Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Een klein leven by Hanya Yanagihara

1581 reviews

mrgrdsnts's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

I loved the book… but it was very hard for me to read… i had to put it down a lot of times… it’s harsh but i think it has it’s meaning and that it is a good story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Grief

selimhannah's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

julesfrigault's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Vomit, and Medical content

liamazing's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury

baumej's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

3.5

A Little Life was…….. tough to read. I had a hard time deciding how I felt about the book, so much so that I’m coming to this review about two weeks after finishing. I think what’s so challenging about deciding how I feel about this book is the fact that Yanagihara’s prose is one of a kind. There are several passages in the book that verbalized feelings that I had never before put to words, that were so beautiful they had me tearing up. Unfortunately the main character Jude’s story is just… unbelievable. Truly I had a hard time believing that his life was something that could actually happen to someone in the world. It broke my enjoyment of the book several times and had me feeling that the author was just exemplifying the trope of gay people as vessels of trauma. I could not handle it and had several eye rolls reading this. So, I’m still trying to decide how I feel about this book. I loved parts of it, I hated other parts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Addiction

jjajangmel's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

i was not the same person i was 1 book ago… this book broke me… 5 star review will come when i’m ready to move on 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

xiaoban's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

Did I like this book? Yes. 
Would I recommend it? Never. 

All of the reviews that preceded this one insinuated so much pain and sorrow and even though I prepared myself, this one still managed to DESTROY me. This was the first book I have finished in a few months and it was undoubtedly the saddest book I have ever come across. Outside of the insane (and excessive) trauma and triggers, this one of the most comprehensive novels about loneliness, friendship, and chosen family that one can read in a lifetime. 

It is undeniably gripping from the first chapter to the last chapter. The first hundredish pages gives such a solid introduction to four main characters that you become invested in each of their lives, rooting for them individually and dying to know more about their history/dynamic as a group. What starts out as a genuine love for each character quickly morphs into a sick, anxiety about the painful truths of their friendships and lives

The first time they said the phrase "A Little Life" I was like "oh lol they did the thing!" And then second time they said it the context made me physically recoil so violently I needed a shower 

Surprisingly, I found myself really enjoying the overall lack of plot and dialogue throughout the book. If we are being honest, I will probably never give this book a reread. 

Although this book has left a physical ache in my chest, I have an great appreciation for the author’s ability to write complex characters and  present a realistic portrayal of the effects heavy trauma can have on an individual. 

TLDR: Hanya Yanagihara made me very sad 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

ka_cam's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

This book is a lot. Strongly encourage reviewing content warnings. Well written and at times moving exploration of the impacts of trauma and love, especially friendship and chosen family, through the years. However many parts of the story felt excessive and flat-

The trauma Jude experienced was… gratuitous and frankly unrealistic. It felt like the author wanted a childhood as horrific as possible set 100 years before the young adulthood- what Catholic monastery (not orphanage or school) would be allowed by superiors and the state to raise a child? What child would, multiple times, be taken to many doctors and later attend public school with clear, visible, severe injuries known to be due to ‘breaking the rules’ and not encounter state intervention, however ineffective, at any point? Would a child in state care with a history of sex trafficking and abuse not be assigned a social worker or monitored for continued sexual abuse in any way? Never forced to sit through group or individual therapy, however ineffective? Just cut loose from foster care well before their 18th birthday without an emancipation or other process to attend college out of state? It just got harder and harder to believe and it took me out of the story a lot. Likewise while the love and devotion of his adult friends, doctor, and adoptive parents was heartwarming it was sometimes pure to the point of flatness, only Willem really reacted to J’s serious mental health issues with mental health issues of his own/poor reactions. They at times read like martyrs to the concept of healing trauma more than full characters

 All to say, the character development and research into the systems (Catholic, social service, medical, etc) involved felt lacking to a distracting degree. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Cancer, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Dementia

j_yarbrough's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

laura_christina97's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

Wow what a book! I started this on Sunday, finished it Wednesday. I couldn’t put it down. The writing was amazing, I really felt like I was there.

This book shares the story of complex relationships between four friends from college to adulthood. 

I’m still processing what I read, but wow. Just simply wow. 

If you are thinking of reading this please read up on the trigger warnings before deciding if it’s for you 🩵

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Addiction