Reviews

Tan poca vida by Hanya Yanagihara

kaitlyn_avecado's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

*Listened to audiobook*
This book is so endlessly devastating. It is an extremely challenging read, and I can understand how some folks could not/did not want to read the heavy traumatic content that fills this book. It brought me to tears more than any book ever has. Some of the tears were hopeful tears. Hot tears streamed down my face for the final few pages.
The characters are multi dimensional, and the writing is beautiful and captivating. You follow the lives of four men and their relationships with one another throughout decades of their lives. It's a tale of friendship and love and kindness and self worth and acceptance.
It has almost ever CW on the list, so if you choose to read, please take care of yourself. 

"I try to be kind, to everything I see. And in everything I see, I see him."

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Addiction

mollyr98's review against another edition

The abuse became too much for me and the characters unbearable 

emezde's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Death, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Grief, Pedophilia, Violence, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Car accident, Drug abuse, Addiction, Vomit, Child death, and Injury/Injury detail

pnwbibliophile's review against another edition

I could tell this story wasn’t for me and chose not to engage further as an act of self-love.

loonatrum's review against another edition

5.0

where do i start? how could i ever do this book justice? this story will stay with me forever. i loved jude and willem's relationship throughout the entire book. how much they cared for each other. but i also loved them for being simply THEM. and harold too. even malcom and JB, even though they both made mistakes. but that's what is so good about this book. it doesn't lie, like jude said. it doesn't make things prettier because that's what books tend to do. it shows life as it is. i love how real this book is. how it doesn't romanticise. and sometimes there are no happy endings. sometimes love cant cure everything. sometimes your trauma will stay with you forever. and memories cannot be forgotten. jude was so relatable in some points. he was so real. and i have learned so much from this book, not only in regards to writing and character depth for my own book but i learned a lot about myself too. so congrats, hanya, you wrote this masterpiece and it has become my favourite book. it's truly the best and most heartbreaking book ever. 5 stars aren't even enough for this immaculate piece of literature.....

michaelawoods's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• 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

This book has me feeling like a dehydrated grape

cassmpt's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

2.75

C'est beaucoup de traumas en un seul livre, l'histoire était pourtant bien partie, un groupe de quatre amis, la belle vie. Mais non, de plus l'autrice n'est pas renseignée sur les maladies telles que la dépression, qu'elle utilise tout le long du roman. Je pense que c'est une volonté de traumatiser ses lecteurs, il était tout de même bien écrit, l'intrigue était bonne mais trop de détails et TROP de tout en fait

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Medical content, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Grief, Rape, Dysphoria, and Pedophilia

zoerobber's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad 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

manibanani's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

5.0

juultjewis123's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.25

Ik vond dit een heel zwaar boek om doorheen te komen. Telkens gebeurt er iets heftigs en denk je dat er niet iets heftigers kan gebeuren, en dan overkomt Jude toch weer wat. Ik heb de laatste 100 paginas heel veel gehuild, het is niet te bevatten hoe heftig Jude's leven was en hoe laag zijn zelfwaarde hierdoor is. 
Ik had liever een waarschuwing gehad van al het zelfbeschadiging, dit was soms iets te uitgebreid.