Jordan Reads Too Much

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Warning if you haven't read this yet: Don't start reading this book on your last day of vacation (like I did). This book is a little over 700 pages, and it will suck you in. Make sure you have plenty of reading time set aside before you begin.

This is the story of four friend: Jude, Willam, JB, and Malcolm. They meet in college, and the story follows their lives. However, Jude St. Francis is the real focus of this book. Of the four friends he is the most complicated. He's a broken man in many ways. His story will break your heart, but it's much more than just that.

This book is really a story of friendships and different relationships. It's epic in scope and will reveal all parts of the characters lives. The character development is great, and I won't (probably ever) be able to forget these characters who seem so real.

There is a lot of brutal stuff to read in this story. Some of it will make a reader cringe, reach for tissues, and put the book down until one recovers. Getting through the hard parts of the book is so rewarding, however. There's a lot of love in these pages.

I gave this 5 stars, though the book was not perfect. I almost quit reading shortly after I began. The story jumps right into introducing the four friends and for a short while I couldn't keep them straight. I decided to give it 50 pages and see how it went. I was hooked by page 50 and was so glad I kept reading.

Don't be put off by the time investment of reading this story. It's very well worth it.

This is added to my "All Time Favorites" list. What's on your list? Comment below!

View all my reviews