Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Ein wenig Leben by Hanya Yanagihara

608 reviews

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

In the middle:
This book needs trigger warnings. A lot of them. 
I think one of the greatest strengths of this book is that you can see a little bit of yourself in each of the characters. This book is an exploration of humanity and the author fully immerses you in the mind of each of its characters I really like this book, but I don’t recommend it. 

After finishing:
This book is meant to be a hymn to brotherly love? If only at the extremes. This book is truly beautifully written, and in such a way that it’s hard to put down. However, the trauma that these characters go through served only to give the author a sadistic thrill. How human relationships can transcend romance and sex and friendship can be conveyed without torturing, not only the characters, but the reader. To say that this book needs trigger warnings is honestly an understatement. Not only are the characters put through the worst humanity has to offer, But the reader is tortured right alongside them. The author’s biggest, and most noteworthy, skill is placing the reader directly inside of the characters mind. And with that comes a terrible cost as characters are tortured, abused, and taught to hate themselves. I can’t in good faith recommend this book to anyone.

2 stars for excellent writing -3 stars for sadism

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I really took my time with this one. I really tried to like it. 

The writing is beautiful, and each character is gripping, thoughtful and unique. But ultimately didn't enjoy this read. Maybe that was the point.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

this is the most fucked up book i’ve ever read but i  hung onto every word. i found myself rereading a page, three pages, ten pages, just going back, rereading it over again to make sure i absorbed all the information. let the shock hit me over and over again. it was so hard not to. i wanted to know everything that happened, make sure i didn’t miss anything. reading this made me feel like Willem and Andy and Harold; trying to get the information out of Jude, the stories of what happened in his past. i almost googled what happened mid book, that’s how on edge i was, but somehow i managed to resist. i’m not one for trigger warnings but this book needs like 40 different ones, about everything imaginable . if you are an empath this book is going to be so hard to read. it’s about abuse and hurting and SH and SA and domestic assault. everything that Jude has gone through is absolutely terrible. he can never catch a break. i cried so much reading this book. i would recommend it but seriously i dont even know if its worth putting yourself through the torture of reading this, it made me so depressed and emotional. i feel like I know these characters; that they’re my friends and im going through life with them and learning about everything that made them who they were. this book is also like 800+ pages but honestly im glad that it was so long and the author didnt skip out on telling us any information. he told us everything we needed to know, nothing was left out. the ending was so sad. i sobbed. the twist- that shocking, horrible twist- left me speechless. i wanted to hug each and every character and just hold them. 

im glad i bought this book and didnt read this from the library, because even though it’s so long i already know that im going to read it again and again throughout my life. this book feels like self mutilation and torture and as much as i cried and as much as it hurt me i loved it so so much. 


Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

Probably the most gripping and beautiful books that I've read, and also definitely the most unbearable.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Truly heartbreaking… 
There are a few irks I have with this book which in theory should bring the rating down like the writing style being a tad pretentious in places, the start of the book being a bit confusing and slow, the lack of clarity in whose speaking at the start of some chapters , lack of insight into the other characters issues and mental health struggles… 
However I cried multiple times throughout this book and it shattered me at the end and I will reread again when I am mentally prepared 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

It wrecked me… I loved it.

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