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gabiharvey's review against another edition
- 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
i finished this book on june twelfth. jude took his life, once and for all on june twelfth.
this book - i am completely and utterly speechless. even though i just finished it, i can tell, i know without a doubt, that this book has changed me. in what ways? i don't quite know yet, but i know it has.
"'my poor jude. my poor sweetheart.' and with that, he starts to cry, for no one has ever called him sweetheart..."
"'my sweetheart,' harold says again, and he wants him to stop; he wants him to never stop. 'my baby.' and he cries and cries..."
what's the most heartbreaking, is the inevitability of it all. from the start, jude's exit from this world via suicide was always obvious, always something that wouldn't come off as a surprise. and yet, being human, naturally i held onto some slight hope that he would find happiness in the end, that he would be okay. in the end, when his suicide was revealed, it was both a shock and not one, because for me personally, i just gaslit myself so hard, even though the truth was there in plain sight from page one.
it's utterly insane to me, how real this book has become. i swear jude st. francis, willem ragnarsson, and all the other characters are very real people. i don't know how yanagihara managed to do so, i just know she did.
having a main character who is disabled, abused both physically and emotionally, and consistently declining in overall health for the entire duration of the book is, like i mentioned earlier, a recipe for disaster. however, this also makes the book something beautiful in its tragedy, where as the reader, you know to appreciate the good moments, no matter how big or small. seeing jude achieve happiness with willem was something beyond rewarding to see, even though it was never necessarily "perfect", such as willem's choice of ignoring the fact that jude was miserable having sex, and resulted in jude burning himself, willem throwing a razor at him, and the entirety of that portion of the book. But, when they apolgized to one another, and talked, my heart ached and healed in a way words can't describe. seeing willem continue to accept jude as he tells his entire backstory, from the monastery to dr. traylor, was something i never thought would come to fruition. for jude to see that he was still loved after that, it was something beyond describing. without a doubt, the happy years was my favorite section of the book, especially after willem and jude's talk about his past. seeing willem worry incessantly for jude with his wounds, his staying at home as opposed to working, his comforting him with his nightmares, telling jude who he really is, his waking up and holding jude so tight when jude wanted to cut himself, his motivation for jude to take care of himself, his crying at jude's bed before the amputation operation (i broke so hard here), his being there as jude was put in a medically induced coma, his reassurance to jude that harold would never do what those clients did to him, his presence as jude learned to walk once again, or when he seized in bed (and willem thought that was it, poor baby :(), or tucked him in bed after noticing jude's dozing at the dinner table, or helping jude take his final walk with his real legs, or teaching jude how to dance in the bathroom, or touring that famous structure in europe together, or treating jude as nothing less than normal as he sat without his prothesis, or spending hours in the hospital with him, or taking a walk with jude even though it worried him, or attending jude's work party, in which jude came practically running (i know he actually can't but as close as he could, i'm sure) to willem when he saw willem tug on his left ear.
Graphic: Blood, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Rape, Torture, Emotional abuse, Grief, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Medical content, Pedophilia, Death, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Slavery, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Cursing, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Addiction, Body horror, Car accident, and Body shaming
Minor: Vomit and Death of parent
xosevenusagbadan's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Body shaming, Rape, Sexual harassment, Violence, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Torture, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, and Medical content
fbarros's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
However, I feel like the author made very unlikely things happen to the characters just for shock value, and it made me bored, more or less, in the final two parts because of it. It all felt too artificially designed to make you feel something, and it ended up making me feel nothing.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Rape, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Torture, Self harm, Pedophilia, Terminal illness, Stalking, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Alcoholism, Drug use, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment
shelbygibbs's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Body horror, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Car accident, Child abuse, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Rape, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Kidnapping
payson's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Violence, Chronic illness, Confinement, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Drug use, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Gore, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
kalynnar's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Rape, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Blood, Torture, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Stalking
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Cursing, Death of parent, Vomit, Dysphoria, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Addiction, Ableism, Blood, Child death, Confinement, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Death, and Drug use
theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Hanya Yanagihara is an immensely talented author. This book is beautifully written, and you will feel strong emotions about all the characters, be it love or hate. Unfortunately, that means the ones you love will also break your heart, over and over and over.
The story follows four friends from college and the people they meet along the way—the things they’ve lived through, their successes, their struggles, the things they can’t overcome. Please take care of yourself while reading this book and know that you are loved.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Bullying, Car accident, Pedophilia, Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Medical trauma, Suicide, Rape, Violence, Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Death, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Vomit
Moderate: Cursing and Infidelity
gia0203's review against another edition
- 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
A Little Life is an epic. It's length and density mean that the narrative has room to breathe. There are so many little details that give the book a certain realism. Not just the characters either, but the city, the buildings. Each house that Jude moves to is distinct and painstakingly described, every person he meets is given their own charms and flaws. Its these idiosyncracies which really make you feel like you're inside the book, rather than watching from the outside. It's this immersion that makes A Little Life even more relentless. You are not allowed simply to observe. You are a part of the world.
And nowhere is this style of writing more effective than when you are inside of Jude's mind. Jude is a character who remains elusive to the people around him. Eventually, the people close to Jude are allowed to see parts of him, but it's only us, the reader, who truly understand how Jude thinks. Even Willem, who learns the most, doesn't see what we see. Jude's inner narrative, the true depth of his self loathing, it's known only to us.
But even we don't know everything. Every now and then Jude will elude to something we don't know about, and we are made to remember that there are things so terrible that Jude can't even confront them in his own mind. One of the main tragedies of the novel is that Jude cannot reveal his true self to anyone for so long. The lying, the hiding, it's part of his undoing.
A Little Life has become notorious for just how sad it is. Truly the saddest part is that
I do, however, think that Willem's sudden accidental death has purpose. Yanagihara stated that this book was uncompromising, and the spectrum of human emotion to an extreme. And the sad reality is that some people's lives are like this. Sometimes, there is no happy ending. Jude states that he is the same person he was as a child, that he always ends up back how he was, and I think this is a poignant depiction of trauma and mental illness. Another book might have took a different course. But this is the route this one took. As cruel and unkind as it was, it was not without purpose.
Despite everything, I appreciated the moments of kindness and happiness scattered throughout the book. There is so much love in this story, and there are moments where Jude gets to experience it. True love. It sometimes made the horror worth it. The way Willem curled around Jude every night... The thoughtful things Harold did for him... The way so many people tried to help him... And the way Jude constantly helped others too...
I felt like the themes of suicide and self harm in this book were treated with respect and accuracy. Often, Jude's thoughts were so strikingly similar to ones I had at the worst parts of my depression that I had to stop and breathe. While I couldn't relate to much of his experience, particularly with disability and sexual abuse, it didn't mean I couldn't empathise with him. He wanted an escape, a reprise, which I understood. The most graphic descriptions are of his self harm, illness and injury. At times they did feel too much; Jude's cutting in particular was difficult to get through. But Yanagihara was unflinching, for better or for worse. It's so repetitive, so relentless, and yet this was Jude's life, and Yanagihara clearly wanted us to see it for what it was. This is the reality of trauma.
Plus, Yanagihara always knew when to zoom out, when to pull the curtain over our eyes. For all that this book is graphic, it never feels exploitative. The sexual abuse is vague and shadowy; descriptions focus on Jude's thoughts, rather than explicit details.
In trying to help Jude, all of the characters made mistakes. The people who loved him the most were often the ones who hurt him the most. Their desperation and their longing to save him stripped him of his agency at times, yet also were what he needed at others. Willem, Andy, Harold, they all debated what was best. Should I force him to get help, and alienate him in the process? Should I go along with it to keep him close to me? Should I compromise? Was any of it even helping? I loved that there was no right answer. I loved how morally grey it all was.
As I was reading this book, I immediately ordered Yanagihara's other books. I thought her writing style was beautiful and I adored her thoughtfulness. The part that made me cry, and that I thought was the best part of the book, was Dear Comrade. The descriptions of grief; the way Jude uses objects to inspire memories; the way the characters feel like ghosts in the last part of the novel, trying to mimic their ordinary lives. It was beautiful and devastating and it's when I really, truly cried. I'm very excited to delve into the rest of the author's writing. I can't really bring myself to give A Little Life a rating of less than 5. Also, I will definitely be rereading it, and watching the play, and I've ordered the playbook too, so.
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Trafficking
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Ableism, Grief, Medical content, Blood, Death, and Eating disorder
Minor: Addiction, Vomit, Car accident, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Suicide
cinn_vida's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Drug use, Dysphoria, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Racial slurs, Racism, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Vomit, Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Death of parent, Medical content, and Mental illness
celery's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Stalking, Violence, Vomit, Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship