Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Małe życie by Hanya Yanagihara

205 reviews

aclancy974's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

I’m going to be thinking about this for a long time. In the best way. Memorable. Soulful. Moving. But please see content warnings, this could be potentially triggering or you may want to prepare to read differently ❤️

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Dysphoria, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Confinement, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, Violence, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Blood, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual assault, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Car accident, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Ableism

Minor: Islamophobia

trayana's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

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

thetinysnail's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-paced

• 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? Yes

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Vomit, Homophobia, Alcohol, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Self harm, Suicide, Ableism, Medical content, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Body shaming, Child abuse, Violence, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Death, Car accident, Addiction, Alcoholism, Racism, Cancer, and Adult/minor relationship

neontulips's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm furious. The craft of this book was so excellent, asides from what I would say amount to some planning and character writing issues that begin about the final quarter of the book, that it bothers me immensely that every lesson in the book emanates such a pessimism, that they all amount essentially to a bleak miserable world that does not do much to fight Jude's contention that his life is not worth living. Around the point in the book where I began to think, wow, Yanagihara really understands that the only way to really go on living is to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known, she created a false world in which it was impossible to allow oneself that relief,

and concluded a story which purports essentially that the people around Jude should have let him go, as a man only fifty, because his life was so hard

. To treat such violence as inevitable is to put that violence into the world. This book is beautiful and miserly and irresponsible. I hated giving it a rating for this purpose.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Violence, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Outing, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Vomit, Abandonment, Acephobia/Arophobia, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Child death, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Medical content

libbyyjo's review against another edition

dark tense 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Death, Ableism, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Trafficking, Alcohol, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Sexual content, Death of parent, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Grief, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content

violetbentbackwards1036's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Car accident, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Infidelity, Medical content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Cancer, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Death, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Pedophilia, Rape, Blood, Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Child death, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Sexual assault

mskingbean69's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Confinement, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, Car accident, Gore, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

_hiitsstella's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• 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

3.5

I hate that I like this book, I can't help but look back on this story through rose-tinted glasses. Obviously I refuse to actually re-open the book because I know I would quickly prove myself wrong, forcing me into misery. This book is torture porn in pretty packaging; the writing is lovely, but the content is gruesome and often nauseating. I would not recommend reading this, I know however, that those determined to seek out and consume this type of content will do so despite numerous warnings. Check the trigger warnings, the list is never-ending.

This book feels like a form of trauma-bonding (not in the way social media defines trauma-bonding, but the actual psychological phenomena) the book hurts you, and yet you never want to let it go. It (dare I say) traumatizes you, and you end up bonded with it, seeing aspects of it in your day-to-day life for months after you've put the book away.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Drug use, Homophobia, Self harm, Violence, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Torture, Sexual violence, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Death, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Alcohol

megannicolemay_'s review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

Not for the faint of heart. I don't remember the last time I sobbed this hard, certainly not over a piece of literature. 

Hanya  Yanagihara writes the brotherhood of male friendship so beautifully, without a lens of toxic masculinity, the way male friendships truly are. Amongst the sorrows, there is so much psychological take away from this read, about the way we perceive ourselves in comparison to how others view us, the beauty of the mundane, and the inability to let go of grief.

However to any readers going into this book blind, check trigger and content warnings before getting into it. This book was far more graphic and content heavy than I originally anticipated even with being aware of some of the triggers contained in the story.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Death, Body shaming, Car accident, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Mental illness

valeryv99's review against another edition

sad tense 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

3.5

First half wasn’t my favorite but I can see why she does it. It’s to build up the character. Definitely a heavy read and will make you feel some type of way.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Self harm, Suicide, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Rape, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Suicide attempt