Reviews tagging 'War'

To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara

10 reviews

rickle400's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I’m always impressed with the underlying heart filled message of human tenacity that is so characteristic of this writer (and what called me back to her writing)  While this book continues to be true to that style, it is too long and lacks the depth I expected. The plot is very dragged out and some of the more complex details of world building needed more development in my opinion. For the length and patience required to complete this book im not sure I’d recommend :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, and War

Moderate: Homophobia

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Child death

laurynkelly's review

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This books spans three different centuries in America and with this, it covers a multitude of human experiences and themes. Despite its slow pace, it is a deeply moving read from the outset due to Yanagihara‘s use of language and metaphors which come alive on the page. To Paradise is memorable read that will make you reflect on what it is that makes you feel most alive today. And free. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault and War

sissiisreading's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Ableism, Death, War, Sexual harassment, Violence, Death of parent, Deportation, Police brutality, Rape, and Homophobia

rachaelwho's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Could've used a firmer editor. Lots of unnecessary repetition, and a dickensian tendency to over-describe everything. Would've been more impactful, I think, at about a third shorter.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Bullying, Police brutality, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Deportation, Hate crime, Sexual content, Slavery, Colonisation, Medical content, Sexism, Ableism, Death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Animal death, Chronic illness, Infertility, Rape, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and War

lisatz's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Nachdem ich ein wenig Schwierigkeiten hatte reinzukommen, hat mich das Buch nach der Hälfte des ersten Buchs gepackt. Hanya Yanagihara spielt mit Motiven, Namen und Orten, die sich alle 100 Jahre wiederholen. An vielen Stellen war ich sehr verwirrt wer, wer ist und wessen Kinder oder Enkelkinder wieder aufgetaucht sind. Ich bleibe verwirrt zurück. Besonders das letzte Buch im Buch, Zone 8, hat mich sehr gefesselt. Yanagihara schreibt eindrücklich über ein Land, das von Peking regiert wird. Ständig Pandemien und immer ein moralisches Dilemma - vor allem für die Leser*innen wie der neueste Virus eingedämmt werden kann. 
Eine Frage zum Schluss. Wieso schreibt Yanagihara so gerne traumatische und verstörende Geschichten mit Männern in schwulen Beziehungen? Warum nicht lesbische Frauen? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Racism, Terminal illness, and War

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Medical trauma, and Colonisation

Minor: Homophobia, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

twinadam's review

dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

A great dive into multiple genres within one book. However, the threads between the three parts start to get confusing and muddle the message a bit. The ambiguity in the endings of each part borders on incompleteness. However, I did enjoy the parts individually. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: War

fionagerman's review against another edition

emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Child death, Confinement, and Death

Minor: Sexual assault, Infertility, Homophobia, War, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization

catesm's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Classism, Cursing, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Police brutality, and War

deandra_lalonde's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cancer, Police brutality, War, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Child death, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Infertility, and Toxic friendship

kkulhannie's review

challenging reflective slow-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Outing, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Murder, and War