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bpina92's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Confinement, Blood, Body shaming, Car accident, Body horror, Bullying, Kidnapping, Rape, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Drug use, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Torture, Eating disorder, Suicide, Violence, Fatphobia, Drug abuse, and Dysphoria
18ksmith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Medical content, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Violence, Mental illness, Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Dementia, Ableism, and Drug abuse
Minor: Homophobia
lanel80'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Torture, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Confinement, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Trafficking
lotties_corner'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
This book has completely changed how I look at the random stranger that passes me on the street, how I see the reflection that stares back at me through the mirror, how I approach my own life and how it will impact other people.
A Little Life follows a group of four friends, not always chronologically, from childhood through to adulthood with a remarkable account of their trials, joys, relationships, and humanity
Yanagihara created characters so real you feel yourself attempting to reach through the page, trying to turn your own hand into ink if only to offer them a second of comfort. You see your own flaws in all of them, in wanting so desperately to help them fix themselves, you become determined to fix yourself.
Malcom, the wallflower, the one whose kindness you cannot truly see until the end. He taught me to look at everything you can with how it may influence others in ways that you may never experience or comprehend.
JB, so flawed and yet so real. I found it so easy to be critical of him, to see his flaws despite sharing so many of them (although, I know, not to the same extent).
Willem. It is impossible, I think, to read A Little Life and not fall in love with Willem. Willem who cares so deeply and loves so freely. He is so selfless despite his hyper fixations on his own shortcomings. His obsession with how he could have done better pained me so much as I could only see all the good he had done for those around him. If he still thought that wasn’t enough, surely nothing is?
Then Jude. Jude who was so brilliant but so weighed down. The kind of person who life is so much heavier for, who has been through so much and yet cannot recognise his own incredible strength.
MAJOR SPOILERS FROM NOW ON:
But Willem. Willem’s death broke me. It came completely out of nowhere for me and I genuinely cried out when I read it. Jude was not made to live a life without Willem, that was my immediate thought. But was Willem capable of living a life without Jude? He had lost Hemming, he had spent years untangling Jude, working his way into his life and building trust, becoming the only person Jude could ever completely bare himself to. I don’t think he would have survived Jude’s suicide, he would have become a shell of the man he once was. So I share Harold and Andy’s pined comfort, that at least Willem wasn’t around to see it.
The car crash was devastating. So much so that I actually can’t record some of the thoughts I had when I read it. But it was what followed that broke me. Watching the grief take hold of Jude, watching him lose his grip on reality and the only other relationships he valued, that was near unbearable and yet I couldn’t put it down.
The final part being told from Harold’s pov made so much sense but was also so painful (like basically every other moment of this book). Harold’s pain was so greatly under looked, he lost Jacob and then he found Jude, only to lose him too. No parent should outlive their child, yet he outlived both.
Speaking of underrated characters, Andy - so incredibly beautifully written and such a complex and compelling character.
Anyway, I won’t ever be able to fully articulate how incredible A Little Life is, partially because I found so much of my own pain and experiences in the pages (although, of course not to nearly the same extremes) but it is genuinely the most impactful book I’ve ever read. However I cannot in good conscience recommend it to anyone as it is such an emotionally difficult read. My only advice would be to make sure you’re in a mentally stable place before reading, and have a lot of tissues on hand (unless you’re more used to the open sobbing on a bathroom floor route, which I also respect and was my chosen route).
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Abandonment, Car accident, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Rape, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Vomit, Trafficking, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Kidnapping
Warning: This book is incredibly dark and goes into great detail about mental illness, trauma and child abuse.becphe'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Pedophilia, Death, Domestic abuse, Blood, Self harm, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Torture, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Mental illness, Body horror, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Confinement, Vomit, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Violence, Outing, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Confinement, Eating disorder, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Kidnapping, Infidelity, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
danireadsbooks24'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Self harm, Violence, Child abuse, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
wonbin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Car accident, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Self harm, Drug abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Violence, and Child abuse
bmv0220'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: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Child death, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Grief, Pedophilia, Self harm, Physical abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Ableism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, and Rape
evieold's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Not a fan of trauma for traumas sake as so many brand this genre and books like ‘My Year Of Rest And Relaxation’, but this does not compare as it has a deeper level of truth, of a real life.
A true masterpiece of what to live a life is like, and the emotions, contradictions, and trauma which can come with it. A book, although painful, I will read many times more, and that is saying something from someone who does not reread books often if at all.
Graphic: Bullying, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Rape, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Medical content, Hate crime, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Gore, Torture, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Vomit, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Addiction, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Kidnapping
theresa_timber'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: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Stalking, Car accident, Self harm, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Addiction, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Vomit, Kidnapping, Violence, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Death, and Sexual violence