Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

1100 reviews

ksquinnn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, and Abandonment

jackieroybal's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

This book made me genuinely sob the first time I read it. I remember exactly where I was when I finished reading. I think about this novel all the time, quite possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Grief, Car accident, Abandonment, and Alcohol

anh_read's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.25

Although I enjoyed reading this novel, I couldn’t recommend this book to anyone. So please check out the trigger warnings as there graphic and explicit description of many very traumatic events. 

I wish this book would have explored more on the friendship between Jude, Willem, JB and Malcom. But as the story progressed, the latter two characters vanished to the background, and the focus was very much on Jude, his traumatic past and its effects/consequences. Furthermore, the end was predictable, and due to all the sheer number of traumatic events and their very graphic descriptions, I felt rather numb about everything towards the end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Physical abuse, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Blood, Car accident, and Abandonment

williamchenjun's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

studywitmeh's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

2.5

Oh god where do I begin?? I love a lot of dark books, gloomy or dark plots are something I’m not unfamiliar with reading. Yes I found this book from tik tok, decided I needed a pick me up (ironic ik) and added this book into my cart deciding I needed a good cry based on those tik tok videos. Did I cry? No. I got pissed off. 

Spoiler: the book focuses on Jude, a man who has been through a long list of trauma and deals with it through self harm. All the people in his life love him clearly, and they are more or less used to progress Jude’s plot, BUT NOT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. There are moments where you think FINALLY there is relief, real joy and actual healthy growth before it is stripped from you like an eclipse. It’s so painfully well written, you feel like a bystander watching a crime and constantly wondering where the hell the police and judicial systems are in the story which is ironic because JUDE IS A WELL RENOWNED LAWYER. 

This book glorifies dysfunction. It makes it seem that Jude, if real, with all his trauma and not getting any mental or physical intervention would still become as successful as he is or even have this many people let him continue this cycle. I was so upset when he began to romantically be involved with William and nothing came out of it other than more lack of accountability. They are all bad friends to Jude because none of them developed the frontal lobe to realize that without stepping in he would not be a functioning human. It’s no realistic (speaking from someone with severe depression and tried to function with it untreated). No person can endure this much for that long and especially with “friends” who are meant to love them not taking notice and calling it out. It was a well written crime report to make people sob or consider this a healthy idea of male friendship with an author who has said in interviews they don’t believe in therapy. Yea go figure, cause Jude desperately needed that and then some.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

tyhames's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

v_hing's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

ellareads1's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

rexjoi's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

There are triggering topics mentioned in this book so take care of yourself if you decide to read this book. 

This book tore me up. I hadn’t imagined friendships lasting for that long and being so caring for your friendships almost to a fault. I wish it ended differently than it did. My heart goes out to all of the characters.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Abandonment

ellagrady's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

I put off reading this book, leaving it on my shelf for years, terrified to start because of what everyone says. It completely lived up to my expectations. I couldn’t put it down, forcing myself to stop at night and spending hours thinking about what could happen in the next chapter. Following the lives of these men was devastating and endearing. Every high and low they went through I felt with them, so engrossed in their lives. Following their friendships, their relationships, their love, and care truly had me enraptured in the pages. I cried my way through the second half of the book, feeling their pain and loss so deeply. It was by no means an easy read, or one I’d recommend freely but it was incredible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Vomit, Medical content, and Abandonment

death of a loved one