Reviews

Folket i træerne by Hanya Yanagihara

bethany_crenol's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad

2.75

lit_laugh_luv's review against another edition

4.0

4 stars (maybe 4.5?). I could write a literal essay about this book. I have such mixed thoughts - but ultimately, Hanya Yangihara has soldified two things for me:

1) She is one of my favourite authors
2) Her endings consistently make me screech/cry/gasp in some combination

Tempted to post a lengthy review if people are interested? I don't see this book get much attention but I feel my thoughts are as complex as they were after A Little Life!

kelseylitsliftsanddips's review against another edition

3.75

I had to sleep on this one to really gather my thoughts, and I still don’t think they’re all the way gathered. Objectively, this is a good book. Yanagihara’s writing is stunning and unlike anyone else’s I’ve ever read. But this book seemed a bit overwritten, in my opinion. It could’ve been a 100 pages shorter and still told the same story. It was also a bit clinical, and while it made sense, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. All of that being said, it’s a good book, and overall I did like it. It had some very shocking moments, and took some turns that I was expecting, but hoped I’d wouldnt. It’s a very unique book, and one I won’t forget. 

laura_may's review against another edition

The way the MC justified being a pedophile after the child rape scene, and the amount of time the author spent trying to make it seem okay because it was a cultural difference was horrific, I couldn’t continue 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Child abuse

papierpalast's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

yasmine_21's review against another edition

The plot was too slow and sciencey 

katharinapark's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

chanimilo's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Moderate: Pedophilia

jasmine_reid16's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault and Pedophilia

rosewolfeemery's review against another edition

3.0

This is such a sad, strange, and deeply unsettling novel. The writing is often masterful, but I don’t quite know how to feel about it. I agree with reviewers that while it might be difficult to actually *like* this book, you can certainly admire its ambition and execution.