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A Little Life

Hanya Yanagihara

Start date: January 1, 2025

Finish date: January 31, 2025

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What Members Thought

Sep 11, 2015 Cynthia Shannon added it

Oh dear. I wanted to like this book--and I did like this book--until half-way through when I realized this wasn't an epic story about 'four classmates who move to New York to make their way,' but really the Willem and Jude story. And yes, I cried ("He told me he was playing tennis" "He told me that too") but towards the end I was just (and this is going to make you think I'm a horrible person) so done with hearing how bad things were for Jude. The poor guy didn't catch a break! Ever! It reminded Oh dear. I wanted to like this book--and I did like this book--until half-way through when I realized this wasn't an epic story about 'four classmates who move to New York to make their way,' but really the Willem and Jude story. And yes, I cried ("He told me he was playing tennis" "He told me that too") but towards the end I was just (and this is going to make you think I'm a horrible person) so done with hearing how bad things were for Jude. The poor guy didn't catch a break! Ever! It reminded me of a play I once wrote in high school, which my theater teacher read and told me it basically sucked because it was just so sad and had no redeeming qualities. (view spoiler) I wanted to throw my Kindle at that point and end the book right there. Was this an experiment in how many bad things can happen to a fictional character, and how many people would read it?

Also, this annoyed the crap out of me, but why does Harold write to Willem? "I always liked you the most" --what the heck does that mean? I did like how the author moved the story forward but I would have loved to get more of the other people's perspectives, like Malcolm (remember him?) and JB. And there were no women in the story. I mean, there were, but they played second fiddle. I'm unclear on what the take-away is of the book, too. I mean, friendship, ok; but (view spoiler) So it's not really friendship but more like, oh I don't know; trusting people? Even when they hurt you? Or not trusting people, and making them prove over and over again how you should trust them? Gah! I'm so confused.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first half of this book, which was an engrossing read, but I wish it had been edited a bit better so that the second half was as good as the first. No stars (for now) because I'm still trying to figure out my feelings on this one. I didn't not like it, but I can't think of anyone I'd recommend this book to, least of all my loved ones. ...more

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Sep 24, 2015 Karen D rated it it was amazing

Shelves: family, favorite, friends, cried-ugly-tears, romance, 5-stars, sex-crimes, zzliteraryfiction

This book is over 700 pages long, and it still left me wanting more. I won't go into the details of the storyline, since that's covered in the summary and honestly does not to the novel justice. It is so much more than what it sounds like.

It is an immense undertaking, but to me, what others portray as a negative, I actually see as a positive aspect of the book. The storyline spans decades, and you get really detailed insights into the characters' lives (by the end it focused on fewer of them, b ...more

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Aug 12, 2016 Lee Goldberg rated it really liked it

I've never read a book quite like A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, which follows four college friends from post grad into their fifties and is a whopping 800 pages long. I knew going into the book that it would be very depressing, since the main character Jude has a past so heartbreaking that it was difficult to read at times. There were moments I wanted to give up on this book, since the author has a tendency to spend too much time describing tragedy, sometimes very graphically, and I felt th ...more

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Oct 13, 2022 Anna Bee rated it it was amazing

I rarely write reviews but this book touched me so deeply and broke my heart into a million pieces. I will never quite be the same. As sad as it is, the writing, insight and structure are top notch.

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