Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

74 reviews

gymnesa's review against another edition

challenging 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

5.0

This book is heavyyyy. I was drawn in immediately though. You’ll soon fall in love with the characters and there friendship. However book does hit home sometimes and not always in a good way. I had high expectations and book definitely met them. Not a book I would recommend because it is very graphic and traumatic but also not a book I wouldn’t recommend. So proceed at your own risk.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Rape, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt

Just be prepared

hollaylonn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Kidnapping, Homophobia, Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Self harm, Rape, Racism, Pedophilia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Ableism, Car accident, Chronic illness, and Domestic abuse

chanelle_m17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

• 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

This book absolutely destroyed me<3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Self harm, Sexual assault, Addiction, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Bullying, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Violence, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, and Mental illness

mawn323's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Car accident, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Ableism, Body shaming, Drug use, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Self harm, Torture, Trafficking, Vomit, Violence, Child death, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Medical content, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, and Terminal illness

jdraindavis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.5

A piece of literature that completely devastes and enraptures. The detail in which you are thrust into the innermost traumas and struggles of the characters is unmatched. I will be processing this story for a long, long time. Exploring the themes of catastrophic grief, you are not given relief in this book. Be prepared to weep. I found myself getting frustrated with some of the plot when it focuses on the mundane, but then a tragic event would occur that would tie everything into the quotidian experiences. It was alike living another life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child death, Drug use, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Racism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Vomit

despuesdeleer's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

Creo que es el libro más difícil, desgarrador y traumático que he leído hasta el momento. Seguramente se han encontrado con esta portada en Bookstagram o BookTok; lo más probable es que solo hayan escuchado su mala reputación, y todo lo que se dice de él es cierto.

Cuando vi las reseñas de este libro por primera vez, la mayoría se reducían a frases como "te cambia la vida" o "te destroza por completo". También escuché que la autora lo escribió intencionalmente tan duro para que la gente no pudiera terminarlo (cosa que no creo en absoluto).

No negaré que es una obra increíble, logra una narrativa que te envuelve a lo largo de sus mil páginas sin que te des cuenta, y la forma de escribir de Yanagihara es elocuente y hermosa. Sin embargo, también tengo claro que no es un libro para todo el público. Ahora que lo he terminado, solo puedo concluir que lo recomendaría con reservas, ya que no es una historia que todos puedan soportar debido a la exposición al trauma y a las difíciles realidades que Jude sobrevive. Creo que esta podría ser una de las primeras lecturas con 5 ⭐️ del año.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Drug abuse, Torture, Blood, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Car accident, Slavery, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Medical content, Child abuse, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual violence, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

e11en's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

*adds ALL the content warnings*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Torture, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Domestic abuse, Blood, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Slavery, and Suicide

megjcooke's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Slavery, Child abuse, and Rape

tawanghdyn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.0

Bought this book cz they said it's incredibly sad and will gives you an ugly cry. Instead of sobbing, I'm frustrated and upset with Jude's attitude towards his past, for believing what those abusive, repulsive, manipulative people said to him. Despite surrounded by people who love him, he doesn't seem want to be help, he keeps on harming himself in every possible way. Sure, those first 15 years of his life was hard, and I'm sorry for that, but keep dragging those lugagge isn't a way to live your life either.

I know you had been hurt, but you're hurting your dearest people with your stubborn belief 😮‍💨

If anything, I like to watch how their friendship grow with times, drifting apart and closer again through decades of joy, sorrow, addiction, and passion. I admire the patient that Andy, Harold, Julia, and Willem own.  And I aspire to travel as much as they are and to have Jude's cooking skill :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape

Moderate: Addiction

cintiamarisas's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.5

I’m not gonna lie y’all. I think I have no heart whatsoever because I’m pretty sure I’m the only person on earth who didn’t cry reading this. That being said, I did love the book. I love a good sad story. But I also felt underwhelmed and disappointed even because I was really looking forward to get heartbroken and just cry my eyes out and that didn’t happen and that’s really the only reason I’m not giving it 5 starts. Jude is without any doubt the most complex character I’ve encountered in my 18 years of life. I love how in detail we get to know his childhood, his career, his struggles, his feelings and his thoughts. This book made me fall in love with character driven stories. I’ve never thought I’d enjoy reading more than 700 pages about the lives of these characters. Truly a masterpiece. Beautifully written. Hanya Yanagihara has such a way with words, I love it. Specially loved the constant change of povs. I absolutely adored Harold and Andy’s characters, those men deserve the world. Some of my favourite dialogues were between Andy and Jude. Such intense moments, it was amazing. And the dialogues between Jude and Harold were the moments I was closest to cry. Happy cry. I didn’t know I loved the found family troop so much. And then Willem… Willem and Jude’s love was simply beautiful. Since the beginning. Their unconditional love for each other made my heart melt every time. I feel like the times where most people would cry I was just in shock. Any scene concerning the themes of abuse, violence and grief made me utterly sad. Maybe I just don’t express sadness in the same way most people do but enough of self analysis. Overall this is a great book but unfortunately it didn’t meet my ridiculously high expectations.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Addiction, Blood, Child death, Medical content, Drug abuse, Toxic friendship, Gore, and Vomit