Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

Una vita come tante by Hanya Yanagihara

1189 reviews

angeljohn's review against another edition

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

4.0

Ok this book is a mammoth and so this will be long. It was engaging, I kept reading, and I’ll think about this book so why no 5 stars? Well, I struggle with discerning if this was trauma 🌽 or a complex narrative with complex people but both could be true I suppose. 

I think I’ll continue to think about the role of friends and romantic partners. How much do you owe someone with relaying the details of your life but even more so how you can hurt them hiding yourself, but also how you can hurt them sharing. 

I guess I haven’t had a repeated traumatic experience definitely not to the extent of Jude.. but to be well into adulthood holding the intellect he does, it was painful for me as the reader to see him unable to comprehend the idea of being groomed or even more so just how he was a victim. I feel like so much healing could’ve happened if that was understood— but cant blame the victim.. 

The way therapy was viewed kinda rubbed me the wrong way, but I respected how characters were self aware and still said maybe the “wrong thing” or felt “the wrong way” they were human. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

julells's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.0

I'm soooo conflicted about this book. First of all, I absolutely adore the writing style. However the topics are definitely very heavy and I feel some aspects, especially regarding mental health, are slightly unrealistic. Overall, I definitely knew what to expect getting into this book and got through it, but there's just something about it that doesn't quite sit right with me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer

koranmc's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

chefjeng's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.75

I don't know where to start with this one. Why did I put myself through this? Fuck this book! Am I glad I read it? Yes. Would I ever recommend it to someone else? Hell no. 
I thoroughly enjoyed the depiction of deep friendship, love and loyalty but I did find the misery of Jude's life over wrought at times and ridiculous to the point of far fetched at points but the treatment of grief, self harm and the legacy and effects of childhood trauma and abuse is vivid, raw and well done. The prose is beautiful and I will probably read more by the author, but I need a break after this one!
Twice (after the adoption and the start of Jude and Willem's romantic relationship) I wanted the story to end to have at least some semblance of a happy ending, but that wasn't to be and somehow I kept going to the end. Self harm episode after self harm episode, gut wrenching story after gut wrenching story. 
The "gay men are all paedophiles or doomed to live depressing lives and die full of shame and misery" trope wearing at times but I loved Jude, and most of all I loved Willem so I stayed with them till the end. Would I do it again? Yes. Should I? No. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Terminal illness, Dementia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

gabbygrobler's review against another edition

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

kari_f's review against another edition

4.5

Hands down the absolute saddest book I’ve read in my entire life. I cried an excessive number of times, and will be thinking about this book for a long while. 

Check the trigger warnings because this book has all of them. Okay, may not ALL of them, but most of them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

tylivreformed's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

danamarielanuti's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

okay so this book was beautifully written, but i’m wondering if i would’ve liked it more if people weren’t so “your gonna be sobbing” about it. i didn’t cry once which is fine i don’t need that from a book but i was honestly excited for a good cry. it’s very sad very dark, there’s like a million trigger warnings that could be put on this book. but i did love it a lot. it’s long but it NEEDS to be long. i would love like a three hour long movie adaptation of this. overall great read, but also super predictable endings. glad i finally got this off my tbr!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

matthewreadsstuff's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism

Perhaps one of the most brutal depictions of a wide array of trauma. Not for those triggered by any sort of abuse.

katielinnn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Dysphoria