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bill369'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
Okay, this book strongly influenced me. It really made me think and reconsider so many things. More than I would like for certain. But all in all, it really is an unforgettable, masterwork, something that becomes so close to your heart and then stabs you.
Characters in this book are real. They have their flaws and their strengths. I deeply care for them and hope that in some universe they are happy.
The writing is spectacular. At first, I was a little annoyed by how at one moment we were in the present and at the other, it was a flashback, however as the book goes this is eliminated. The more you read, the more you understand it and the more you like the way it's written. There are strong lines and they make me think or sob. The one that's really close to my heart and tears is:
It wasn't an easy read. It broke my heart and it will be broken by this book for a long time. It will always have room in my heart. I don't regret reading it, it's my favourite stand-alone book. It was an amazing experience, however, I will not be recommending it. I believe, that only someone who really wants to and is prepared to should read this book. It isn't for everyone.
If you are considering reading or you are reading the book, then I'm telling you it gets better. The Happy Years are actually happy and they are so beautiful. It really is the best part of the book. I would recommend, that if you don't want to have the happy experience be ruined, stop after part 2 of The Happy Years. Part 3 doesn't bring nice things and all that follows is just heartbreaking.
Jude's story is truly disturbing and sad, yet it brings attention to any topic, which isn't a bad thing. The trigger warning list is very long and I will try to put everything here, however, I do recommend checking it elsewhere as well. At times it feels like Hanya Yanagihara is just torturing this poor guy. I'm truly sorry he had to go through all this bad stuff.
You can live a long happy life without reading this book. If you really don't want to read it, then don't. Save yourself the pain. There are far better books that won't cause you to cry randomly, because of the thought of the book.
Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death and Drug abuse
Minor: Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Racism, Suicide, and Transphobia
nickel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Death, Chronic illness, and Car accident
bethanmoran'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: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, and Death
Minor: Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia
booksandboba's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
I feel like I don’t know what I’m supposed to take away from this book. What did I learn?
I did appreciate the theme of friendship and relationships in the book, though. Some aspects of the book felt predictable.
Maybe you’d like the book, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, of course because of all the content warnings, but also because I personally felt like I had wasted a month reading this book. I didn’t necessarily hate it nor did I hate it while reading, it just didn’t really leave me feeling any sort of satisfaction or like I learned something or have a greater understanding of anything.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Torture, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Grief, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, Child abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Car accident
Minor: Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, and Alcohol
koya'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
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia