Glenn’s review of A Little Life > Likes and Comments

Initial thoughts? Been putting it off as it didn't really appeal but picked it up based on the Man Booker hype, now I'm wondering whether to wait or move it down my reading list. Am curious about what you think so far and looking forward to your final review.

Hi Mj: Understandable! It's certainly getting lots of hype. It's absorbing, affecting and certainly readable - Yanagihara is a skilled, perceptive writer. But I'm not sure I BELIEVE these characters. It reads like an urban fantasy, a fairy tale. And it seems to exist outside of time - there are no markers about when it's happening. That said, there's a brilliant speech about the purpose of law and there are some dead-on descriptions of art projects.

Glenn, Thanks for the input. Sounds like there's much more than violence and coming of age. Skill and perception are definitely good things!

Hi Glenn, the high and low rating readers of this book, coincide in a depressing, saddest etc and it is 700 plus pages book. Kind of remind me of Bleak House by C. Dickens, I am looking forward to your review.

Well said. Completely agree.

Excellent points, Glenn. I think, more than any other review I've read, yours lets me know what I'll be in for if I decide to read this.

@Dianne: Thanks! This was such a difficult book to review. I just added a little something at the end about why I think it's caught on.

@Julie: Thanks, Julie. That means a lot! Really curious to see what you think.

Great review Glenn. I loved this book but you have some really great points in your review. :)

I am a five star junkie on this book Glenn and totally get where you are coming from. I did find however that reading this in bubble land removed all the necessities that you look for in others. Like it was all set in a snow cone. Some parts I thought why would you do that? How could Jude not feel completely compelled to draw trust and energy from these people that love him.. Then I would drag myself back to the snow cone that HY had built me and I understood.

@Jennifer and @Adele: Thanks! I know you both loved this book. Thanks for reading mine. And nice image of the "snow cone," Adele! At times it really did feel like we were in a bubble.

I loved this , Glenn and it was a five star read for me , one of the most affecting book I've ever read . But I respect and appreciate your views . We all can't love em all !

Great review, Glenn. This is on my list, and I feel that you have given me a very balanced overview. Thanks!

Great review Glenn I love your balance sheet approach. It matches up well with what I liked and didn't like about this book

Fantastic review, Glenn. You made your case well!

oh yes, Glenn, you nailed it. I thought exactly the same things. Why on earth were they friends, and stay that way? What was it about Jude that made them stick so tightly together? He gave them nothing. And the implausibility factors kept disrupting my suspension of belief. Your last paragraph summarises it nicely. I think this has been buoyed along by immense waves of hype. I doubt it will stand up to scrutiny in a few years time. You are not alone!

Thanks Glenn for taking time to write such an excellent in depth review. Makes me think about reassessing reading the book. Had decided no. Now I'm a maybe at the "right" time.

How ironic that the face on the cover you mentioned was what initially turned me off. My impression was that the man was in a lot of pain and closing his eyes because he wanted to shut the world out versus being ecstatic (even if in turmoil). Just shows how interpretive and impactful art and covers can be.

An equitable review, Glenn. As impressive as ever!

@Angela M: Thanks for reading my review, Angela, and for the genuine insights in your review. I think a lot of fiction is about empathy, and HY really gets us to empathize with Jude. I found the book painful to read at times, and it pushed a lot of buttons. This is definitely a book to share and talk about. I'm glad I experience it, even if I didn't rate it as highly as many.

@Cindy and @Diane: Thanks so much for your comments. Look forward to hearing what you think about the book and for keeping the conversation going!

Sometimes I think all of the Man Booker prizes are awarded to the most conceited books. There is so much blindness in conceit.

You're review is excellent Glenn! Thank you.

@Joachim: Thanks for that link! It's nice to know she did intend it as a sort of fairy tale!

I tried the ebook from the library but couldn't really get into it. I plan to try with the print version once the paperback comes out, see if that makes a difference. I feel like this book should be up my alley...

Thank you for this review. I think I will pass on this book for now.

I really enjoyed your review, Glenn! I'm looking forward to plunging into it . . . sort of. The submersion in abuse does give me pause. But I'm gonna try! This is totally premature of me to speculate on, but I would suspect that it will become a very influential book over the next several years, as writers decide to push into emotional and scenic territory commonly deprecated at melodrama and sentimentalism. And maybe push super-dark material as well. And get bigger advances for these books. Yes, I am doing that thing that was the subject of a book several years back, "How to Talk about Books You Haven't Read."

@Cheryl: Thanks for your note, Cheryl. I wondered for a while if Jude was some Christ figure in a religious allegory. His friends loved him because he radiated some goodness? Because yeah, I didn't see why people were drawn to him. He really didn't, as you say, give them much. And call me cold-hearted, but I didn't believe the adoption for one moment.

@Mj: Thanks! Do try to read it - but yes, find the right time. I think Yanagihara and her publisher are playing on the contradictions in the cover image. It's disturbing and yet, when you read the title, also intriguing. Much like the book itself.

@Kevin: Thanks, sir. I wonder how the book's doing in the UK. I'm sure the Booker nomination helped it immensely. Curious what you think if you decide to read it!

Glenn, I appreciate your thoughtful review. I'm firmly in the 5-star camp on this one, but it was interesting to note your criticisms. It just proves again how diverse readers' reactions can be.

Josef wrote: "Sometimes I think all of the Man Booker prizes are awarded to the most conceited books. There is so much blindness in conceit."

Josef: Interesting. I am curious about this year's Booker winner, A Brief History of Seven Killings.

@Melanie: Thanks! Really liked your review too. And I agree, this book isn't necessarily for everyone.

@Jaclyn: I tried when it first came out and couldn't get into it, either. The great thing about eBooks is the size isn't overwhelming. I think you'll get something out of it. And judging from the number of books you read, you're a fast reader!

@Brad: I don't think we've heard the last from Yanagihara yet. She's definitely talented. But in an interview she said she wasn't working on another book.

Glenn wrote: "@Kevin: Thanks, sir. I wonder how the book's doing in the UK. I'm sure the Booker nomination helped it immensely. Curious what you think if you decide to read it!"
Glenn, I would love to read most of the books that you've critiqued. Your reviews are so mouth-wateringly entertaining, they elicit some type of Pavlovian reflex in me. Unfortunately I'm super-busy with writing right now.
That being said, I thumbed through a book in my local library yesterday that sent me weak-kneed with desire; Carlos Ruiz Zafron: The Prisoner of Heaven.
It was right up my strasse!
Will definitely return to that one when I find the time.

Normally a reviewer will point out things that make me like a book more. You have just done the opposite. Your points are well taken and substantiated. Well done Glenn. And don't worry, many will love you for saying what you have said.

@Marian: Intriguing theory! I think you're right about pushing the limits of material. Perhaps it's related to the rise and popularity of the memoir? And LOL @ talking about books you haven't read. Hey, we do it all the time.

I'm wondering if the lack of historical context was by design? Although it would still be valid as a dislike!

@Terri: Thanks! That's the great thing about this site. So interesting to read others' thoughts. This would be a great book club read. Lots to discuss.

@Carol: Sorry for making you like the book less. :( I'm glad I read it and I will definitely read HY's other works. Maybe this was a case of me expecting too much?

@Ashley: Yes, Joachim above pointed out that the lack of historical context was intentional. Which I find intriguing. I did consider it almost like a fable. But with an emotional and psychological realism. Still glad I read it!

I just read Joachim's response. Interesting!

Great review, Glenn! I absolutely loved this book and savored everything about it but did wonder about the length. These characters affected me so much that I wouldn't have wanted to spend less time with them but it was a lot to endure. The points you raised were tremendously interesting--some I considered while reading, some I never thought of. Thanks for your insights...I tend to be the outlier when there are books everyone (critics and readers) love, so it's nice to see the in-depth analysis of another!!

Kirin wrote: "Great review, Glenn. You expressed a lot of great points. I rated the book 4 stars based on my initial reaction. But days later, after recovering from the hollow feeling the book left me, I became ..."

Thanks, Kirin: I actually did write the phrase "torture porn" while I was reading some sections (but thought it would be a little extreme to include in a review). And like you, at times I did feel angry and manipulated. Glad to know I wasn't the only one! (But yes, Yanagihara can definitely write.) Thanks for your comment!

Esil wrote: "Great review Glenn I love your balance sheet approach. It matches up well with what I liked and didn't like about this book"

Thanks, Esil! Your review brought up many of these same points. I also questioned whether Jude could realistically become such a great litigator, but I accepted it as a metaphor – i.e., because bad things happened to him, he's determined to seek justice for others (although this would have been more satisfying had he been defending the defenceless, and not rich people).

Lisa wrote: "What a great review!"

Thanks, Lisa!

Larry wrote: "Great review, Glenn! I absolutely loved this book and savored everything about it but did wonder about the length. These characters affected me so much that I wouldn't have wanted to spend less tim..."

Thanks, Larry! Yours was one of the first reviews I read, and the one that initially got me excited about the book. Despite my criticisms, I must say that the book has stayed with me. And when I go to NYC next time, I'll likely walk on Lispenard St and stare at the fire escapes ;)

I just finished, and held off reading your review until I was done, but you express many of the problems with this book very well. I think for me, at the end of the day, the way Yanagihara made me feel dwarfs any frustrations I had with specific techniques or any of the other issues you called out - for me, the lifestyle porn was the hardest to surmount - but no one should hate you for this review!

@Brandon: Haha! Thanks for your comments. Glad you liked the book. I'm definitely looking forward to Yanagihara's next one. And as I told someone else on here, next trip to NYC I'm gonna go walk along Lispenard St and look up at the fire escapes.

I appreciate the care you took with your review, Glenn. It was a pleasure to read, even though I remain firmly entrenched with my five star assessment. Your points were well made, clear and concise as to what you liked and did not like and why. Just what a book review should be.

Zoeytron wrote: "I appreciate the care you took with your review, Glenn. It was a pleasure to read, even though I remain firmly entrenched with my five star assessment. Your points were well made, clear and concise..."

Thanks, Zoeytron! Really liked your review, as well. I hope my book club chooses this to discuss. It'll be fascinating to look at all the different layers.

Yes, indeed it would. Thanks, Glenn.