Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Ein wenig Leben by Hanya Yanagihara

116 reviews

georgie_libby_m's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Car accident, Dysphoria, Drug use, Trafficking, Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, Rape, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Cancer, Body shaming, Blood, and Addiction

tinytrashqueen's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Violence, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual content, Self harm, Mental illness, Grief, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Abandonment, Infidelity, and Ableism

Minor: Cancer and Dementia

tiffanyt126's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Bullying, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, Body horror, Grief, Sexual harassment, Child death, Medical content, Cancer, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Violence, Ableism, Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship

inegabriels's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Rape, Self harm, Homophobia, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Cancer, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Cursing, Addiction, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

acomwt's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Trafficking, Sexual content, Mental illness, Infidelity, Grief, Torture, Suicide, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, Alcoholism, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Pedophilia, Gore, Death of parent, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Hate crime, Car accident, Cancer, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Cursing, Chronic illness, Body horror, Blood, and Adult/minor relationship

jaybird_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

No stars because no star rating feels accurate. On one hand, the prose is really beautiful and the book is, at times, incredibly written. On the other, I do not believe this author should have ever written this book.

I will begin this by saying that I am a queer disabled man, and it is for that reason (and my insatiable, sometimes harmful curiosity) that I read this book.

This book is not some great gay novel as so many have claimed. It is not even written about queerness; it just uses sex with men as one of the many ways that Jude is physically and emotionally tortured. Jude’s sexuality, trauma, and disability is not written with empathy — it is written with a sick fascination that is voyeuristic in nature.

Some of the characters are more than lovable. Some of the scenes and relationships are beyond beautiful. I cried over the first description of Jude’s pain because it was so similar to my own. I cried over the care that Harold showed Jude. I don’t care. The point of this book could have been achieved in 200 less pages and with less than half of the atrocities that were done to Jude.

I might write more later, but for now I have finally sat down and read (in one week) this 800 page trauma-porn novel that so many people are undeservedly obsessed with (most likely because our culture is obsessed with trauma and abuse, especially that visited upon queer men) and can finally say from personal experience: do not fucking read this book.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Acephobia/Arophobia and Alcohol

Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

jocularjacob's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Pedophilia, Vomit, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Addiction, and Body horror

Minor: Car accident, Death, Cursing, Bullying, Cancer, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gore

pretentiousnerd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

I've never cried for a book this much before.
Broke me, made me see all my flaws and fall in love with characters that would inevitably leave.
I loved them all .
I know that this book will stay with me for a while and I don't think I'm ready for this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pedophilia, Blood, Child death, Chronic illness, Body shaming, Gore, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Violence, Toxic relationship, and Car accident

Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, and Addiction

liv_lovesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

3.5

I could never in good conscience recommend this book because of the explicit, dark themes. It is beautifully written and if you are not sensitive to most types of trauma, you may love it. I cried to the point of dehydration and headache and felt simultaneously heavy and empty when I finished it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Child abuse, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Blood, Trafficking, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Rape, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Medical trauma, Medical content, Grief, Death, Chronic illness, Car accident, and Ableism

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Drug use, Dysphoria, Addiction, Abandonment, Violence, Alcoholism, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, and Drug abuse

Minor: Infidelity and Death of parent

lindsaylhunter's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.0

I really don't know where to start with this book. However beautifully Yanagihara writes, I can't ignore that this book is a grotesquerie masquerading as what many would say is the next great American novel.

I believe that all forms of media that tell a story—be it a book, a movie or a play—need to allow their respective audiences to bask in truly joyful moments, however brief, but there was almost no reprieve from the miseries thrown at the main character in this book, and even his "happy" moments were undercut by his perpetual self-loathing. I understand that the author wanted to showcase the limits of human suffering (and the seemingly endless content warnings attached seem to prove that), but I can't in good conscience give this one any higher a rating than I have done. It truly reached a point where each new misery brought a sense of tedium to the story.

All that said, I enjoyed the shuffling of narratives and being left to guess who was doing the speaking. I'll never deny the author the credit she deserves for making so many people feel so deeply for fictional characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Addiction, Violence, Car accident, Drug abuse, Cancer, and Gaslighting