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carysyounkins'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
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Hate crime, Islamophobia, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Incest, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Lesbophobia
kirsty_irwin'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
4.5
Graphic: Dysphoria, Drug use, Body horror, Addiction, Ableism, Abandonment, Stalking, Racism, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Cursing, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Blood, Vomit, Trafficking, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Child death, Alcohol, Bullying, Dementia, Violence, Torture, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Slavery, Rape, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Medical content, Homophobia, Death, Sexual content, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Car accident, Biphobia, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Acephobia/Arophobia, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse
Minor: Dementia, Incest, Miscarriage, Car accident, Outing, Cancer, and Child death
dexstarr's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Child abuse, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Self harm
Moderate: Death and Forced institutionalization
Minor: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Car accident
habmsm'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
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Violence, Biphobia, Car accident, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
first off totally 100% respect anyone who hated this
i feel like i would have if i hadnt skim read a lot of the bits of jude hating himself
A lot of the time it seemed like Yanagihara had found cool metaphors for jude hating himself and was just excited to use them
but there was also some relatable stuff (right??? other people thought that too right???) like 'He had never done it before and so he didnt know how sad and slow and difficult it was to end a friendship' OOF that was the bit that made me cry the most, as well of some other bits about like friendships and stuff and wanting to help someone/talk to them about something but not and being stressed to cause you love them and want to keep them safe but you dont want to cross their barriers :'(
I didnt really sob? like i knew jude was gonna die before i even met him and suspect willem for about 150 pgs before
did shed a couple tears at harold and julia listening to judes cd and harold talking to the painting of Willem
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Self harm, Torture, Vomit, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Rape, Suicide, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Violence
uhjoa'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
2.5
Graphic: Ableism, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Violence, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Gun violence, Murder, Outing, Pedophilia, Self harm, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Fatphobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Vomit, Drug abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, and Suicide
aksvokuz'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
4.5
Graphic: Biphobia, Blood, Abandonment, Addiction, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
breadwitchery'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
Graphic: Addiction, Chronic illness, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia, Racism, Fatphobia, Vomit, Infidelity, Biphobia, Cancer, Child death, Dementia, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Death of parent, and Misogyny
monaliest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Child death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Rape, Suicide, and Torture
blainereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.75
Yes, it’s graphic and enthusiastically describes the most evil and deprived acts known to humanity, but that’s not what unsettled me. it was the casual unchecked racism; the internalized homophobia; the pervasive ableist language that never improves; the unnecessary and repeated externalized biphobia (or perhaps queerphobia would be more appropriate) that, for the most part, failed to serve the story in any substantial capacity.
Perhaps these instances would have been more digestible and/or understandable had we known the timeline of the story, but instead we’re left wondering if the (usually) gay men and (usually) white people in this story are really making these kinds of comments in the 21st century (and facing no ramifications or not even being questioned for it)?? I don’t think characters need to be perfect paragons of morality, nor do I think the words of characters are necessarily reflective of the author’s opinions, but the fact that so much of these “problematic” moments could have been excluded or easily changed without altering the story or the characters’ arcs felt, ultimately, like a failure of sorts—a massive oversight, in the least.
all of those instances together, combined with the graphic and fated tragedy, really made this feel, ultimately, like trauma fantasy for straight white people. it was a book that would be necessary and groundbreaking in 2005, maybe, but now feels closer to harmful than revolutionary.
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Grief
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Racism