Deeply disturbing and yet i couldn't stop reading

This book isn't for everyone and there were times when I had to put it down because the violence was so graphic, but I was compelled by it and felt like I'd lost something when it ended. There are plot holes and developments that don't ring true, but for all that the story surged forward. It's a hard one to recommend, given the lack of redemption, the violence, the relentlessness of suffering, but it's an engrossing story and a totally immersive experience.

22 people found this helpful

Devastating but brilliant

This book is both one of the best books I've read for ages and completely awful! The story is totally compelling and the characters are real and memorable and, in many cases, wonderful. But you will need therapy and/or a duvet day or two to get over the trauma of reading it. If you think you've read the most upsetting part, you are wrong. There is much worse to come. I think relentless is the best way to describe it. I loved it and I would recommend it, but don't say I didn't warn you.

31 people found this helpful

Exhausting and difficult read.

This books grips one from the start, but from about halfway through, I thought I had never read repetition like this before. It was as if the main character, Jude's constant stream of thoughts had become too much, too repetitive. I have never read the phrase "I am sorry so many times in one book.
The writer, Hanya Yanigihara , was over indulging in her writing, her story. The 720 pages could have been cut by at least 200 pages.
An exhausting and difficult book to read and also to listen to on audio books.

12 people found this helpful

Don't listen if you need picking up

I found this book quite tough going, it is a pretty depressing subject matter and the tone of the narrator seems to amplify this. I found I was drifting off thinking of other things rather than listening to the book.

Still, I made it to the end, just.

10 people found this helpful

Relentlessly depressing

After investing 30 hours of my life listening to this book, I finally realised it was never going to get any better, that there was never going to be a redeeming moment when it was going to come together and Jude would finally get the moment he deserved. It just went on and on and on and rarely in all my life have I come across anyone who has been so ill used in the whole of their life.

Needless to say, I didn't finish the book and was really sorry I started it.

21 people found this helpful

Painful listening to a painful story

I cannot understand why this book is so long. It’s painful to say the least but lacks poignancy for the most part. I cannot understand Judes relationship with Howard, after all those years together, did he not feel Howard deserved some warmth and connection? The women in this book may as well not be there and why the hell did Jude trust that abusive guy, I can’t remember his name because I finished it a couple of months ago. He was adamant throughout his teenage life, in spite of having wonderful, sometimes flawed but not abusive relationships with his close friends. I can’t understand his rejection of the artist guy because it was on the basis of stupid behaviour which happened when he was under the influence of DRUGS. He was not in control. Too long by far. And, we needed to have more reference to why all these people loved Jude. The story of Judes abuse is heartbreaking and left me on the edge, but other than that I didn’t like it. I’m sorry.............

7 people found this helpful

Shocking, heartbreaking, brilliant.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book but with the proviso that it is a book that will possibly upset you, shock you, horrify you. But it will grab you by the throat and not let go until the last page. And even then it will haunt you for a long time. It is not a book that you can listen to quickly and is best listened to in long stretches, concentrating on all the nuances and detailed layers of character and plot.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Little Life?

There are too many moments, many of them brutal and shocking, to mention. This story is complicated and told from more than one viewpoint and is a tour de force of visceral writing. I can still see many of the pivotal moments playing out in my head. For me it was a very ' visual' story.

Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favourite?

Oliver Wyman is a terrific, gifted narrator and he managed to make every character come alive. Jude, the main protagonist, was believable and I became totally immersed in his story. But for me the character who caught myattention the most was Willem, Jude's best friend, protector and partner. He was the epitome of what true friendship should be and I cried for him, laughed with him, rooted for him, empathised with him and all because of the way in which the narrator portrayed him.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

One little life, four huge hearts.

Any additional comments?

This is a story of love, friendship, sexuality, relationships, culture, disability, discrimination and abuse (of all descriptions) and all tied up in the lives of four men who meet at a small American college. They remain friends for the rest of their lives, with various ups and downs, and forge bonds that see them through the need to support Jude, and the mysteries that surround his early life. It is a fantastic read, one that will make you laugh and cry, one that will make you dread the next sentence, one that will make you flinch and question what you know about people and what it means to be human.
I will definitely listen to this again. One of my top five books of 2015.

17 people found this helpful

Wow!!

Fantastic book, but quite harrowing and difficult to listen to in places. The story flowed beautifully, and although it was a very long book, still I didn't want it to end, and could have listened for another 10 hours quite easily.
The narrator can make or break an audio book for me, and this one definitely made it.

16 people found this helpful

Just not for me.

Too long and I found myself becoming more and more irritated by the 'goodness 'of the characters and annoyed by the over use of 'Im sorry. I'm so sorry' .. also didn't buy the Jude story really. But it was beautifully crafted and read really well. Sure lots of people will love it

9 people found this helpful

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry”. If I have to hear this one more time, I fear I’ll retch!!!

I’m not sure if I’ve been listening the same book as others who have given it such rave reviews. Thank heavens Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize over this tripe.

I rolled my eyes so many times I saw my hippocampus.

This story is as unbelievable as it is repetitive and banal. It is unanchored in history despite following the characters for several decades.
It is also very unrealistic - all four men are highly successful (winning oscars, showing at the MoMA etc) and are a melting pot of races and so sexually fluid - just to tick those diversity boxes eh.

Jude, the main character, is a selfish bore and I got incredibly irritated having to listen to, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry” over and over and over and over again - not just from the insipid Jude but from all characters.

To sum this up in one word: YAWN. I’m off to listen to the genius that is Stephen King to remind of what great literature is...

2 people found this helpful