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soraydiant'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
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Medical content, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit, Cancer, and Ableism
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
lousielou's review against another edition
Graphic: Sexual violence, Stalking, Self harm, Rape, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Torture, and Violence
veebee257'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
3.75
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
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
ellen1196'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
5.0
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
floord1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Trafficking, Toxic friendship, Ableism, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Medical content, Blood, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Forced institutionalization, and Pedophilia
nadja_reads_stuff'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
I hated and loved it at the same time. I often had to stop because I couldn't take it anymore, I cried like a baby and felt so many emotions I had the feeling of getting sick.
But nevertheless this book was amazing and it just shows so many things that are wrong in this world and that sometimes, even if you get better and you have so many people around you that (try to) make your life wonderful, some things just cannot be forgotten or overlooked. Your past haunts you and A Little Life describes that feeling so well it is almost scary.
For everyone wanting to read this book: Please check the trigger warnings beforehand, especially if you experienced traumatic situations in your past, as this book is full of them.
I came to love Jude, Willem and especially Harold so much, I felt everything for them and could very much share their grief and emotions over the course of the book.
A favourite of mine that I will probably never read again because as soon as I would see Jude and Willem moving into their poor apartment again I would cry so much again, that I would not be able to read anything anymore.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Trafficking, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Gaslighting, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Car accident, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
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