Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

3280 reviews

darlingsaf's review against another edition

dark 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: Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

kimikreil's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment

daddylonglegz's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, and Abandonment

suryac's review

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I don't know where to start with this. I have read critically acclaimed books before that I genuinely loved reading but later learnt that most people don't like the book. But "A Little Life" is the opposite of that. I don't understand how this book is well-reviewed and popular when it is so bad. While I appreciate the author’s effort to tackle complex themes and create layered characters, the execution was lacking in several key areas. Also the blurb for this book is absolutely misleading. When I pick up a 720 pages book with the blurb which states that the book is going to explore a group of friends over the years, I expect it to focus on each of the friends separately and not just one person, even if that one person is connected to them all.

One of the most troubling aspects was the way the author handled the characters. Individuals who were portrayed as "good" or morally upright by other characters were actually deeply flawed—sometimes even terrible. I get that flawed characters can add depth and nuance to a story, but the lack of acknowledgment or exploration of these flaws felt jarring and, at times, unsettling. It left me questioning the author’s intent and message.

Additionally, the overarching themes in the book felt overwhelmingly bleak. Rather than offering a nuanced perspective or a sense of balance, the narrative seemed to insist that there is no hope. While I understand that not every story needs to have a happy ending, the relentless negativity made the reading experience feel oppressive. It’s one thing to reflect on the harsh realities of life, but another to seemingly dismiss the possibility of growth, redemption, or light amidst the darkness. At times it felt like the author wanted to dismiss that possibility just for the sake of dismissing it and every hardships that Jude endures felt exaggerated, to the point that I was desensitized by the end. It's also troubling that there's no trigger warnings available for this book from the author or the publisher.

In the end, I felt disconnected from the story and its characters. This book had so much potential to end up a sone of the best books I've read in a while, but ultimately it fell short due to its handling of character dynamics and the overall tone. I know some readers may resonate with the narrative, but this book wasn’t for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Abandonment

lineah's review

sad slow-paced

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

0.5

half star because the writing style is beautiful, but wow no thanks

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Suicide attempt

yum1_2'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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

acgarci2's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

iveyrenee's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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? Yes

4.0

I lost track of how many times I cried reading this book so many emotions so sad so frustrated just so much only not 5 starts because I have to reread multiple parts because the random pov shifts caught me off guard sometimes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

kamholcombe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was moving, heartbreaking and raw. I think it's one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, and Sexual assault

emmabellex's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Suicide attempt