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cassmpt'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
2.75
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
lsaunders685's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child death, Body shaming, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Death, Excrement, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Body horror, Bullying, and Gore
monserrot'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? Yes
4.75
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
blakeisik's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Ableism, Classism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Car accident, Gore, Homophobia, Rape, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
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
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
emmarauchtcamel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Biphobia, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Body horror, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Homophobia
parkerjm's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Blood, Kidnapping, Rape, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Self harm, Gore, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Abandonment, Gaslighting, Infertility, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Ableism, Blood, Addiction, and Alcohol
featherinthewind'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
5.0
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