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A Little Life
- Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
- Length: 32 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Genre Fiction
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Summary
A novel of extraordinary intelligence and heart, a masterful depiction of heartbreak and a dark and haunting examination of the tyranny of experience and memory. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2015.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara is an immensely powerful and heartbreaking novel of brotherly love and the limits of human endurance. When four graduates from a small Massachusetts college move to New York to make their way, they're broke, adrift and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition. There is kind, handsome Willem, an aspiring actor; JB, a quick-witted, sometimes cruel Brooklyn-born painter seeking entry to the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prominent firm; and withdrawn, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as their centre of gravity. Over the decades, their relationships deepen and darken, tinged by addiction, success and pride. Yet their greatest challenge, each comes to realize, is Jude himself, by midlife a terrifyingly talented litigator yet an increasingly broken man, his mind and body scarred by an unspeakable childhood and haunted by what he fears is a degree of trauma that he'll not only be unable to overcome - but that will define his life forever.
Critic reviews
"Unlike anything I’ve read before." (Alex Preston, The Observer)
"The English language novel that affected me most this year. It’s long and unrelenting but completely compelling - and it tells you, as no other novel I know does, that there are harms and injuries in life from which no recovery is possible." (David Sexton, Evening Standard)
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What listeners say about A Little Life
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jenny
- 05-01-16
Deeply disturbing and yet i couldn't stop reading
This book isn't for everyone and there were times when I had to put it down because the violence was so graphic, but I was compelled by it and felt like I'd lost something when it ended. There are plot holes and developments that don't ring true, but for all that the story surged forward. It's a hard one to recommend, given the lack of redemption, the violence, the relentlessness of suffering, but it's an engrossing story and a totally immersive experience.
25 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J Forrester
- 27-01-16
Devastating but brilliant
This book is both one of the best books I've read for ages and completely awful! The story is totally compelling and the characters are real and memorable and, in many cases, wonderful. But you will need therapy and/or a duvet day or two to get over the trauma of reading it. If you think you've read the most upsetting part, you are wrong. There is much worse to come. I think relentless is the best way to describe it. I loved it and I would recommend it, but don't say I didn't warn you.
34 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tilla van Vuuren
- 29-07-17
Exhausting and difficult read.
This books grips one from the start, but from about halfway through, I thought I had never read repetition like this before. It was as if the main character, Jude's constant stream of thoughts had become too much, too repetitive. I have never read the phrase "I am sorry so many times in one book.
The writer, Hanya Yanigihara , was over indulging in her writing, her story. The 720 pages could have been cut by at least 200 pages.
An exhausting and difficult book to read and also to listen to on audio books.
14 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mr
- 16-11-16
Don't listen if you need picking up
I found this book quite tough going, it is a pretty depressing subject matter and the tone of the narrator seems to amplify this. I found I was drifting off thinking of other things rather than listening to the book.
Still, I made it to the end, just.
12 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- R. J. Gladden
- 19-08-16
Relentlessly depressing
After investing 30 hours of my life listening to this book, I finally realised it was never going to get any better, that there was never going to be a redeeming moment when it was going to come together and Jude would finally get the moment he deserved. It just went on and on and on and rarely in all my life have I come across anyone who has been so ill used in the whole of their life.
Needless to say, I didn't finish the book and was really sorry I started it.
22 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- jo
- 01-04-20
Painful listening to a painful story
I cannot understand why this book is so long. It’s painful to say the least but lacks poignancy for the most part. I cannot understand Judes relationship with Howard, after all those years together, did he not feel Howard deserved some warmth and connection? The women in this book may as well not be there and why the hell did Jude trust that abusive guy, I can’t remember his name because I finished it a couple of months ago. He was adamant throughout his teenage life, in spite of having wonderful, sometimes flawed but not abusive relationships with his close friends. I can’t understand his rejection of the artist guy because it was on the basis of stupid behaviour which happened when he was under the influence of DRUGS. He was not in control. Too long by far. And, we needed to have more reference to why all these people loved Jude. The story of Judes abuse is heartbreaking and left me on the edge, but other than that I didn’t like it. I’m sorry.............
8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- bookylady
- 01-01-16
Shocking, heartbreaking, brilliant.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this book but with the proviso that it is a book that will possibly upset you, shock you, horrify you. But it will grab you by the throat and not let go until the last page. And even then it will haunt you for a long time. It is not a book that you can listen to quickly and is best listened to in long stretches, concentrating on all the nuances and detailed layers of character and plot.
What was one of the most memorable moments of A Little Life?
There are too many moments, many of them brutal and shocking, to mention. This story is complicated and told from more than one viewpoint and is a tour de force of visceral writing. I can still see many of the pivotal moments playing out in my head. For me it was a very ' visual' story.
Which character – as performed by Oliver Wyman – was your favourite?
Oliver Wyman is a terrific, gifted narrator and he managed to make every character come alive. Jude, the main protagonist, was believable and I became totally immersed in his story. But for me the character who caught myattention the most was Willem, Jude's best friend, protector and partner. He was the epitome of what true friendship should be and I cried for him, laughed with him, rooted for him, empathised with him and all because of the way in which the narrator portrayed him.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
One little life, four huge hearts.
Any additional comments?
This is a story of love, friendship, sexuality, relationships, culture, disability, discrimination and abuse (of all descriptions) and all tied up in the lives of four men who meet at a small American college. They remain friends for the rest of their lives, with various ups and downs, and forge bonds that see them through the need to support Jude, and the mysteries that surround his early life. It is a fantastic read, one that will make you laugh and cry, one that will make you dread the next sentence, one that will make you flinch and question what you know about people and what it means to be human.
I will definitely listen to this again. One of my top five books of 2015.
17 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jools
- 26-11-15
Wow!!
Fantastic book, but quite harrowing and difficult to listen to in places. The story flowed beautifully, and although it was a very long book, still I didn't want it to end, and could have listened for another 10 hours quite easily.
The narrator can make or break an audio book for me, and this one definitely made it.
17 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- R O N UMUNNA
- 06-01-20
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry”. If I have to hear this one more time, I fear I’ll retch!!!
I’m not sure if I’ve been listening the same book as others who have given it such rave reviews. Thank heavens Marlon James won the 2015 Man Booker Prize over this tripe.
I rolled my eyes so many times I saw my hippocampus.
This story is as unbelievable as it is repetitive and banal. It is unanchored in history despite following the characters for several decades.
It is also very unrealistic - all four men are highly successful (winning oscars, showing at the MoMA etc) and are a melting pot of races and so sexually fluid - just to tick those diversity boxes eh.
Jude, the main character, is a selfish bore and I got incredibly irritated having to listen to, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry” over and over and over and over again - not just from the insipid Jude but from all characters.
To sum this up in one word: YAWN. I’m off to listen to the genius that is Stephen King to remind of what great literature is...
4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- sally
- 28-12-16
Just not for me.
Too long and I found myself becoming more and more irritated by the 'goodness 'of the characters and annoyed by the over use of 'Im sorry. I'm so sorry' .. also didn't buy the Jude story really. But it was beautifully crafted and read really well. Sure lots of people will love it
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amrit Daswaney
- 02-08-17
Heartbreakingly excellent.
This is by some distance the best book I've heard in 2017. Performance and story.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda
- 20-07-17
compelling
heartbreaking and thought-provoking. the reader was excellent. sorry to see it end. anyrhing else is a spoiler
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Ruth
- 13-03-16
Recommend you take Zoloft with this
Any additional comments?
Clearly a well written novel but if you're not clinically depressed before you start you will be by the end of it........ or even a third of the way through.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-06-22
A courageous read
A courageous read. You need to be I. The right frame of mind to read this anti- fairytale. Many times I needed to walk away and take time to process but continuously came back, with every page revealing more and more. A book that truly transformed my outtake on others life stories.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Lisahuaweii
- 27-05-22
Misery Porn
Struggled to finish, narrator was okay. If a person wants to feel negative emotions on purpose, you've come to right book. Anti-plot, slice of life story not your thing? Read another book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Hus
- 05-04-22
Truly moving to the core
A superb, superb, superb reading of this book. Oliver Wyman has captured the very essence of Jude’s character - person who’s trauma has trapped the inner child in him forever. Wyman know exactly at what point to insert pathos in his reading of the various characters. He drove me to tears repeatedly and made sure we felt every feeing each of the players feel in this saga.
The source material itself is challenging. Wrought with some very difficult subject matter, Yanagihara has weaved a seemingly effortless compendium of Jude’s life and the people within it. She has a really pulled no punches in highlighting the perpetual nature of trauma, assault, abuse, illness and more. It does sometimes feel repetitive, which contributes heavily to the sprawling length and can be quite tedious. But I believe that is purposeful, to put us in repetitive nature of Jude’s thoughts, feelings, insecurities and vulnerabilities.
Highly highly recommend
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wayne Phillips
- 03-04-22
Subject matter is painful, but told beautifully
Main Characters are well defined
The trauma is very slowly revealed and interwoven in the unfolding of their friendship and lives over many years, which is a dark shadow over the entire book, even in the lighter more hopeful moments.
Epic novel, written with Compassion and beauty
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 14-03-22
Trigger warning but sensational
This story is a masterpiece. It evokes emotion and the performance blends so well with the narrative. It is an experience. But you should be warned if you are suffering from mental illness. It is a lot and can trigger a lot of darkness and longing in yourself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 31-08-21
Devastating
It took me some time to get into this book, but when I did I was looking for every opportunity to listen. This story is devastating and beautifully told.
The performance was brilliant. I found myself looking for more books narrated by Oliver. He's ability to portray emotion and subtle character difference greatly contributed to my enjoyment of this book.
I highly recommended A Little Life if you are open to the unease of this tragic story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-11-20
Oh my dear heart
Utterly unforgettable. The shock surprise of kindness and then cruelty and back again. Probably the best story I have ever listened to and I am so glad they chose a narrator worthy of this amazing novel.
