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caitlin_d89'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: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Blood, Ableism, Medical content, Gaslighting, Confinement, Body shaming, Abandonment, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Self harm, Torture, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Rape, Trafficking, Suicide, Mental illness, Gore, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Body horror, Incest, and Child abuse
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Gaslighting, Addiction, Bullying, Gore, Biphobia, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Incest, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Kidnapping
trayana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Rape, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Dysphoria, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Suicide, Torture, Child abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence
bookshelfhannah'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Drug use, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Body horror, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Sexual harassment, Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Ableism, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Hate crime, and Medical content
ashlynregan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Vomit, Cursing, Drug use, Terminal illness, Racial slurs, Violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Torture, Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Car accident, Addiction, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Rape, Infidelity, Abandonment, Gore, Medical content, Self harm, and Suicide
willemstfrancis'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: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Car accident, Chronic illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Torture, Terminal illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Cursing, and Death
sim_pum'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
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Medical content, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Suicide, Blood, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Chronic illness, Drug use, Body shaming, Grief, Addiction, Rape, and Vomit
garbche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
0.75
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Bullying, Gore, Self harm, Addiction, Child abuse, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Rape, Torture, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Domestic abuse, and Body horror
kuya_kes'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
5.0
Centralised through the life and times of Jude St. Francis, one of the most emotionally complex characters ever commited to fiction, the reader is tasked with navigating through empathy and sympathy as you see Jude through his own eyes, often with distortion, and through those who are within his orbit.
To know Jude St. Francis through his friends is to love Jude St. Francis. But to know Jude St. Francis through his own eyes is to fear (for) Jude St. Francis. I've read a number of books that deal with neglect, abuse and feeling unloved but none until now have taken me on the same visceral journey of turmoil, shame and blame they way this has. At times when I felt frustrated, angry or sunken at character behavior, I would then go on to feel guilty about it due to the complexity of how someone's damage and self sabotage destroys reason. Marvelous writing did this to me.
The expertly ways in which Yanagihara weaves perpectives which add more layers into each character makes you care & invest when they are effected, get frustrated when they use poor judgement and widen your eyes to both re-read and rapidly read on continue to verify when something unthinkable happens to them as if the trauma also involves you.
After closing the book, I find myself still thinking about the characters. Not only how they ended up but where things could have been different or what they would have experienced all along the way in the time in between what the book covered. I felt a sense of loss saying goodbye to the characters and thankful to have escaped it's world's ugliness.
This may end up becoming one of the best reads of my life.
Graphic: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Body horror, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Child death, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicide, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, and Violence
violetbentbackwards1036'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: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Cancer, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Death, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Sexual assault
mskingbean69's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Confinement, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Gore, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting