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cirquedereves's review against another edition
i can’t rate this but i can say that i’ll never be happy again !
esthersedition's review against another edition
5.0
"A Little Life" was such a beautifully detailed, expressed, worded book, so much so, that the effects after reading it are long-lasting. You learn a lot about gratitude, love, appreciation and kindness but you also learn about concepts like death and grief, which may have once seemed elusive to you, well at least it did for me. But because Hanya Yanagihara so beautifully and vividly captured every essence of life, however little not in length but in quality, made those once elusive concepts seem so real, that it makes you want to cherish those you love, who you sometimes, often more than not, have misunderstandings with. It's honest and real but sad, so sad. Without a glimmer of fantasy or hope and I guess that's what makes it real because life sometimes, is just what it is, it's hard and often suffocating and though the fairytale ending would be nice, in real life it's just far from what you get. I can say, though, that I am traumatised and would not recommend this book because of this but also would recommend this book, in the same breath because of the life lessons it teaches you, however subtle. I have grown to love, Hanya's style of writing, and she has made me a huge fan of hers because I have never felt this way about a book before, or really FELT anything as real as the emotions I feel after reading this book. I feel like Jude, was a REAL person but then the physical copy of the book reminds me that he is not.
To be honest, it took around 250 pages for me to become seriously invested and interested in the book. I had no sense before then, where it was going, or even where it would end. But I understand that it took so long to get "good" because I was practically watching his life from young adulthood into old age with glimpses from his youth. So though, this would have been a critique when I hadn't finished reading it, really it is an admiration of how connected I felt after finishing the book with the main character, Jude. It felt like a long, long journey and like I was there right there watching from the outside from the beginning right up to the ending. It honestly, truly felt like I was there. That's how amazing her writing is. The ending was sad, it was what I expected, but still just as devastating because it truly had been such a little life where he had felt like he could allow himself to imagine a better life; which the idea of imagining itself, he thought was too dignified for someone, as he believed to be, as worthless as him, a life he wanted, a life he had begun to live. However, late, however little.
So for those reasons, because of how connected, invested and devastated I am after reading "A Little Life" which was so profoundly vivid that it was sometimes was excruciating to read the graphic parts because it felt so real, to the point where I would have to pause and take a break, I love, love love this book. If someone were to ask me what my favourite book was, I would say "A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara." Yet, If they would then ask if I would recommend they read it, I would tell them "No." Only because they would be left forever scarred by a fictional character, which they would feel so intensely was real and was treated so unfairly.
I am left broken but strangely repaired, however confusing, by this book, which I cherish so much and has taught me so much in my time reading it. Don't let the number of pages it takes to become invested intimidate you, it's amazing to read and is 100% worth anyone's time if you have the guts to be so unbearably devastated by the Little Life Jude lived.
To be honest, it took around 250 pages for me to become seriously invested and interested in the book. I had no sense before then, where it was going, or even where it would end. But I understand that it took so long to get "good" because I was practically watching his life from young adulthood into old age with glimpses from his youth. So though, this would have been a critique when I hadn't finished reading it, really it is an admiration of how connected I felt after finishing the book with the main character, Jude. It felt like a long, long journey and like I was there right there watching from the outside from the beginning right up to the ending. It honestly, truly felt like I was there. That's how amazing her writing is. The ending was sad, it was what I expected, but still just as devastating because it truly had been such a little life where he had felt like he could allow himself to imagine a better life; which the idea of imagining itself, he thought was too dignified for someone, as he believed to be, as worthless as him, a life he wanted, a life he had begun to live. However, late, however little.
So for those reasons, because of how connected, invested and devastated I am after reading "A Little Life" which was so profoundly vivid that it was sometimes was excruciating to read the graphic parts because it felt so real, to the point where I would have to pause and take a break, I love, love love this book. If someone were to ask me what my favourite book was, I would say "A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara." Yet, If they would then ask if I would recommend they read it, I would tell them "No." Only because they would be left forever scarred by a fictional character, which they would feel so intensely was real and was treated so unfairly.
I am left broken but strangely repaired, however confusing, by this book, which I cherish so much and has taught me so much in my time reading it. Don't let the number of pages it takes to become invested intimidate you, it's amazing to read and is 100% worth anyone's time if you have the guts to be so unbearably devastated by the Little Life Jude lived.
tahiru's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
First of all: this book is not for the faint of heart and you should really read the trigger warnings!!
I don’t really know what to say about this book. It broke my heart but still managed to make me love it - well maybe love is not the right word but incredibly attached. Reading it felt like being a part of the story. Suffering the same fate Harold does. They all (but especially Jude) have a soft spot in my heart and I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
I don’t really know what to say about this book. It broke my heart but still managed to make me love it - well maybe love is not the right word but incredibly attached. Reading it felt like being a part of the story. Suffering the same fate Harold does. They all (but especially Jude) have a soft spot in my heart and I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Trafficking
tieganlucy's review against another edition
5.0
I was really impressed that I’d managed to not cry the whole way through the book.... until the last 4 pages FUCK
laviniacantread123's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
3.0
ni_ci'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
5.0
hadida's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
eringreenwood's review against another edition
5.0
Best writing I have ever read. Meanwhile it absolutely ruined me. You could read this (if you could handle it) 10 times and get something new from it each time. So many layers to each character, it felt like you were experiencing it.