Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Une vie comme les autres by Hanya Yanagihara

1241 reviews

megmahoney1's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

5.0

My heart is in a million tiny pieces.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Blood, Body shaming, Car accident, Child death, Gaslighting, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Stalking, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Medical content, Rape, Religious bigotry, Drug abuse, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Cursing, Addiction, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Grief

sapphoxes's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

As sad and traumatic as everyone says it is. Can ramble on at times, but not in a way that’s detrimental to the book. The kind of story where you’ll have to put it down and take breaks. It was described to me as an essential gay read, but I didn’t see it that way. 

The story, to me, was largely about abuse and how it can bleed out from what happens to one person throughout their life and into the lives of the people around them; how it can spread. Yes, I believe abuse to be a part of the queer community in a way that historically it is not in the straight community (speaking as a queer woman), but I do not think of abuse as the sole most important aspect of queerness or even queer history. This is all to say that yes, the characters are queer, and yes, abuse is prevalent,  but a story about queer people being abused does not automatically define it as a book about queerness. If anything, I found it to be more about the abuse of the disabled, be that mentally or physically, and how abuse in childhood will inevitably follow a person into not just their adult life but the lives of everyone they keep close. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Ableism, Hate crime, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Chronic illness, Gore, Trafficking, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Drug use, Rape, Child death, Cursing, Death, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Confinement, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Be careful while reading. Take breaks.

cassiopeiacaeli's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.25

Just because a book is sad, doesn't mean it is good.

On a purely craft level, it annoys me. This entire book is supposed to be character-driven, but the characters are either incredibly bland or incredibly unbelievable. Jude especially annoyed me. His backstory started off sad, but eventually got so laughably outlandish that I couldn't even care about how much he suffered. This book is only suffering. Half of the content warnings/triggers available on this app included on this one book.

This book also just makes me so angry. What was the point of writing this? What message was the author intending to send? Regardless of what message Yanagihara intended, the message actually told in the book was that eventually a depressed person's suffering gets to the point where their only option is to kill themself. What kind of message is that. Why is it being praised. I find it especially interesting that Yanagihara has not done a single but of research on the heavy topics she deals with, but that she is seemingly proud of her lack of research.

This book and all of Yanagihara's other books are about gay men who get abused and suffer. The best descriptor I can come up for Yanagihara is Fujoshi. Not in the more modern definition of the term as one for someone who enjoys a lot of bl, but the original meaning of a Fujoshi: a straight woman who fetishizes gay men. Yanagihara only writes about the suffering of gay men. Something which she has both not experienced and not researched. Honestly, if this book was adapted into an anime or manga, it's plot would fit perfectly with other badly written yaoi.

Was this book sad? Yes. Does its plot and message hold any value (to me)? No. 

This book disgusts me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Trafficking, Violence, Grief, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Ableism, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Toxic relationship

iiheartmariah's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Car accident, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Hate crime, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Addiction, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Death, Terminal illness, and Self harm

sage_3's review against another edition

dark emotional sad slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

i tried so hard to not read this book. to never pick it up. i couldnt :). and now after finishing it i feel so empty from inside. i cried a lot while reading the last 3 chapters. i cried at the ending of it. and now i wanna cry again at the thought that i cant read more of it because i finished it but there are no more tears left in me. i would be sobbing on the floor right now if i could get my tears to form. but alas. i cant in good conscience recommend this to anyone because i think no one should ever read this book. if you decide to read it still just know that when people were telling you it’s heavy and were crying on the internet because of it, it wasnt a marketing strategy. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Vomit, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Ableism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Torture, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, Sexual content, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Trafficking

i beg you dont try reading this. if you do please proceed with extreme caution

sallyrooneystanclub's review against another edition

medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Self harm, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Car accident, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Rape, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, and Alcoholism

whenthepawnhits's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

5.0

WHAT THE FUCK IM GENUIENLY SHOCKEF? I HAD HOPE!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicide, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Car accident and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Ableism

sarahoza's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Self harm, Violence, Sexual assault, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Pedophilia, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Child abuse, and Blood

stephanieelyse'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

This book is certainly thought provoking in that I have a lot of thoughts…

How is JB the only one who had a drug addiction? 
That is certainly a lot of villains in one persons life.
The Dr Traylor section felt like part of a horror novel.
Being a top litigator defending big pharma…and still being a sympathetic character…is certainly a testament to good writing. 
Did that need to be included?
Did THAT need to be included? 
Did I need to read that, really?
I have heard the author has some…opinions…on therapy, but I feel like this is a strong argument for making therapy more accessible to be able to support survivors early and throughout…

It’s a book I don’t feel I could ever recommend to anyone, I feel like there are much less traumatising character studies that are just as impactful, if not more so. 
The moments expanding and exploring the characters friendships and relationships were very well done and a true highlight. 
Harold was my favourite character by far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Rape, Eating disorder, Death, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Minor: Cancer

bailliemayberry's review against another edition

2.25

I have never read a book with as much tragedy as this one. It was really hard for me to get through because of how dark the twists were and how casually they were dropped in. There really should be a trigger warning at the beginning of the book rather than just online because the depth of detail was just not right. I understand Yanagihara's approach in wanting it to be confronting, she wants her story to have a significant impact on the reader, but some of the descriptions were just unnecessary and disgusting.

I will not be recommending this to anybody nor will I be re-reading it at any point in my life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Child death, Racism, Ableism, Pedophilia, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Gaslighting