Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Vers le paradis

A colossus that I think only Hanya Yanagihara could give us. A Little Life's strongest quality is the way it champions friendship and its complexities, but in To Paradise, she presents friendship as both necessary and a salvation while fickle and inconsistent. Her characters either can't decide if they believe in people, or their actions show that how we connect with and cherish people are all we have in common. The threads through the stories are that of love and its contours. We have romance, delusion, and disease.

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moonworld3's review against another edition

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challenging reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

0.25

i almost did not finish this book but stuck with it because a friend spoke so highly of “a little life.”

three things:

epics aren’t for every writer, and from this novel that was 400 pages too long, it’s clear size isn’t everything.
pandemic fiction may not be for me. we’re at nearly 4 years since quarantine, and this was published in january 2022, less than 2 years past 3/13/20. i stand by my claim that it’s too early for pandemic fiction, and 2022 was DEFINITELY too early.
this story was not good, but some of the writing was.

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nejenek's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I liked it! The main problem I had with this novel is that it is divided into three separate story which made it difficult to commit with each new chapter: it felt like reading three different books in a row.

Part 1 was my favourite. I really enjoyed the alternative history lore and the depth of Yanagihara's characters, even though I wasn't necessarily sympathetic towards them. But I don't have to like the characters to enjoy them, so that's irrelevant, I guess.
Part 2 started off nicely but was going at a much slower pace, which made it hard to keep reading after a finished story. Had I encountered this part as a separate book, I wouldn't have finished it.
Part 3 was very interesting, but didn't live up to the hype: yes, each new reveal really added to the experience, but they weren't important enough for me to be 100% vibing with the plot.

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becksusername's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I'm crying in a coffeeshop.

I want to know if they made it to paradise - all of them. Even the first David, who was a spoiled brat. But especially Charlie

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donutlookaway's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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laurynkelly's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This books spans three different centuries in America and with this, it covers a multitude of human experiences and themes. Despite its slow pace, it is a deeply moving read from the outset due to Yanagihara‘s use of language and metaphors which come alive on the page. To Paradise is memorable read that will make you reflect on what it is that makes you feel most alive today. And free.

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wormgirl's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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isobel_laura's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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