A Little Life is far and away my favourite book ever. It is a moving and poignant portrayal of trauma. The characters feel real and grounded. They are flawed in ways that let their humanity shine through. For me the depiction of friendship is so powerful and real. No matter how much the boys live Jude, that alone is not enough to save him - only he can do that. It is a hard book in that there is no obvious happy ending, even if it is so deserved. But that is what’s so powerful to me. Sometimes there isn’t a rainbow after the storm, sometimes you can’t outrun the storm, but the love of your friends can be a enough to weather that storm with grace and joy.
A Little Life moved me in a way no other fictional character ever has. This led in part to my choosing his name for myself when I came out as non-binary.
I loved A Little Life. It was beautifully written but so incredibly sad. I rarely recommend it though as it is full of trigger warnings for some people. As well, it isn't a light read.
With A Little Life, I was introduced to Jude. He's a character who I related with on a personal level, in terms of that pain that never goes away. Somehow that pain transitions to be you, a part of you that once you depart from it, you fell unsettled.
It was also comforting to see he had family and friends around him, who loved him despite everything, especially Willem. No matter how Jude thought of himself as 'disgusting', Willem was there. He knew how broken Jude was, yet carried his pieces with his bare hands. When he died, Jude was sure to follow. It reminded me of The Song of Achilles, how Patroclus knew, if Achilles died, he'd surely follow behind.
I can't say I've experienced that kind of love, it's something on my bucket list. But reading A Little Life felt safe for me, hopeful even. Despite its sad ending. Its definitely a book that I'll read over and over till all its words are engraved in my mind 😂.
I picked the book up in Woolworth’s here in Australia not knowing what it was about. Started reading and couldn’t put it down.
I used to work as a nurse in Prisons for a number of years and had to do a lot of “needlework” on girls who had slashed up. It really is a sad state to be in but many of those girls had been abused by people they trusted.
The characters in “A little life” were amazing. And the love affair was beautiful though Jude couldn’t see it or trust it because of his past experiences.
Also it made me deeply dislike religious orders. We have had and still have hundreds of child molesters in Australia (many of them ordained priests and bishops) ; if convicted they have to be housed in separate cell blocks for their own protection. Personally I’d love to chop off their bits or hang them. But women have been charged with soliciting their own children for profit.
When I was in England last year I saw the movie of this book advertised in a small coastal town but haven’t seen any mention of it in Australia. I wonder if you had it in America?
Anyhow I have kept this book and will read it again one day when I have waded through around 50 new tomes and re- read heaps of others.
I love the Booker Prize. My favourite authors being Peter Carey, Hillary Mantel and Salman Rushdie.
It really did get under my skin. Very painful, unbelievable pain and trauma made believable.And under that this amazing loyalty and enduring love. The extreme pain I could not take at times, but eventually was able to return to the novel. And so moved by the love between the two men. The relationship enduring.
Still in the early pages, I have to set it down and ruminate. It will take my breath, but also my consciousness, far from here; to imagine a son’s own Little Life, what must have been, what is, what might be, what might have been.
A Little Life… such a beautiful and excruciating novel. As a survivor of childhood trauma, I relate to the relentless longing and struggle for health, stability, optimism and lasting long term relationships that don’t eventually go south. This poignant portrait of the consequences of cruelty and violence on a developing mind and body affirmed for me the struggle of a lifetime for a modicum of normalcy, despite academic and occupational successes. We need more such stories to awaken our collective consciousness to the walking wounded so that we might change how children, the precious seeds of the future, are grown.
The healing potential of friends who have the strength to bear witness and offer comfort and support to survivors cannot be underestimated. This haunting book offers a poignant blueprint for how to help.
A Little Life is far and away my favourite book ever. It is a moving and poignant portrayal of trauma. The characters feel real and grounded. They are flawed in ways that let their humanity shine through. For me the depiction of friendship is so powerful and real. No matter how much the boys live Jude, that alone is not enough to save him - only he can do that. It is a hard book in that there is no obvious happy ending, even if it is so deserved. But that is what’s so powerful to me. Sometimes there isn’t a rainbow after the storm, sometimes you can’t outrun the storm, but the love of your friends can be a enough to weather that storm with grace and joy.
A Little Life continues to haunt me long after reading it. It must surely count amongst my top ten books ever.
I feel the exact same way... this story remains with you for a very long time and will always be one of my top five.
A Little Life moved me in a way no other fictional character ever has. This led in part to my choosing his name for myself when I came out as non-binary.
I loved A Little Life. It was beautifully written but so incredibly sad. I rarely recommend it though as it is full of trigger warnings for some people. As well, it isn't a light read.
With A Little Life, I was introduced to Jude. He's a character who I related with on a personal level, in terms of that pain that never goes away. Somehow that pain transitions to be you, a part of you that once you depart from it, you fell unsettled.
It was also comforting to see he had family and friends around him, who loved him despite everything, especially Willem. No matter how Jude thought of himself as 'disgusting', Willem was there. He knew how broken Jude was, yet carried his pieces with his bare hands. When he died, Jude was sure to follow. It reminded me of The Song of Achilles, how Patroclus knew, if Achilles died, he'd surely follow behind.
I can't say I've experienced that kind of love, it's something on my bucket list. But reading A Little Life felt safe for me, hopeful even. Despite its sad ending. Its definitely a book that I'll read over and over till all its words are engraved in my mind 😂.
I picked the book up in Woolworth’s here in Australia not knowing what it was about. Started reading and couldn’t put it down.
I used to work as a nurse in Prisons for a number of years and had to do a lot of “needlework” on girls who had slashed up. It really is a sad state to be in but many of those girls had been abused by people they trusted.
The characters in “A little life” were amazing. And the love affair was beautiful though Jude couldn’t see it or trust it because of his past experiences.
Also it made me deeply dislike religious orders. We have had and still have hundreds of child molesters in Australia (many of them ordained priests and bishops) ; if convicted they have to be housed in separate cell blocks for their own protection. Personally I’d love to chop off their bits or hang them. But women have been charged with soliciting their own children for profit.
When I was in England last year I saw the movie of this book advertised in a small coastal town but haven’t seen any mention of it in Australia. I wonder if you had it in America?
Anyhow I have kept this book and will read it again one day when I have waded through around 50 new tomes and re- read heaps of others.
I love the Booker Prize. My favourite authors being Peter Carey, Hillary Mantel and Salman Rushdie.
It really did get under my skin. Very painful, unbelievable pain and trauma made believable.And under that this amazing loyalty and enduring love. The extreme pain I could not take at times, but eventually was able to return to the novel. And so moved by the love between the two men. The relationship enduring.
Still in the early pages, I have to set it down and ruminate. It will take my breath, but also my consciousness, far from here; to imagine a son’s own Little Life, what must have been, what is, what might be, what might have been.
A Little Life… such a beautiful and excruciating novel. As a survivor of childhood trauma, I relate to the relentless longing and struggle for health, stability, optimism and lasting long term relationships that don’t eventually go south. This poignant portrait of the consequences of cruelty and violence on a developing mind and body affirmed for me the struggle of a lifetime for a modicum of normalcy, despite academic and occupational successes. We need more such stories to awaken our collective consciousness to the walking wounded so that we might change how children, the precious seeds of the future, are grown.
The healing potential of friends who have the strength to bear witness and offer comfort and support to survivors cannot be underestimated. This haunting book offers a poignant blueprint for how to help.
Such an amazing book! I fell in love with it instantly. I also don’t remember when a booj has triggered in me so many emotions at once.