Any one else read/reading A Little Life

[minifingerz]

... by Hanya Yanagihara?

Two thirds of the way through the 700 odd pages of it and both loving it but worrying about where it's going.

[mugglebumthesecond]

Oh gosh I'm half way through and it hits a nerve-she has got Jude spot on, this is how abuse victims function and it destroys their life forever.

Apart from that, I find it unrealistic. all his friends are very good friends to him and they're all very rich!

[myfriendnoel]

I really enjoyed it but I found Willem, although very likeable, a tad unrealistic.

[DeliveredByKiki]

Should specify - she captured the inner, mental lifetime of torture Jude was subjected, and subjected himself to. His total inability to see himself as anything other than what his childhood had taught him he was, was devastating

[DeliveredByKiki]

Jumping before this thread becomes zombified to see if there are any new readers?

I just put it down and I'm frustrated because I found the writing itself got repetitive and indulgent which took away from the story for me, especially during "The Happy Years". Every sodding time something happened we got the list of their friends who never actually make any further appearances and I don't know, with the exception of JB and Jude I found all the characters so one dimensional and pigeon holed into good and bad. Harold and Willem were just so goddamn "good" with no apparent flaws at all.

Obviously it was upsetting but I tend to work in a dark realm anyway, but I did think she captured the torture of Jude brilliantly, and also the confusion and capriciousness of JB, his inner conflicts were so real and honest.

The reveals were done really well too - when you finally learn about Dr Traylor, just heartbreaking.

But I did get bored with the incessant flow of riches and success for absolutely every single character....

[moogdroog]

Glad to find this thread. Read it for book club last Easter, got through it in about 6 days to the detriment of the rest of my life/family. Utterly absorbing, broke my heart over and over again, and then again for good measure. It's really stayed with me since then. Urgh. A wonderful, sad book, but it was the highest rated book in our book club ever.

We've just read Life after Life in book club too (good, but flawed) and I'm eyeing up A God in Ruins - interested to read that people thought they were similar.

A Little Life had similarities to The Goldfinch for me (up to a point anyway).

[GeorgeHerbert]

I read it, loved it, was heartbroken by it.
Ada I used to work with abuse survivors and I'm afraid things that are portrayed in the book do happen in real life - it's just too difficult for most people to think about. I think she was brave to tackle some of the themes she did.

[EenyMeenyMo]

I loved it- not sure i could reread it as it was very upsetting.
as an aside I was really surprised to find out the author was a woman - it just seemed odd not sure why ...i think it was the lack of female characters -
I don't think Kate Atkinson compares - i read the year of the runaways just after a little life and loved that too

[PhoenixRisingSlowly]

I sobbed unrestrainedly after finishing it. The bit about the letter in between the books just tore me up as well. I felt like I was really grieving, like proper huge sadness and loss.
I actually started out listening to it but switched to the physical book as I didn't dig the narrator much and found him too sloooow and a tad robotic. Loved the book so much. I think it is my favourite book this year, and for a long while. It certain;y wasn't perfect, but it's one of those books that grabs you by the lapels and won't let go. I'm still sad about it and I finished it a few weeks ago.

[tigerdog]

I found it utterly heartbreaking but a good read. I don't think A God in Ruins compares, but that was my first Kate Atkinson and I'm not sure I like her style.

Any recommendations for another heartbreaker?!

[bumpetybumpbumpbump]

Has anyone listento it? Want to read but have credits to use

[Shitonyoursofa]

I loved it, my favourite book in a very long time, but if totally broke me. Spent an entire afternoon in bed sobbing and couldn't get some of it out of my mind for days. Yes, some of it was a bit unbelievable, but for me the writing and the relationships between the characters were really touching. I'm welling up just thinking about it!

[CreamTeaFor4]

Oh no, A God In Ruins is by Kate whatchamacallit and I hated Life After Life, promised myself I would never read another one of hers again. Oh well.

pinocchio it took me a while to start the second time, but the characters were so strong and stayed with me after the first reading that I felt compelled to re-visit.

[pinocchiosnose]

Cream that's interesting that you've re-read it. As soon as I finished I thought I'd never read it again but like you said I'm sure I've missed things the first time round. I may reconsider.

[CreamTeaFor4]

I read it a year ago and have just finished re-reading it. I absolutely loved it.

At first I thought the pace was too slow, but by the end I was in tears and actually sobbing. I don't care that it's incredibly manipulative, it was beautifully written and I found it very thoughtful as well as thought provoking.

She wrote about grief, in its many manifestations, so touchingly. I thought it an incredible book.

The second reading for me, was just as emotional (I had to wait several months to pluck up the courage to approach it again) and I found more details that I missed the first time around. I could savour the characters more but it was just as heart breaking. Despite it being a long book, I still want more of the characters.

Unfortunately I went and read her first book and found that a disappointment. Hopefully her third will be equally impressive though, I will definitely try her work again after A Little Life.

Sounds like I should try A God In Ruins. Has anyone read Wally Lamb's "I know this much is true"? A book of similar depth and feel to A Little Life I think.

[EllaHen]

I started it a dew months ago. Got a couple of hundreds of pages in and took a break, with the intention of going back to it. Don't know if I will.

Loved Willem.

[MermaidofZennor]

I came across this blog from the Picador publishers website about A Little Life - it links photos and locations to the novel.

Link here

[AgentProvocateur]

Yes, I loved A Little Life. It has stayed with me, and I finished it months ago. It took a couple of weeks for the sense of melancholy to go after I'd finished it. Beautifully written, and so rare to read a book about enduring male friendships.

[pinocchiosnose]

I read it a while ago .I thought it was very good though I'm not entirely sure I could say I enjoyed it. I found a few of the things in it slightly unrealistic but I read it in such a short space of time that I clearly found it unputdownable.

Cheerful books? I read A Man called Ove after a recommendation on here. There are some sad bits but in general It was a nice book and quite funny as well.

[minifingerz]

"All that stuff that was supposed to have happened to Jude was just rubbish."

Sadly, severe and prolonged sexual and physical abuse is something that some children in the care system have experienced.

[minifingerz]

Just finished it. (Audio book so have got through it very fast).



I've actually gone out and bought a packet of high strength St John's Wort and taken one. The book has made me feel really sad.

It's fundamentally an epic exploration of emotional and physical suffering, friendship, love, and the inability of friendship and love to cure some kinds of damage, namely that inflicted in childhood.

I'll make a donation to the NSPCC and try to find something cheerful to read next. Any suggestions?

[GeorgeTheThird]

I'm afraid it does get sadder, op. Best get the tissues ready.

[AdaLovelacesCat]

I thought it was an utter load of old toilet, a novel with NO research.
All that stuff that was supposed to have happened to Jude was just rubbish.
I have no respect for a novelist who actually admits to doing zero research.

[minifingerz]

"I like the way the book slowly reveals Jude's past. The last part is heartbreaking, worse than On the Beach"

I'm now 3/4 of the way through. Have found out about how his leg and back injuries occurred, and Jude is in recovery from his amputation. Please don't let it get any sadder.

I love Willem.

[Ericaequites]

It's meant to be about Harvard grads in the rarified and insular world of New York. Quite often, there are fewer than six degrees of separation there, especially for childless folk. I like the way the book slowly reveals Jude's past. The last part is heartbreaking, worse than On the Beach.

[Myfanwyprice]

I've recently read this and thought it was very good, the characters have really stayed with me and I felt bereft when I finished it.