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danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.5
Thorny, structurally difficult in its first half. But the second half packs such a punch that is only as satisfying as it is because of the groundwork laid in the first half. A dynamic cautionary tale about the ways that our generational trauma can silently destroy us and others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gaslighting, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual assault
rachaelwho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Could've used a firmer editor. Lots of unnecessary repetition, and a dickensian tendency to over-describe everything. Would've been more impactful, I think, at about a third shorter.
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, War, Classism, and Deportation
mcw1024's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault
lisatz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Nachdem ich ein wenig Schwierigkeiten hatte reinzukommen, hat mich das Buch nach der Hälfte des ersten Buchs gepackt. Hanya Yanagihara spielt mit Motiven, Namen und Orten, die sich alle 100 Jahre wiederholen. An vielen Stellen war ich sehr verwirrt wer, wer ist und wessen Kinder oder Enkelkinder wieder aufgetaucht sind. Ich bleibe verwirrt zurück. Besonders das letzte Buch im Buch, Zone 8, hat mich sehr gefesselt. Yanagihara schreibt eindrücklich über ein Land, das von Peking regiert wird. Ständig Pandemien und immer ein moralisches Dilemma - vor allem für die Leser*innen wie der neueste Virus eingedämmt werden kann.
Eine Frage zum Schluss. Wieso schreibt Yanagihara so gerne traumatische und verstörende Geschichten mit Männern in schwulen Beziehungen? Warum nicht lesbische Frauen?
Eine Frage zum Schluss. Wieso schreibt Yanagihara so gerne traumatische und verstörende Geschichten mit Männern in schwulen Beziehungen? Warum nicht lesbische Frauen?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
Moderate: Medical trauma, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
jourdanicus's review against another edition
dark
reflective
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? It's complicated
What a long read.
I originally picked this up because I was intrigued by a story in which same-sex marriage was legalized in the US in the 1800s. This book was so much more than that (and I'd hope so at 700+ pages/30+ hours), for better or worse. I don't think that summary does it justice. Really, I see this as 3 separate books. I found myself wishing for more clear connections between the 3 stories. I know the characters were all related in some way, but I think that could have been made more explicit to bring more cohesion to the stories.
Other than that I struggle to come up with any complaints, which is surprising given that I do not tend to enjoy or even reach for books longer than 400 pages. I pretty much love any kind of character study, and this was much more character- than plot-centric. Book I, being the most focused on the topic of legal/normalized same-sex marriage, doesn't stand out to me the most, though it was enjoyable. Book II, about Lipo-Wao-Nahele, was such a gorgeous story and could totally have stood on its own; I'm a sucker for compelling parent/child relationships. Book III was a bit too depressing for me to have read during a current pandemic, but Charles was an interesting (if somewhat unlikeable) character, and I was most endeared to Charlie.
I could have done with more female characters for my taste - at least with more representation than justmothers who abandon their partner and child . But I can accept that not every book is going to check every single box for me. This one did enough to keep me engaged through to the end, and that's more than I can say for some that are nowhere near as lengthy.
Now going to look up a family tree of the characters so I can finally figure all that out, lol.
Edit: Can't believe I forgot to mention that the cast for the audiobook narration was fantastic. That's a big part of what kept me engaged. I definitely recommend this book on audio over other formats.
Another edit: Oh, so apparently the characters were NOT all related, and just had a lot of the same names? I don't know. That's just confusing. Sweeping family saga this one definitely is not.
I originally picked this up because I was intrigued by a story in which same-sex marriage was legalized in the US in the 1800s. This book was so much more than that (and I'd hope so at 700+ pages/30+ hours), for better or worse. I don't think that summary does it justice. Really, I see this as 3 separate books. I found myself wishing for more clear connections between the 3 stories. I know the characters were all related in some way, but I think that could have been made more explicit to bring more cohesion to the stories.
Other than that I struggle to come up with any complaints, which is surprising given that I do not tend to enjoy or even reach for books longer than 400 pages. I pretty much love any kind of character study, and this was much more character- than plot-centric. Book I, being the most focused on the topic of legal/normalized same-sex marriage, doesn't stand out to me the most, though it was enjoyable. Book II, about Lipo-Wao-Nahele, was such a gorgeous story and could totally have stood on its own; I'm a sucker for compelling parent/child relationships. Book III was a bit too depressing for me to have read during a current pandemic, but Charles was an interesting (if somewhat unlikeable) character, and I was most endeared to Charlie.
I could have done with more female characters for my taste - at least with more representation than just
Now going to look up a family tree of the characters so I can finally figure all that out, lol.
Edit: Can't believe I forgot to mention that the cast for the audiobook narration was fantastic. That's a big part of what kept me engaged. I definitely recommend this book on audio over other formats.
Another edit: Oh, so apparently the characters were NOT all related, and just had a lot of the same names? I don't know. That's just confusing. Sweeping family saga this one definitely is not.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Death of parent
franklola's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Rape, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer
thaliaeyles's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
I really wanted to love this book because I have been very touched by some of Yanagihara's other works, but I was very disappointed by this one. It is separated into three different books in three different periods of time-- these separations are very confusing and disjointed. Just as I would begin to invest myself properly in a set of characters and their story, it would move on to the next book. As the characters across the books share the same set of names with wildly different connections, it is very confusing from a reader's standpoint. Additionally, I kept waiting for the big moment where it would all come together and I would fully understand the genius connection between all these people and their shared names, but I never got that moment. Some stories were incredibly interesting and I found myself wanting much more of those stories only to be distracted by other far less interesting stories.
Content Warnings
Minor: Infertility and Sexual assault
madelonpaige's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Medical content, and Colonisation
e_austin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual assault
mirandaandtitania's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
The third book was my favourite of the three, and I definitely enjoyed it as a whole! The dystopian life was very interesting and Charlie's point of view was fascinating and also heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, and Colonisation
Minor: Sexual assault