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4.32 AVERAGE
4.32 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
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
For the duration of time that I read A Little Life, my life revolved around it. It felt like some kind of agonising penance that I absolutely had to endure, except that the pain was self-inflicted.
Reviews of good books are usually to encourage people to read the book, to share in the joy of beautiful literature. I could say ‘the book was beautifully written, the characters meticulously, empathetically realistic’ but I cannot, because the book was as devastating as it was beautiful, and the characters were as catastrophically overwhelming as they were realistic.
There are sad books with happy endings, sad books with violently painful endings, sad books with oppressively somber endings and then there is A Little Life. Although the brutality of the book transcends its entirety, there is a fundamental fragility to its ending that has left me (and I daresay all its readers) wanting to be a better person, a kinder person.
I cannot make myself recommend this book to anyone, but what I can say is that reading ‘A Little Life’ is an experience. It is an experience, and though I could never bring myself to read it again, I will remember it for the rest of my life.
(or)
This book made me call my best friend at 3 am and sob uncontrollably. I feel like nothing matters anymore. Help.
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I don’t even know where and how to begin with this review. Perhaps I’d like to begin with the fact that I wouldn’t recommend this book even to my worst enemy. Not because it isn’t beautiful (because trust me, it’s one of the most beautifully-written things I’ve read) but because it brings tremendous emotional devastation.
I found myself crying and gritting my teeth at the worst parts of this book. I don’t think there’s ever been a book to bring out such strong emotions in me.
I knew before going in, of course. Friends and people online warned me. And I think everybody should know beforehand what they’re about to read. Future readers should definitely read the trigger warnings because they are quite a few. And “A Little Life” is definitely not for the weak-minded.
It starts off easy, light-hearted even, and tells the story about four college friends. Their lives, their struggles, their talents and every little quirk they have. But as you keep reading, one of those college friends just stands out. Jude. Oh, Jude.
This is his book. It’s his life — past, and present, and future. He’s different, he’s dark and was so poorly treated in his childhood. And I don’t think anyone can comprehend how devastatingly and miserably one can be treated before reading this book.
Hanya Yanagihara reveals piece by piece his life to us, the readers, so masterfully. I can only compare it to those extremely talented painters that create masterpieces and you just watch in awe while they paint. And with each brush stroke, you get parts of the story revealed, the pieces of the painting slowly falling in place. And you’re amazed at how effortlessly this masterpiece is created.
I don't think I've ever rooted for a character more than I rooted for Jude. With every page, I wished for his happiness, for his peace of mind, for someone to finally treat him right. And there are people who do — Willem, Harold, Andy, and so many others who love him unconditionally. But sometimes love isn't enough to heal the deepest of wounds. Sometimes the darkness within us is too vast, too consuming.
This book will make you question everything you know about trauma, about healing, about friendship and love. It will make you wonder if there really is such a thing as 'too damaged.' It will break your heart, stitch it back together, only to shatter it again. And again. And again.
The title - "A Little Life" - becomes devastating once you understand its origin. Even in its title, this book carries the weight of Jude's trauma, a reminder of how childhood wounds can echo through decades.
Yanagihara's prose is relentless. There's no respite, no moment where you can catch your breath and say "okay, things will get better now." Because just when you think they might, just when you dare to hope, she pulls you back into the depths of despair. It's brilliant writing, but it's also cruel. Beautifully, masterfully cruel.
These characters have carved a permanent space in my heart, and I know they'll stay there, their story echoing in my mind for years to come. This quote, most of all:
So no, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone lightly. But if you're brave enough, if you think you can handle it, "A Little Life" will change you forever. It will show you the darkest corners of human existence, but also the brightest spots of human connection. Just don't expect to walk away unscathed.
5 stars… for the masterpiece it is, though I wish I could unread it.
I found myself crying and gritting my teeth at the worst parts of this book. I don’t think there’s ever been a book to bring out such strong emotions in me.
I knew before going in, of course. Friends and people online warned me. And I think everybody should know beforehand what they’re about to read. Future readers should definitely read the trigger warnings because they are quite a few. And “A Little Life” is definitely not for the weak-minded.
It starts off easy, light-hearted even, and tells the story about four college friends. Their lives, their struggles, their talents and every little quirk they have. But as you keep reading, one of those college friends just stands out. Jude. Oh, Jude.
This is his book. It’s his life — past, and present, and future. He’s different, he’s dark and was so poorly treated in his childhood. And I don’t think anyone can comprehend how devastatingly and miserably one can be treated before reading this book.
Hanya Yanagihara reveals piece by piece his life to us, the readers, so masterfully. I can only compare it to those extremely talented painters that create masterpieces and you just watch in awe while they paint. And with each brush stroke, you get parts of the story revealed, the pieces of the painting slowly falling in place. And you’re amazed at how effortlessly this masterpiece is created.
I don't think I've ever rooted for a character more than I rooted for Jude. With every page, I wished for his happiness, for his peace of mind, for someone to finally treat him right. And there are people who do — Willem, Harold, Andy, and so many others who love him unconditionally. But sometimes love isn't enough to heal the deepest of wounds. Sometimes the darkness within us is too vast, too consuming.
This book will make you question everything you know about trauma, about healing, about friendship and love. It will make you wonder if there really is such a thing as 'too damaged.' It will break your heart, stitch it back together, only to shatter it again. And again. And again.
The title - "A Little Life" - becomes devastating once you understand its origin. Even in its title, this book carries the weight of Jude's trauma, a reminder of how childhood wounds can echo through decades.
Yanagihara's prose is relentless. There's no respite, no moment where you can catch your breath and say "okay, things will get better now." Because just when you think they might, just when you dare to hope, she pulls you back into the depths of despair. It's brilliant writing, but it's also cruel. Beautifully, masterfully cruel.
These characters have carved a permanent space in my heart, and I know they'll stay there, their story echoing in my mind for years to come. This quote, most of all:
“And so I try to be kind to everything I see, and in everything I see, I see him.”
So no, I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone lightly. But if you're brave enough, if you think you can handle it, "A Little Life" will change you forever. It will show you the darkest corners of human existence, but also the brightest spots of human connection. Just don't expect to walk away unscathed.
5 stars… for the masterpiece it is, though I wish I could unread it.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
I need to talk to someone about this one, this is a book that needs to be discussed.
dark
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Self harm