Scan barcode
ortizzyy's review against another edition
slow-paced
5.0
Damn… I honestly don’t have words. The ending is so twisted. Despite knowing from the beginning what Norton is convicted of, the shock of reading his confession at the end is jarring. The research and background story of the Ivu’ivu/U’ivuan people is astounding for its realism. I am in shock at how believable it all was. Some of the content makes me feel weird saying this, but this definitely going on my list of favorite books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
hannahproctor's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
4.0
Preferred it to A Little Life. In just about every way.
dunnadam's review against another edition
1.0
I would recommend NOT reading this book. It has no point, many bad and terrible things happen, there are no likable characters. The book jacket gives away almost the entire plot. At 54% the narrator develops a theory that the turtles are causing longevity, this is given away on the jacket.
The book is not about longevity, it is a little about conquering a new people, mostly about things you won't want to read about.
There are about 100 footnotes, I read the first few and didn't care to read more, so I stopped, and then I thought if I'm not reading the footnotes, why am I reading the book itself? A thought I had many times as I was reading.
When I finished the book I was frustrated and upset. If I had been reading a paper copy instead of my Kindle I would have thrown the book across the room.
The book is not about longevity, it is a little about conquering a new people, mostly about things you won't want to read about.
There are about 100 footnotes, I read the first few and didn't care to read more, so I stopped, and then I thought if I'm not reading the footnotes, why am I reading the book itself? A thought I had many times as I was reading.
When I finished the book I was frustrated and upset. If I had been reading a paper copy instead of my Kindle I would have thrown the book across the room.
michaelwinstonclark's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence and Child abuse
trin's review against another edition
2.0
Even though this book is deeply unpleasant, I recall appreciating it when I read it (in 2013, the year it came out). The world building is imaginative and genuinely scary. But having read Yanagihara's follow-up, A Little goddamn Life, I actually like this less, because now I feel like I know the degree to which she just likes traumaporn. I weirdly miss the innocence with which I approached the horrors in this book, before I knew the author would only continue to return to this well; it is her sole source of water.
plantbetti's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
brisingr's review against another edition
3.0
This is like Lolita on crack; the tension in this book was utterly insane.
(do check trigger warnings before reading *any* of Hanya Yanagihara's works. If you're familiar with other of her books, well... this one was the worst)
(do check trigger warnings before reading *any* of Hanya Yanagihara's works. If you're familiar with other of her books, well... this one was the worst)