2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

Pages: 720 pages

Length: 1 month (November)

Participants: Valerie, TerryJane, Maria

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Hi TerryJane and Maria, this is a long book so I’m planning to start it a few days early (Monday or Tuesday of next week) but read it gradually over the month interspersed with other books. Everyone says it’s beautiful but intense so I’ll probably need some breaks.

I'm so interested to see the discussion here! I read this last year and have never been so emotional while reading. I was angry, frustrated, disgusted and heartbroken...its traumatic y'all.
Slow to start but there's a method to Yanagihara's madness for sure when you allow yourself time to absorb what's happening. She made me feel like I knew these characters in real life and I still think about this book and the characters within often.
It was honestly the bittersweet moments that left me a sobbing mess the most. The writing is truly beautiful.
Good luck sweet reader friends!

I am also interested in what you think. it is traumatic and emotional but also SO GOOD, even at 800+ pages I could have read more

Hello, yes, I hear that people shed tears reading this book. I’m glad I have you readers to read along with. I will be starting early as well tonight since it’s such a big book. Looking forward to reading everyone’s thoughts on this.

Part 1. I flew through this part - her writing is just so good, flowing, witty, with just the right balance of critical and compassionate. This group of friends have such an interesting dynamic- each very different but somehow compatible. The interplay of support and closeness with concealment and avoidance will be crucial I feel.

Part 2. Just so incredibly moving, it takes you through so many different and contrasting emotions (view spoiler)[ my heart was in my mouth until he was safely adopted. I dreaded something going wrong (hide spoiler)]

I read a little yesterday (still in part 1), and I'll be reading shorter books over the weekend for the readathon before getting back to this one.

Part 3. Didn’t find this part as immersive but it was interesting to see the focus shift to other characters (view spoiler)[ Willam seems such a kind and gentle soul - difficult to imagine him in the tough world of acting- but yes his relationship with Jude does seem rather obsessive, almost like an excuse for not having other relationships. JB is obnoxious and very difficult to care about - he’s lucky his friends do - constantly blaming others for his problems and totally self centred. (hide spoiler)]

Part 4. Incredibly powerful and utterly devastating. (view spoiler)[ the strength of this narrative is that we are able to understand the behaviour of victims of abuse like Jude. The way predators groom their prey, playing on their insecurities and low self esteem so that they remain in situations is sickening but quite believable in his case. I’d like to think things will improve for him despite the damage. Maybe talking to Willam is a first step. (hide spoiler)]

Valerie wrote: "Part 4. Incredibly powerful and utterly devastating. [spoilers removed]"

Ugh, thinking about part 4 gives me chills.
I'm holding my breath for you as you continue on Valerie! I found it hard to put down from then on...

Valerie, I had a similar edge-of-my-seat feeling with Part 2. I am currently in Part 3 Chapter 1, so I won't view your comment just yet.

Part 5. So what is the definition of happiness? Certainly plenty to think about. (view spoiler)[ I have very mixed feelings about this part. On the one hand I appreciate the exploration of finding happiness (or at least contentment) even in extreme circumstances. But I feel that the level of suffering, and especially the death of Willem is unnecessarily cruel to Jude. I’m not sure what the author’s intention is here. (hide spoiler)]

Valerie wrote: "Part 5. So what is the definition of happiness? Certainly plenty to think about. [spoilers removed]"

I thought that part was a little too much too. I read it several years ago but if I remember correctly the plot after that could have moved forward the way she wanted without that event

Finished. I’ll be interested to see what others think of the ending (view spoiler)[ Jude killing himself was probably inevitable but not sure why the author kept him alive and suffering for so long in that case. To be honest, these last two parts seemed rather superfluous to me. He could have been released after Willem died without really changing the underlying narrative of the novel (hide spoiler)]
Overall (view spoiler)[ an incredibly powerful book which has its moments of beauty and hope but is ultimately grim and unrelenting in its depiction of abuse and its legacy. I did find the story immersive and compelling but I would have liked at least a glimmer of light at the end (hide spoiler)]

I am in the middle of Part 4. 😢 Hoping to finish tomorrow.

Valerie wrote: "Finished. I’ll be interested to see what others think of the ending [spoilers removed]
Overall [spoilers removed]"

I agree that (view spoiler)[ it was painful that she kept Jude alive for so long when it seemed clear he was determined to kill himself, I didn't think the last sections were superfluous. What I thought was unnecessary is also killing Malcolm and his wife. The writing, to me, was so beautiful despite the pain of the novel that even after 874 pages I did not want it to end...I gladly would have read 100 more pages about JB to keep it going (hide spoiler)]
I was excited for her next novel, To Paradise, but unfortunately it has not held my attention the same way. I guess it could be classified as DNF, but I'm going to pick it up again soon and finish it for a TBR jar prompt (DNF but still want to read)

Denise wrote: "Valerie wrote: "Finished. I’ll be interested to see what others think of the ending [spoilers removed]
Overall [spoilers removed]"

I agree that [spoilers removed]
I was excited for her next novel,..."
I have read To Paradise. It’s beautifully written but more than a little difficult to follow (although it does sort of make sense by the end). A very different type of book from this one, it reminded me of Cloud Atlas.

It took a long time, but I finished today and just read through the rest of your comments. Whew.

The ending, (view spoiler)[ not the suicide itself, but Jude's letters to Harold and Julia, ripped me apart even more than how he reached that point. His apology for who and what he had been, though he was just a child and not at all to blame, will sit with me for ages. (hide spoiler)]

I have yet to read To Paradise, but I recently read her The People in the Trees, which was based on a real person. As with this one, the writing was gorgeous, but I'm left with mental images that I can never un-see.

I just finished part 1. Wow, I’ve noticed this author has long descriptive sentences. I loved how JB called himself a camera. So cool how he made those photos he took of his friends into paintings. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the painting being stroked. Such a deep group of characters so far. I realize I probably won’t finish the book by the end of this month because it’s a more thoughtful read but I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts!