Author : Hanya Yanagihara
Length : 32h51
Narrated by : Oliver Wyman
Category : Genre Fiction
Possibility of free reading : YES
When four college friends from a small Massachusetts town embark on a journey to New York to pursue their dreams, they find themselves penniless, adrift, and reliant solely on their friendship and ambition. Among them are the kind and handsome Willem, aspiring to become an actor; JB, a sharp-witted, occasionally ruthless painter hailing from Brooklyn, determined to break into the art world; Malcolm, a frustrated architect at a prestigious firm; and the introverted, brilliant, enigmatic Jude, who serves as the gravitational force of their group. As the years pass, their relationships evolve, taking on deeper and darker hues colored by addiction, success, and pride. Yet, each of them gradually comprehends that their most formidable challenge is Jude himself. By midlife, he has become a frighteningly skilled litigator but is also a increasingly shattered individual, his mind and body scarred by a harrowing childhood and haunted by the dread of enduring trauma that he believes will not only be insurmountable but will also forever define his existence.
In Yanagihara's eloquent and splendid prose, she has crafted a poignant and transcendent ode to fraternal love, a masterful portrayal of heartache, and a somber exploration of the dominion of memory and the boundaries of human fortitude.
there’s no other book that has consumed my every thought like a little life by hanya yanagihara
— Nicole (@Nicole_AA13) September 1, 2023
Immerse yourself in the profound narrative of "A Little Life", a deeply touching novel by Hanya Yanagihara. This epic tale, superbly narrated by Oliver Wyman, stretches over 32 hours and 51 minutes, offering an unflinching look at the challenges and triumphs of brotherhood and the human spirit's capacity for endurance.
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"A Little Life" follows the journey of four college friends in New York City, navigating their lives through love, loss, and the stark realities that bond them. It’s not just an audiobook; it's an experience that lingers with you long after the story ends.
"A Little Life," written by Hanya Yanagihara and read by Oliver Wyman, is a narrative that makes its way through friendship, trauma, and survival in moving ways. The novel spans more than three decades, during which the four friends—Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm—from college live together in New York City. At its center is an emotional telling of Jude St. Francis: brilliant but monstrously scarred by his past traumas, which more or less shape the story.
Oliver Wyman narrates the book masterfully and brings to life this cast of complex characters that Yanagihara created. His reading is so nuanced in tone as to bring out the depth of feeling and psychological characterization of Jude and his friends, making the listener feel all the closer to the material. The way he slightly changes his voice to make the listener hear the age and emotional change over the characters' lifetimes is a treat.
The raw and unflinching portrayal of suffering in "A Little Life" is renowned. Critics have been quoted as calling the novel both "compelling" and "distressing," pointing out that this can be quite an intense experience for readers. The novel deals with the themes of abuse, recovery, and the limits of human endurance as it shows life in a really stark and often brutal way. While the prose of the book is beautiful and the character developed deeply, the book is a warning because of its graphic and sometimes overly overwhelming content.
For a book so long and for a subject matter so dark, "A Little Life" is a severe literary moment. It has received loads of award attention, short-listing for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award, and it's all deserved. The 32-hour-long audiobook demands a great deal emotionally from its listeners, but those who can press on will find a story that's at once devastating and profoundly human.
In conclusion, "A Little Life" is a masterly written book brought to life through the outstanding performance of Oliver Wyman. This is a book that will challenge one and move one at the same time, plunging him into a world of friendship, pain, and resilience—an audiobook is powerful and unforgettable—for those who are up to its emotional demand.