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To Paradise cover art

To Paradise

By: Hanya Yanagihara
Narrated by: BD Wong, Catherine Ho, Edoardo Ballerini, Feodor Chin, Kurt Kanazawa
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Publisher's Summary

The number one Sunday Times best seller and one of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2022

From Hanya Yanagihara, author of the modern classic A Little Life, To Paradise is a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.

In an alternate version of 1893 America, New York is part of the Free States, where people may live and love whomever they please (or so it seems). The fragile young scion of a distinguished family resists betrothal to a worthy suitor, drawn to a charming music teacher of no means. In a 1993 Manhattan besieged by the AIDS epidemic, a young Hawaiian man lives with his much older, wealthier partner, hiding his troubled childhood and the fate of his father. And in 2093, in a world riven by plagues and governed by totalitarian rule, a powerful scientist’s damaged granddaughter tries to navigate life without him–and solve the mystery of her husband’s disappearances.

These three sections are joined in an enthralling and ingenious symphony, as recurring notes and themes deepen and enrich one another: A townhouse in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village; illness, and treatments that come at a terrible cost; wealth and squalor; the weak and the strong; race; the definition of family, and of nationhood; the dangerous righteousness of the powerful, and of revolutionaries; the longing to find a place in an earthly paradise, and the gradual realization that it can’t exist. What unites not just the characters, but these Americas, are their reckonings with the qualities that make us human: Fear. Love. Shame. Need. Loneliness.

To Paradise is a fin-de-siecle novel of marvellous literary effect, but above all it is a work of emotional genius. The power of this novel is driven by Yanagihara’s understanding of the aching desire to protect those we love–partners, lovers, children, friends, family and even our fellow citizens–and the pain that ensues when we cannot.

©2022 Hanya Yanagihara (P)2022 Penguin Randomhouse LLC
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: LGBTQ+

Critic Reviews

"A future classic.... For those captivated by Yanagihara’s A Little Life, her next is equally gripping.... Ultimately, it asks the question: is love really all we need?" (Telegraph)

"To Paradise becomes unputdownable.... Amidst the worst travails and political pressures, the primacy of human bonds is irreducible, a truth that lies at the heart of this frightening and very beautiful novel." (Literary Review)

"To Paradise is a transcendent, visionary novel of stunning scope and depth. A novel so layered, so rich, so relevant, so full of the joys and terrors—the pure mystery - of human life, is not only rare, it’s revolutionary." (Michael Cunningham)

"After the painfully affecting [A Little Life] To Paradise gives us three stories far apart in space and time but each unique in their power to summon the joy and complexity of love, the pain of loss. I’m not sure I’ve ever missed the world of a book as much as I miss To Paradise now I’ve left it.... It’s rare that you get the opportunity to review a masterpiece, but To Paradise, definitively, is one." (Observer)

"Awe-inspiring.... The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down." (Daily Telegraph

What listeners say about To Paradise

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Boring

Tried to read this because it was best picked for a book club…. Only got a few chapters in and realise I would be wasting 20 something hrs of my life listening to this rubbish

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Timely, terrifying & beautiful.

“A Little Life”, Yanagihara’s acclaimed, devastatingly beautiful second novel, is what led me “To Paradise”. Both epic in scale, and both deeply upsetting at many points, these two novels otherwise couldn’t be more different. “To Paradise” reimagines post civil war US, with NY and surrounds becoming “free states” with some very progressive social structures. Same sex marriage is both legal and normalized by the late 19th century, yet most marriages are arranged rather than love matches. The book is divided into three parts, with the first taking place during this period, the second largely set in the mid ‘80s and the third (and by far largest) taking place in a very dystopian mid to late 21st century. There are many through lines within the narrative, including most character names constantly repeated throughout the three time periods. It’s a beautifully written read with some very complex and interesting characters. But Part 3 is not for the faint hearted. It’s a brutal portrait of a world brought to its knees by decades of viral pandemics and the formerly “free states” of the US now a dehumanising totalitarian government. Given what the world has been through over the past two years, it really is a tough read, imagining a future of seemingly never ending suffering and loss of even basic human rights. But interwoven into the entire narrative is the author’s deep humanity and compassion. I made the mistake of listening to the large chapters on my headphones while driving to work, and had to stop myself from bursting into tears as it was so deeply moving.

As for the audiobook performances, they are somewhat of a mixed bag. Part 1 is very well done, Part 2 improved when played at 1.2x speed and Part 3 was very good, but I found parts of BD Wong’s largely excellent performance became a bit histrionic for my taste. All in all it’s a very solid four stars all round, and a novel I feel may grow more in my estimations with a bit of separation and time.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

All makes sense in the world the author crafted

Did I care about the characters Yanagihara created? Not particularly. She knows how to take neediness and tragedy to a high level, and it can be draining to the listener, But she has three perfect universes with their own rules where everything has a purpose, and everything makes sense. Throw in an excellent use of the English language, and you're in for a treat.

The readers do a phenomenal job performing their roles.

I wish she hadn't relied so much on letters exchanges, particularly in Book 3.

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  • 06-03-2022

Epic

Like A little life, this takes the reader on a journey - shows us how change we think is permanent can be overturned; how plagues can decimate, climate change - the desire to live and survive are primal. So enjoyed it.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Powerful

Frightening, more so as it could easily come about.
Book 2 was a little slow but rewarding overall if you manage to push through to Book 3

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A great parable for the times

A complex, gripping, brilliantly written and prescient story of pandemics, politics, and love. Terrific performances.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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Soooooo depressing!

Very long and very depressing. I kept hoping for redemption by waiting to the end of the whole 30+ hours but alas it was not realised.
I LOVED a little life, which was also sad and horrific in ways but there was more joy as well.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Love this author, first two books were like cat nip for a reader, couldn’t put them down, even though both had disturbing subject matter. Don’t know if it’s listening rather than reading, but book three was the only engaging story and could/should have been the book. The rest dragged especially book two.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

I wasn't sure exactly what to expect after reading A Little Life & reading some of the To Paradise reviews.
I can say now, that I thoroughly & absolutely enjoyed this book from start to end. From the 3 similar but also vastly different parts, to the perfect narrators. I agree with some others that part 2 dragged on a little, however pushing through it to hear part 3 is well worth it. Hanya amazes me how she can imagine such worlds - even weeks after finishing this book I still find myself thinking back to it & wishing I could read it for the first time all over again.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Fine but dragged on for me

Interesting stories from queer POC’s perspective and multiple characters, but it took me 2mths to listen to - so not a good sign haha I’m sure this is loved by others, just happened that it wasn’t my cup of tea

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