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canisand'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: Drug use, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Torture, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Body horror, Bullying, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Outing, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, and Violence
elisavo'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Violence, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Blood, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Torture, Trafficking, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Suicide, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Car accident, Gaslighting, Medical content, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Trafficking
synthwhoa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Rape, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
veebee257'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
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Homophobia, Addiction, Confinement, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Self harm
monserrot'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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Addiction, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Eating disorder, Death, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Chronic illness, Body shaming, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Cursing, Vomit, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
blakeisik'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
ellen1196'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: Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Drug abuse, Grief, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Body shaming, Child abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Confinement, and Rape
ottolee's review against another edition
Plain and simple, this novel is an exercise in endurance, not simply because it is incredibly long, but because Hanya Yanagihara seems to be into repeatedly and brutally abusing her main character and forcing the reader to witness the almost comical lengths to which she chooses to hurt him. There are increasingly infrequent sections of the novel breaking up the increasingly frequent and drawn out depictions of physical and violence against an ambiguously gay, ambiguously ethnic, disabled man.
This is what causes the book to be as long as it is; it is the literary equivalent of Yanagihara strapping the reader to a table and drawing increasingly large quantities of blood out of them to see what they can stand, giving them cookies and Gatorade in between each draw just so the next one can be bigger. The reader hopes that, at some point, she will get what she came for, finish the experiment and give you back what you gave up. But she doesn't. She just wants to watch you bleed.
I think Yanagihara explains herself best.
"I wanted A Little Life... to begin healthy (or appear so), and end sick — both the main character, Jude, and the plot itself." (https://www.vulture.com/2015/04/how-hanya-yanagihara-wrote-a-little-life.html#_ga=2.58977709.1601876994.1578809567-1295422479.1578809567)
And so it does. And I, personally want to vomit.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, Addiction, Rape, Self harm, Ableism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Death
simonmartin's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Suicide, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Self harm, Trafficking, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Adult/minor relationship
toochmarone's review against another edition
Graphic: Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Body horror, Child death, Drug use, Rape, Suicide, Trafficking, Murder, Alcoholism, Bullying, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Blood, Body shaming, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Addiction, Gore, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture