreciating, as small as we may feel. I love experiencing one character through another, seeing them as they may never see themselves, how beautiful they are. Especially in this book, this is how I came to love these characters. To think I almost wrote this book off due to other’s reviews- I like to believe I am better now that I have read this. I am almost upset I waited two years to read this. Though I also appreciate the timing of reading it now and what is has provided me this moment in my life. This will be one book I know will will stick with me through the years. I am so thankful of the reminders this book provided me, it made me want to call my best friends and my family. Definitely makes you sing “I think I like this little life”.
- Secondly, it is important to note (if recommending this book to others) that it is tragic in a way that can be described as disturbing. It is full of trauma with little to no relief. Read the trigger warnings and if you have even an ounce of doubt that you can handle it, I would err on the side of choosing to sit this one out. I do not agree with the critique that this book is just “trauma porn”. I think- in my opinion- that is a gross over-simplification of the content of this book. Of course, that is subjective. I think there are deeper themes in this book that go beyond the characters’ traumas. This book does not get better. I think it is important (spoilers or not I do not care) to EMPHASIZE this does not get better. I have heard of people feeling traumatized just after reading this book- so it is not be picked up lightly for a “good cry”, it does have a significant impact on the reader (good or bad as reviews will show).
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
luciejzql's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Pendant la première moitié du livre, j’ai été complètement emportée par l’histoire de ces personnages, par leur manière de fonctionner ensemble et seuls, et intriguée par Jude et son passé. Et puis au milieu du livre, après quelque premiers récits d’horreurs, j’ai compris que le reste du roman irait de mal en pis. C’est tellement complaisant dans la douleur, dans la souffrance, dans l’incapacité à changer que ça en devient gerbant. Jude m’a été insupportable dans le dernier tiers et j’avais hâte de finir le livre pour enfin pouvoir passer à autre chose.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
evasimonyi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Here are the trigger warnings
https://www.booktriggerwarnings.com/A_Little_Life_by_Hanya_Yanagihara
Very graphic and in-detail description of these topics. Haunting.
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
addythebookbat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lunasea_dream's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
megmahoney1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
sapphoxes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The story, to me, was largely about abuse and how it can bleed out from what happens to one person throughout their life and into the lives of the people around them; how it can spread. Yes, I believe abuse to be a part of the queer community in a way that historically it is not in the straight community (speaking as a queer woman), but I do not think of abuse as the sole most important aspect of queerness or even queer history. This is all to say that yes, the characters are queer, and yes, abuse is prevalent, but a story about queer people being abused does not automatically define it as a book about queerness. If anything, I found it to be more about the abuse of the disabled, be that mentally or physically, and how abuse in childhood will inevitably follow a person into not just their adult life but the lives of everyone they keep close.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Be careful while reading. Take breaks.cassiopeiacaeli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
On a purely craft level, it annoys me. This entire book is supposed to be character-driven, but the characters are either incredibly bland or incredibly unbelievable. Jude especially annoyed me. His backstory started off sad, but eventually got so laughably outlandish that I couldn't even care about how much he suffered. This book is only suffering. Half of the content warnings/triggers available on this app included on this one book.
This book also just makes me so angry. What was the point of writing this? What message was the author intending to send? Regardless of what message Yanagihara intended, the message actually told in the book was that eventually a depressed person's suffering gets to the point where their only option is to kill themself. What kind of message is that. Why is it being praised. I find it especially interesting that Yanagihara has not done a single but of research on the heavy topics she deals with, but that she is seemingly proud of her lack of research.
This book and all of Yanagihara's other books are about gay men who get abused and suffer. The best descriptor I can come up for Yanagihara is Fujoshi. Not in the more modern definition of the term as one for someone who enjoys a lot of bl, but the original meaning of a Fujoshi: a straight woman who fetishizes gay men. Yanagihara only writes about the suffering of gay men. Something which she has both not experienced and not researched. Honestly, if this book was adapted into an anime or manga, it's plot would fit perfectly with other badly written yaoi.
Was this book sad? Yes. Does its plot and message hold any value (to me)? No.
This book disgusts me.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
iiheartmariah's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail