Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

84 reviews

lady_of_the_ulla's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship

mercedes_bente's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, and Death of parent

Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

mari_vangberg's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

5.0

Easiest 5⭐️ I have ever given. This book and these loveable characters will stay with me for a long time (probably forever), and it was such a beautiful and brutally painful story to read. A Little Life is a heavy book (in every sense of the word), but I did not find a single redundant word throughout its 814 pages. Truly a masterpiece!

Please look up the TWs for this book before reading it though, because there are a lot of them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

rosiejode's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

Wow. Easily the most beautiful but most harrowing thing I’ve ever read. This book took me just under a month to read and I’m glad I spread it out over the month. It was so sad I can’t even express and I somewhat agree with the label ‘trauma porn’ that it’s been given by other people. I feel like this book will live with me for a while and I will miss all of the characters. I’d like to read it again over a shorter period of time, maybe next time I’m ready to weep uncontrollably 😢 read with caution ⚠️

9 days later - I still feel empty and can’t stop thinking about this book 😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

susannedeheer's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

I lived with this “little” life for some months, just as i read here more often, this story was part of my everyday life. The characters were so real, so well written, that it felt like i became one of them. At the same time was the writing always with some distance, the few moments in first person made this clear to me.
A Little Life asks the question what stories are meant for. And it is a good story, but the moment it crosses some line is the moment the story loses its essence or goal. For me ( and i think for almost everyone) it is the too much trauma for one persons life. A turned around deus ex machina who comes out of nowhere. And of course life can be cruel and uncertain, but can we just believe or pretend to believe when we’re reading stories?
I’m sad to leave them behind, but it feels finished, rounded and so i can actually move on. Their whole lives are on paper (even though it felt like they never get older, and still stay 20-something. So i will definitely read it when i’m older to see what the difference is)
I finished it just in time for the play by ITA. Very curious how they bring this cruel and beautiful life to the stage. It almost feels impossible, unreachable to bring these stories to life. The book is able to keep it at some distance, but i’m sure the realness on stage will bring some new heaviness to it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

auburn_phoenix_15's review against another edition

The book got too 'real' and has emotionally destroyed me. The situations were too traumatic and heart-wrenching that made it painful to read.

Might go back to it later...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Vomit, and Suicide attempt

skyleetux's review against another edition

dark hopeful inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

jdraindavis's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.5

A piece of literature that completely devastes and enraptures. The detail in which you are thrust into the innermost traumas and struggles of the characters is unmatched. I will be processing this story for a long, long time. Exploring the themes of catastrophic grief, you are not given relief in this book. Be prepared to weep. I found myself getting frustrated with some of the plot when it focuses on the mundane, but then a tragic event would occur that would tie everything into the quotidian experiences. It was alike living another life. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

lexiemartin878's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

VEEY VERY heavy read trigger warnings before reading please please please

macpreeper's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

This book is amazing but devastating. The characters are like real fleshed out 3D people. 10/10 would read again but beware of the trigger warnings.  

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Content Warnings

Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Classism