{"id":78,"date":"2020-04-21T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-21T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/\/?p=78"},"modified":"2023-07-19T06:45:56","modified_gmt":"2023-07-19T06:45:56","slug":"a-little-life-to-read-or-not-to-read-mindscape-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=78","title":{"rendered":"A Little Life: To Read or Not to Read? (Mindscape Reviews)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hi Readers! After a couple of weeks of intensive reading, I have finally finished reading Hanya Yanagihara\u2019s \u2018A Little Life\u2019<\/span><\/b>, and boy, what a story! I finished it a couple of days back & yet I\u2019m still thinking about it. The thing with this book is, if you get attached to it, you are bound to ignore all the problems & the little flaws that it has. This clearly happened with me. On the other side, if you don\u2019t get attached to it, all you will see is a repetitive story line, grotesque details & an unsatisfactory ending. I should warn you, this is going to be a really LONG POST<\/span><\/b> <\/span>because I have a LOT OF FEELINGS TO SHARE<\/span><\/b>! Also, it contains minor (not major) spoilers! Let\u2019s get to it, shall we?<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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~~TRIGGER WARNING~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
Anyone who wishes to read this book, please know that it contains a lot of disturbing things such as child abuse, sexual abuse, toxic relationships, self-mutilation, suicide, rape, drug addiction & violence. There are a lot of triggers & it is absolutely inadvisable to read for people who have suffered or are sensitive to these topics. I know it\u2019s a pretty boring way to start the review, but I honestly don\u2019t want people to read this if it is going to affect them in a negative way.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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~~INTRODUCTION~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
I did a lot of research after reading the book. Some of the reviews claim the book to be \u2018THE GREAT GAY NOVEL\u2019<\/span><\/b>. Some claim it to be an \u2018EPIC TALE OF FRIENDSHIP\u2019<\/span><\/b>. A few have said it is \u2018TORTURED PORN\u2019<\/span><\/b>. It is neither of these. It is the story of one person ‘ \u2018JUDE ST. FRANCIS\u2019<\/span><\/b>. It revolves around his horrific childhood, all the people connected to him as he grows into adulthood & his mental health. The book starts out as something but grows & ends up in something entirely different. It\u2019s like we can actually see the author trying to find her way through the novel. In any other case, I would have found that annoying, but in this case, it feels like it\u2019s a secret between the author & the reader.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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The novel starts with the four of them; Jude, Willem, Malcolm & JB<\/span><\/b>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Jude St. Francis<\/span><\/b><\/span>with a horrific childhood later becomes a mentally unstable adult yet an intimidating lawyer. Willem Ragnorrson<\/span><\/b> <\/span>works at a restaurant called Ortolan but later becomes a famous movie star. Malcolm Irvine<\/span><\/b> <\/span>joins a firm but later starts his own business in architecture. Jean-Baptiste Marion<\/span><\/b> <\/span>has always been the most talented artist. Over the novel, we see how their friendship strengthens & weakens but lasts for 30+ years. Some of the other recurring friends are Richard; also an artist, Andy; Jude\u2019s doctor, Harold; Jude\u2019s Law Professor & Friend, Julia; Harold\u2019s wife, Asian Henry Young & Black Henry Young; from college days, Richard & Citizen; from US Attorney Office where Jude used to work earlier, Lucein; from Rosen Pritchard where Jude works now. Yes, there are A LOT OF CHARACTERS<\/span><\/b>, but it is never confusing & just adds to the beauty of it.<\/span><\/div>\n
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~~TO READ IT~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
When you decide to read a 720-page book<\/span><\/b>, you commit yourself to it. It\u2019s not just another book. It\u2019s something you stick to, even when the story doesn\u2019t go your way. Pretty much like a relationship. Soon after I started reading, I found myself eternally bound to the characters. I was so attached to them. My happiness knew no bounds when Harold & Julia adopt Jude. I cried every single time something terrifying happened to Jude. I was so impressed with JB\u2019s art that I wanted to see all his paintings & same with Willem\u2019s movies. I wanted to visit the Lantern House to actually see Malcolm\u2019s architectural brilliance in it. All the moments in the book I have imagined in my head & lived it along with all of them. Such is the INTENSITY<\/span><\/b> <\/span>of the book. You cannot not feel emotions while reading it. And if you cannot, you shouldn\u2019t read it at all.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Many reviews mentioned how all of Jude\u2019s friends were enablers, but I beg to disagree. I think this is the REALITIES OF FRIENDSHIP<\/span><\/b> that the writer has created. All of them are real & practical to one another. Usually the \u2018Friends Forever\u2019 stuff we read in books is a bunch of crap not portraying actual friendships.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

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The part where Jude & Willem entirely stop talking to JB is real; it happens.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
The part where initially Willem is hesitant to talk to Jude about his cutting is real; it happens.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Jude helping JB get off of drugs even though he knows it\u2019s of no use is real; it happens.<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Also, I liked how real all of their relationships were: on-off, breakups, no one wanting to have a child.<\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
All this is real, it happens!<\/o:p><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

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You mess up in friendships, you get angry at your friends, sometimes you make up, sometimes you don\u2019t. That\u2019s just how life is, which, I think, is depicted quite truthfully. <\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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In contemporary books such as these, there are usually two timelines which catch up in the end, which is a component in this book as well. But in such cases, almost always, there are periods mentioned (like in All the Light We Cannot See or in The Time Traveller\u2019s Wife), but there are no periods mentioned in this. There is NO HISTORICAL CONTEXT<\/span><\/b> <\/span>either. No idea what era the story is from. I thought that was beautiful in a way. The book is long enough, who needs those additional details anyway, right? This is one of the reasons I loved the PROSE<\/span><\/b>. The author has done such a fabulous job. Yes, a few things could have been cropped out. But, her WRITING STYLE IS SO POWERFUL<\/span><\/b> <\/span>that it can make the reader cry. And, that in my opinion, is the highest level of compliment.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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Now, about the characters! I really liked how there are SO MANY CHARACTERS<\/span><\/b><\/span>throughout the novel. Some are important, some are recurring & some are just to beautify the story. As much as I loved the first chapter about their earlier more care-free days, I think it was quite brief. I would have loved to read about all the shenanigans they did at their apartment in Lispenard Street. I think that was the perfect start to prepare us for all the suffering that followed. (Haha, not kidding.) I also liked how all the men were so emotional & cried freely & relied on their male friends. I don\u2019t know if this is normal, but it was nice to know that something like this could exist.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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~~OR NOT TO READ IT~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
I know there are a lot of things in Jude\u2019s childhood which are written in a quite detailed & grotesque manner. The way the author writes about the cruelties of his childhood was something else. But also, it seems a bit impossible. One person having to go through so much, it does seem UNBELIEVABLE<\/span><\/b>. I think a few things could have been cut to reduce the level of abuse. Also, in other books, there is always therapy that fixes such a person, but that\u2019s hardly the case here. I wasn\u2019t a fan of how THERAPY<\/span><\/b> <\/span>didn\u2019t work.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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I was also disappointed about THE GAY ANGLE<\/span><\/b> leading to Jude & Willem\u2019s relationship. I know there was no way around it, because if Jude had to trust someone, it had to be Willem. Being in a relationship just made his feelings come out more naturally. So, I\u2019ll let it slide.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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I was also not very satisfied with the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT<\/span><\/b>, especially Jude\u2019s, because there isn\u2019t much to it. We see his entire life unfold before us, page after page. And yet, when we are at the end, it looks a lot REPETITIVE & UNWORTHY<\/span><\/b>. But, the character development of all other characters, especially Willem, Malcolm, JB, Harold, Richard, Lucein is commendable. This leaves me to confess that I wasn\u2019t a fan of the ENDING<\/span><\/b>. But, I can understand why it ended the way it did.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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~~CONCLUDING THOUGHTS~~<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n
I know it looks like there are a lot of points to not read the book, but the thing is you won\u2019t think about these little points when you are actually reading it. It will never occur to you because you will be engrossed in the story! And, these are such minuscule details that it won\u2019t even matter. And, I\u2019m not only saying this because I really want you all to read the book. I am saying because it\u2019s how I felt. Reading this book feels exactly the same way Jude feels when he keeps cutting himself. It is painful, yes, but it is also a release of emotions. Just as it keeps him from shouting, so it does for the reader. It is sadist and yet there is beauty in it. It is intense yet there is joy in it. It is something else & you won\u2019t know until you read for yourself.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

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I have naturally rated it at 5\/5 on Goodreads & it\u2019s among my Top 5 Favourite Books of All Time<\/span><\/b>. By reading this, I have completed the category of \u2018Book with 500+ Pages\u2019<\/span><\/b> <\/span>from my Reading Challenge!<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
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I had to wait a few days to let out all my thoughts & feelings about A Little Life from my system. Now, I obviously need to read something light. I will start reading \u2018Scrappy Little Nobody\u2019 by Anna Kendrick soon enough!<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

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Until next time,<\/span><\/div>\n
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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hi Readers! After a couple of weeks of intensive reading, I have finally finished reading Hanya Yanagihara\u2019s \u2018A Little Life\u2019, and boy, what a story! I finished it a couple of days back & yet I\u2019m still thinking about it. The thing with this book is, if you get attached to it, you are bound […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[38],"class_list":["post-78","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review","category-books","category-mindscape-reviews","tag-favorite-books"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":116,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=116","url_meta":{"origin":78,"position":0},"title":"My Lovely Wife. 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As promised, I am back with a book review for Delia Owens\u2019 Where the Crawdads Sing. I finished this book a couple of weeks earlier but hadn\u2019t gotten to write the review till now. This review CONTAINS SPOILERS! Ok, go ahead now!~~INTRODUCTION~~This is another pick from Reese\u2019s Book\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Book review"","block_context":{"text":"Book review","link":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?cat=2"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-zfZUXIL_wJQ\/XpQ-EYkkc9I\/AAAAAAAAiog\/S4gT7xFJWgsxhqKtBRkY9T-8n4V7SBz3QCLcBGAsYHQ\/s640\/PicsArt_04-03-09.21.53-02-01.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":73,"url":"https:\/\/mindscapeinwords.com\/?p=73","url_meta":{"origin":78,"position":4},"title":"April Reads! (Mindscape Reviews)","author":"Aishwarya Shenolikar","date":"May 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Hello Readers! 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