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rowy148'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, Chronic illness, Blood, Physical abuse, Death, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Car accident, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Drug use, Death of parent, Child death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Drug abuse, and Ableism
megkinghorn'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Ableism, Self harm, Addiction, Death, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, and Mental illness
flowersophia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Self harm, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Grief, Sexual content, Death, Car accident, Rape, Blood, and Medical trauma
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
faeee's review against another edition
- 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? N/A
2.5
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
ghostpuppy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Sexual content, Vomit, Self harm, Sexual violence, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Kidnapping, Murder, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Grief, Terminal illness, Addiction, Mental illness, Torture, Trafficking, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
abby_reads7's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Sexual assault and Self harm
Moderate: Ableism
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
kseibold's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
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
torri_melody's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
At times it feels that there’s no message. You read the book and wait for some sort of meaning, an explanation of why it was written and why you had to read through all of Jude’s suffering. And then you are slapped in the face by the idea that some people like Jude are beyond saving and it’s better for them to die. That being loved and trying therapy (
Graphic: Pedophilia, Suicide, Self harm, Child abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, and Ableism