Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

6 reviews

monserrot's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Death, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Chronic illness, Body shaming, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Cursing, Vomit, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol

kirsty_irwin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Drug use, Body horror, Addiction, Ableism, Abandonment, Stalking, Racism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Cursing, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Child death, Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, Violence, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Rape, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Medical content, Homophobia, Death, Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Car accident, Biphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

Moderate: Cursing, Acephobia/Arophobia, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse

Minor: Dementia, Incest, Miscarriage, Car accident, Outing, Cancer, and Child death

l_b_buder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

3.5

The prose is masterful and you will fall in love with characters. Yanagihara does not shy away from difficult trauma or coping skills that are varying degrees of successful. This is the most upsetting book you may ever read in your life. Warrants just about every trigger warning you can think of. Goes too far at times in my opinion, while at other times touching on difficult realities that lots of people and authors ignore too often. Pick this book up if you have a strong stomach and are looking for a hard hitting literary experience. Don't pick it up if you're looking for queer romance or feel good found family.

There are aspects of Jude and Willem's relationship in later chapters that I think served only to make the book more upsetting to read and therefore was presumably added for shock value, without necessarily adding anything to the narrative. Though, that same argument can be used for half of the content in the book. If we're operating under the assumption that the value in the book is that it demonstrates that lots of lives don't start or end with happiness, sure. But after so many pages of absolutely harrowing tragedy, the ending felt nothing but horrible.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Abandonment, Violence, Grief, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

If you don't like to be upset in any severe way by what you read, don't read this book. Everybody I know who has read it, myself included, cried in a bad way and/or had a panic attack. And don't go in expecting a happy ending.

kersley's review against another edition

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Drug use, Eating disorder, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Torture, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Child death, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

leahkyraah'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

Beautifully devastating. This book will crush your heart to pieces with each unnecessary apology or

swipe of a razor blade

yet it is still heartwarmingly radiant of love at some parts . It is masterfully written and immersive although slow paced. Please check content warnings before reading. This book has honestly changed my life 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Abandonment

slimy's review against another edition

Beautiful syntax, but I had to stop reading because I knew where it was going. Most depressing thing I’ve ever read. Put me in a reading slump for about a month.

Gorgeous character development, immaculately complex and REAL.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Abandonment, Addiction, Body horror, Blood, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Extreme self-harm, intrusive thoughts, suicide, depression, eating disorder