Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Una vita come tante by Hanya Yanagihara

315 reviews

nanari's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense 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

2.25

I'm  sorry, as emotionally wreaked as I was reading the chapter after happy years, I did not like the ending! Didnt like it at all! I would not recommend the book! I admit, the characterization is very real in a sense that I got invested in their lives and their mindset. I was hoping and hoping and further hoping a sliver of happiness would come -- that through all the bitter sadness that there will be a message. That there will be something that would redeem this book and all the tragedies that preceded the one outcome I suspected may happen but hope - again with the hope - wouldn't unravel. But no, it punched me square in the face and I'm left thinking, what the hell is this book trying to tell me? That in the end there's no hope? That in the end, through all the ups and downs - after all the success and being surrounded by people who unconditionally love you - that we can only expect to go downhill, hit rock bottom and stay there. No!!! I'm just very conflicted, I get why Jude felt what he felt and did what he did, but at the same time its like, OK, I guess he's right. In the context of his life, I guess it was like he said about that one axiom about math and ending up where he started or something of that nature -- how everything around is slightly different, but the course of his life, how he precieved it would end, would not veer off course. It would not change. Might be interpreting that axiom wrong but its how I understand it lol Fuq Caleb btw! Go straight to hell caleb! We didnt need you in this fictitious life!!! Like holy shiz, how can a single person be that violent. SO DEPRESSING!!! lol Also what the hell happened to JB and Malcolm's story. It's like their story was just pushed out when I was under the impression I would also be pulled into their lives. *sigh* Don't get me wrong, I love Willem's kindness and sweetness, and his patience and understanding (but damn the 'happy years' chapter!!! pffttt it was 5% happy and 95% of 'what in the emotional heartache is this?!'), I felt the need to protect Jude, I really wanted to read JB's failing relationships and why he struggled so much with them, and really related with Malcolm on that tidbit of children and questioning the fulfillment of ones life. I loved the characters!!! But in the end of it all, the book as a whole was not for me. I don't think I will pick up a book similar to it. I need a year to recover lol I need fantasy haha

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Grief, Death, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Rape, Violence, Blood, Suicide, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse

If you are hoping jude doesn't kill himself at the end, stop hoping. He kills himself. I swear this whole book was just the author putting every tragic and sad thing in one book to get a reaction out of the reader. I could have lived without reading it. I wish I spent my time reading something else.

celery's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Child abuse, Confinement, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Stalking, Violence, Vomit, Body shaming, Car accident, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Drug use, Gore, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Addiction, Alcohol, Body horror, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Trafficking, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Abandonment, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Grief, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

xaqrii's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

1.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Sexual violence, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Medical content, Rape, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Confinement, Drug abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Blood, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Death, Forced institutionalization, Suicide, Child abuse, Violence, Self harm, Chronic illness, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

canisand's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-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? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

veebee257's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

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

challenging dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

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

ellen1196's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

I have had to rewrite this review repeatedly to succinctly gather my thoughts on why this book is one of the worst I have ever experienced. I listened to this book on CD while driving and have chosen to drop it at around the halfway point following a double whammy

of a suicide attempt and an overly long description of child sexual abuse

because a quick Google search confirmed for me that it would not only not get any better, that it would only get worse.

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.

---

Content Warnings

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

kseibold's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Body horror, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Bullying, Medical trauma, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Child abuse, Vomit, Biphobia, Blood, Sexual assault, Gore, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Confinement, Violence, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual violence, Rape, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Grief, Kidnapping, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Death, Gaslighting, and Eating disorder

featherinthewind'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? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I can’t. Actually. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Vomit, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Ableism, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia