Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

2672 reviews

miri_ktz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

sfkeavy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Racism, and Forced institutionalization

misheto_pet96's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

This is a heavy book. The parts that truly broke my heart were at the 40- 60% mark and around 91%. Now I get why everyone (men and women) cry in this book. I liked Willem and Malcome. JB was not my fav. Jude had so much need of therapy, that I cannot even explain it. Their friendship was at times wonderful and awful. I know I will never read this book again because I cannot sit through so much trauma and sadness again. But I also understand why it was recommended to me by so many people online and in my real life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

battlefieldpoet's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Honestly, this book just adds on more and more trauma to the main character that I find it hard to believe. Even though I know real people suffer this much, this just pushed my belief suspension past its limits. It's also not as poetic as people seem to think it is, it's prose is fine, but not enchanting. If anything its disenchanting how graphic and detailed all the incidents are. 
I don't recommend this book, especially for anyone with a history of mental health struggles. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

laurxnnnnnn's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, and Suicide attempt

rosy3373's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

piasta's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

3.75

Gemischte Gefühle. Die letzten hundert Seiten waren die Besten. Ich musste nicht weinen, dennoch war es an manchen Stellen (be)rührend. Die Mitte (Seiten 400-600) hat sich stellenweise gezogen. Sprachlich meist einfach, außer die juristischen Passagen und Fachbegriffe. Die stellen über und um Kunst fand ich seht schön. 
Ich fand schade, dass es nur am Anfang POVs von JB und Co. gab. Z.B. die neben-Story über den Drogenmissbrauch fand ich spannender als die zichste Wiederholung von Judes Unverbesserlichkeit. Ehrlich gesagt, fand ich Jude sogar etwas nervig. Zu viel Selbstmitleid und Ignoranz, auch wenn ich verstehe, dass Trauma so etwas auslösen kann. Ich dachte auch, dass er eher stirbt. 
Klassismus: Apparently sind alle Charaktere reich und jetten um die Welt. Es wäre schön gewesen, auch andere Perspektiven kennenzulernen. 

Dachte, es passieren verrücktere oder „schlimmere“ Dinge. Vielleicht sind die Leute auf Booktok nur an ihre Romance-Bücher gewöhnt oder ich habe zu viele Fitzeks/Krimis gelesen. Jedenfalls hat es mich nicht schockiert oder traumatisiert. Insgesamt Medium, etwas overhyped, aber grundsätzlich einfach nur eine lange Skizze eines Lebens - wie der Titel sagt. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use

Minor: Vomit

annamqj's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail

kasumi_misty's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

katlosee's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

Of course I loved this one. You fall in love with the characters over the course of their life and you grow with them. I would love to recommend this book to anyone and everyone, but because it's so heavy, I choose not to actually recommend. This is the one and only book thusfar to make me cry- because it's very sad, but also because I loved it so much. 
Yanagihara has a way of writing that really clicks with my brain. The author writes in the way that I think and I immediately connected with it. 
Overall, a great read, buckle up and emotionally prepare yourself, and then prepare yourself some more and it still won't be enough. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Car accident