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robyn1998'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
-Very frustrating that Yanagihara zeroed in on all the most horrific and romantic parts of being traumatised and disabled and conveniently left out the more mundane and realistic parts
-Jude being a total Mary Sue, the best at everything despite having the worst life ever. He is the best lawyer in the world, keeps his apartment super clean, an amazing cook, a great singer - despite also being the MOST traumatised person to ever exist. As well as being in horrible chronic pain (but he doesn't take any painkillers because he's Too Strong and Traumatised and better than everyone else in pain). Some of the closest people to me have severe physical health issues; I also work with people with severe mental illness, many of which develop from incomprehensible trauma. And it does have an impact on their lives and achievements. It's pretty stupid and unbelievable that this isn't the case for Jude.
-How come Jude has so many friends who would do anything for him after the age of 16 (and why? He seems so boring and all he does is apologise) despite having the complete opposite before 16 and everyone having been evil to him.
-How do you get a doctor to treat you for so long without taking any money? What an absolute joke. Staying up until 1am every night to meet his patient at a diner? That struck me as not only inappropriate but also irresponsible. Is that just how it is in the US? I hope any other healthcare professionals reading this can also understand what a ridiculous premise that part of the story was - plus how naive it comes across coming from Hanya Yanagihara; you might want to help your patients but that's taking it too far and will only burn you out and wreck the boundaries between your personal and professional life.
-Everyone being so rich and how improbable it is. I got so sick of them buying houses constantly and jetting all over the world and speaking so snobbishly. The bit about their friend Roman's partner being unintelligent made my blood boil. I just get the sense that HY is a massive snob Absolutely 0 poor or middle class characters. Why?
-"Oh, we're all dying..." and other sweeping generalisations and cringey dialogie dialogue- just so unbelievable, fake and cheesy
-One thing I did like was the depiction of starvation at the end and how nasty a person can become when they're not nourishing themselves. I found it really accurate.
-JB- I liked his character and would've liked more of his story. I was enjoying the book much more when it treated its characters as equals rather than turning into a long pity party for Jude. I like portrayals of flawed but interesting characters who don't make the best friends, as I relate to having people like that in my life. Malcolm felt extremely underdeveloped though and seemed to just fall off the face of the earth once he got married.
-To anyone who has felt a similar way to me about this book: I would urge you to read The Heart's Invisible Furies - it's tragic, made me cry but also was so funny and big-hearted, unlike this book. You can tell the author has experienced some of what he's writing about, and you can tell he wants you to enjoy reading it rather than just trying to shock and upset you. Also it includes world events and is educational, unlike this book which seemingly happens in a vacuum.
- I would like to see what the rest of Hanya Yanagihara's books are about. I think she is very talented but this story was just extremely grating to me.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, 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, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
aalayah'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: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
moomoochamp'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: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
Minor: Cursing, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Acephobia/Arophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
dairyfreemozzarella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
on a seperate note i think the back cover should reflect more of the pure agony of this book OR there should be a list of trigger warnings in the begining. i was not prepared!
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Outing
despuesdeleer's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Cuando vi las reseñas de este libro por primera vez, la mayoría se reducían a frases como "te cambia la vida" o "te destroza por completo". También escuché que la autora lo escribió intencionalmente tan duro para que la gente no pudiera terminarlo (cosa que no creo en absoluto).
No negaré que es una obra increíble, logra una narrativa que te envuelve a lo largo de sus mil páginas sin que te des cuenta, y la forma de escribir de Yanagihara es elocuente y hermosa. Sin embargo, también tengo claro que no es un libro para todo el público. Ahora que lo he terminado, solo puedo concluir que lo recomendaría con reservas, ya que no es una historia que todos puedan soportar debido a la exposición al trauma y a las difíciles realidades que Jude sobrevive. Creo que esta podría ser una de las primeras lecturas con 5 ⭐️ del año.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
helena_sp_07'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: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Hate crime, Torture, Dementia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
alisonannk'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: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, 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, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Fatphobia, Racism, Vomit, Dementia, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
martha_shawyer'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: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
pharmasyd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
mth2flme's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail