Your review of this book was exquisite. Yanagihara is an author whose books are challenging to review, oversimplification, praise on the basis of pathos or just dismissal for her seeming obscurity were review trends. I was on the fence about this book. The People in the Trees was a book I couldn’t stop thinking about after I read it, and A Little Life was a book I wanted to end long before it did -yet I kept reading. At 700 pages hearing “brilliant” and “unsettling” from you, Bob is high encouragement for me to read this one.
Ahh, thank you so much for that- that’s made my day! I’ve not read The People in the Trees yet, but I really want to now! And yes! A few reviews I saw for A Little Life were along the same lines- sort of just that it was too much and it was ‘just’ a novel about feelings. And I get that- the novel really pushes you to your limits and it’s deeply uncomfortable, but I also think it does a lot more under the surface. To Paradise was really quite different, but still very smart, I thought. I hope you enjoy it!
Oh I’m so glad you’ve read this, are reviewing it already, and loved it! I pre-ordered a year ago and have been counting down the days, and now you’ve made me even more excited, I want it now! Thanks so much for the great review.
Bob, this was just the perfect whet of the appetite before diving into the book myself (I pick my copy up in 2 days). I few friends of mine have actually been a bit down on the book, which was a bit discouraging, but your enthusiasm here has restored me! I think Yanigahara is destined to be one of those authors who are simply polarizing. If she ever writes a book universally celebrated or panned, I will be shocked. PS ... we have the same sweater LOL
Ahh, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the book! It’s definitely a different feeling to A Little Life, but I think it does quite a lot of very good and interesting things. And I agree- I think Yanagihara’s strength is in committing to an idea and pushing it to its extreme, and I can absolutely see why that puts some people off. Haha, amazing! You have fantastic taste 😂
Great hearing your thoughts about this! I agree about how moving it is reading about a revised history where gay marriage can be taken as a given. And yeah, that way the pandemic of 2020 becomes a footnote is quite alarming. You made me think more about the way the novel handles the question of what happens to the most vulnerable people in our society and how it discusses the cyclical nature of history in its structure. Thank you! I still question whether the repetition of names is more confusing than it is interesting - though I admire your code breaking mentality. 😅 What an epic journey this book takes you on!
Thank you so much! Yes! I re-read that first part so many times thinking I’d missed something about the gender of the characters because of how casual the marriages were! Haha, yes, I’m not sure what was in the water when I went into my code theory 😂 And yes, I was very impressed with how the book holds on to you throughout it all- no mean feat for 700 pages!
Thank you so much for reading such a lengthy novel and sharing your thoughts about it with us , who wants to read but think my good 700 pages!!! overwhelming! Have you read , “ Signature of All things “ by Elizabeth Gilbert? I think you will like it very much. Take care Bob. 👍
Thank you! It’s such a beautiful book- I think it doesn’t always feel like a long book- especially the last 200 pages which I raced through! Ooh, I’ve not heard of that, but thanks for the recommendation!
Deborah Levy does the same thing with her characters. Most of them are bisexual but it's never the subject or a topic for discussion. It just is. They have a male lover one moment, and on another day a female one. It's so fluid and beautiful.
This is the second time I have heard your review on this book and I agree about lots of what you have said, now that I have read and loved it. But my question is that even though nothing is resolved, which is often part of life, Is there a Hawaiian connection in. the first book or did I miss it or forgot i. Thanks so much for the review.
Ahh, amazing! It’s such an emotional read, isn’t it? And I think there’s a little bit of Hawaii in the first book (I think through a mention of empire and colonialist trading) but it amps up for the second and third books.
@@BobTheBookerer yes a little life...I felt there was more of a story in that book and beautifully written. I I just couldn't find the story in To Paradise however well it was written...It makes me feel bad to not read to the end but I wasn't enjoying reading pages of writing when I felt they were empty of something interesting to say....I believe you enjoyed it...lucky you!
I’d be nervous of trying to read another book by Hanya Yanagihara. I got halfway through A Little Life and felt like throwing either myself or the book off a cliff. I felt it was misery porn and I couldn’t cope with it.
Ahh, that’s totally fair- that book really tested a lot of people and pushed them to their limits. I’d say that To Paradise is very different in how it approaches it- it’s not a ‘light’ novel emotionally, but a lot less intensively dark novel than A Little Life.
Haha it’s been dark and gloomy af here too. “In exchange for kind of an honest review.” Suspicious. Haha :) Definitely an idea and thematically strong book. I really wanted more connective tissue between the stories. And crucially I didn’t get on with much of the second part, then loved the third part quite a bit. One plus side of the totalitarian regime is heat suits though. Those are fun. I’d like one right now for winter lol the innovations under capitalism are true! Great review, as always!
Haha, got to love January weather! Ahh, that’s totally fair! I had some moments where I wasn’t sure where it was going, but it really sold me on it by the end! Haha, I overheat generally now, so a heat suit might be too much for me, but an aircon suit is a different matter :)
@@BobTheBookerer I did like it thematically, that’s for sure. I even switched to and bought the audiobook for part two because I just did not get along with the prose there. And then went back to the book for part 3. So I did struggle to get through it. And happy o did so! okay well I get the heat seat and you get the air con suit and we can swap whenever needed. Post apocalypse managed!
@@BobTheBookerer great! There’s 5 different narrators, one for each PoV. The scientist at the end is BD Wong too, who was incredible (the scientist in Jurassic Park and the psychologist in Law & Order). But the narration in part two was really, really fantastic. Life saver.
Reveals a minor "spoiler" (very minor and arguable if it is indeed one) says "that isn't really a spoiler" then laughs nervously That is so Bob the Bookerer. It is what I watch your videos for LOL
@@BobTheBookerer As most of the books I read are classics (or at least old) or non-fiction the concept of "spoiling" a book is not a major concern. "A Judgement in Stone" by Ruth Rendell is a classic spoiler book Its opening paragraph tells you who the murderer is. The quality of the book is in the "Why done it" rather than "Who done it"
@@BobTheBookerer "A Judgement in Stone" is a good one BTW I first encountered it as a play adapted by Neil Bartlett for his company Gloria with Sheila Hancock as Eunice.
Your review of this book was exquisite. Yanagihara is an author whose books are challenging to review, oversimplification, praise on the basis of pathos or just dismissal for her seeming obscurity were review trends. I was on the fence about this book. The People in the Trees was a book I couldn’t stop thinking about after I read it, and A Little Life was a book I wanted to end long before it did -yet I kept reading. At 700 pages hearing “brilliant” and “unsettling” from you, Bob is high encouragement for me to read this one.
Ahh, thank you so much for that- that’s made my day!
I’ve not read The People in the Trees yet, but I really want to now!
And yes! A few reviews I saw for A Little Life were along the same lines- sort of just that it was too much and it was ‘just’ a novel about feelings. And I get that- the novel really pushes you to your limits and it’s deeply uncomfortable, but I also think it does a lot more under the surface. To Paradise was really quite different, but still very smart, I thought.
I hope you enjoy it!
Oh I’m so glad you’ve read this, are reviewing it already, and loved it! I pre-ordered a year ago and have been counting down the days, and now you’ve made me even more excited, I want it now! Thanks so much for the great review.
Thank you so much! It’s really quite impressive how she’s managed to pull this novel off, in my opinion. I hope you enjoy it when it comes out!
I'm so happy to have found your channel, definitely a subscribe from me! Love the detailed and thoughtful way you talk about books.
Ahh, thank you so much! That’s so kind of you, and glad to have you here!
I'm so jealous that you got an advanced copy! Can't wait to start reading it when it comes out next week.
Ahh, I hope you enjoy it! It’s such a generous and beautiful book, I think!
Bob, this was just the perfect whet of the appetite before diving into the book myself (I pick my copy up in 2 days). I few friends of mine have actually been a bit down on the book, which was a bit discouraging, but your enthusiasm here has restored me! I think Yanigahara is destined to be one of those authors who are simply polarizing. If she ever writes a book universally celebrated or panned, I will be shocked. PS ... we have the same sweater LOL
Ahh, thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the book! It’s definitely a different feeling to A Little Life, but I think it does quite a lot of very good and interesting things.
And I agree- I think Yanagihara’s strength is in committing to an idea and pushing it to its extreme, and I can absolutely see why that puts some people off.
Haha, amazing! You have fantastic taste 😂
Great review!
Thank you so much!
Great hearing your thoughts about this! I agree about how moving it is reading about a revised history where gay marriage can be taken as a given. And yeah, that way the pandemic of 2020 becomes a footnote is quite alarming. You made me think more about the way the novel handles the question of what happens to the most vulnerable people in our society and how it discusses the cyclical nature of history in its structure. Thank you! I still question whether the repetition of names is more confusing than it is interesting - though I admire your code breaking mentality. 😅 What an epic journey this book takes you on!
Thank you so much!
Yes! I re-read that first part so many times thinking I’d missed something about the gender of the characters because of how casual the marriages were!
Haha, yes, I’m not sure what was in the water when I went into my code theory 😂
And yes, I was very impressed with how the book holds on to you throughout it all- no mean feat for 700 pages!
Enjoyed your review--
I felt it was a brilliant and stunning as well--
Thanks!
Thank you so much! And yes! Such a fascinating book!
have ordered it,.... and can't wait! Thanks
Oooh, nice! Enjoy! I hope you like it!
great review, the c-d-e went completely over my head :-D see house of leaves is helping your conspiracy theory skills
Thank you! And haha, yes, I now approach every book as that meme of the woman surrounded by maths equations.
Great review! I'm torn - I don't want to read A Little Life - but you give a compelling review of this one!
Thank you! And that’s fair- A Little Life is *a lot* and so I see why it doesn’t work for everyone. But yes! This book was beautiful!
Just finished To Paradise. Omg, the ending. No spoilers, but the ending disturbs me about the fate of Charlie.
Yes! Quite a bold way to end the book, definitely!
Thank you so much for reading such a lengthy novel and sharing your thoughts about it with us , who wants to read but think my good 700 pages!!! overwhelming! Have you read , “ Signature of All things “ by Elizabeth Gilbert? I think you will like it very much. Take care Bob. 👍
Thank you! It’s such a beautiful book- I think it doesn’t always feel like a long book- especially the last 200 pages which I raced through!
Ooh, I’ve not heard of that, but thanks for the recommendation!
Deborah Levy does the same thing with her characters. Most of them are bisexual but it's never the subject or a topic for discussion. It just is. They have a male lover one moment, and on another day a female one. It's so fluid and beautiful.
Ooh, I love that! It’s so refreshing to read characters like that! I think that was the case in Swimming Home by her, and I enjoyed that!
Love this review!! Definitely convinced me to get the book!
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it!
This is the second time I have heard your review on this book and I agree about lots of what you have said, now that I have read and loved it. But my question is that even though nothing is resolved, which is often part of life, Is there a Hawaiian connection in. the first book or did I miss it or forgot i. Thanks so much for the review.
Ahh, amazing! It’s such an emotional read, isn’t it? And I think there’s a little bit of Hawaii in the first book (I think through a mention of empire and colonialist trading) but it amps up for the second and third books.
I threw in the towel after 400pages...I just couldn't carry on...
Totally fair! Have you read anything else of hers?
@@BobTheBookerer yes a little life...I felt there was more of a story in that book and beautifully written. I I just couldn't find the story in To Paradise however well it was written...It makes me feel bad to not read to the end but I wasn't enjoying reading pages of writing when I felt they were empty of something interesting to say....I believe you enjoyed it...lucky you!
@@nadiadixon5805 ahh, totally fair! And yeah, I think the middle of the three books was not as strong, so I get why it didn’t work!
I’d be nervous of trying to read another book by Hanya Yanagihara. I got halfway through A Little Life and felt like throwing either myself or the book off a cliff. I felt it was misery porn and I couldn’t cope with it.
Ahh, that’s totally fair- that book really tested a lot of people and pushed them to their limits.
I’d say that To Paradise is very different in how it approaches it- it’s not a ‘light’ novel emotionally, but a lot less intensively dark novel than A Little Life.
hello bob the bookerer
Hello Larry and your opinions.
@@BobTheBookerer 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Haha it’s been dark and gloomy af here too. “In exchange for kind of an honest review.” Suspicious. Haha :)
Definitely an idea and thematically strong book. I really wanted more connective tissue between the stories. And crucially I didn’t get on with much of the second part, then loved the third part quite a bit.
One plus side of the totalitarian regime is heat suits though. Those are fun. I’d like one right now for winter lol the innovations under capitalism are true!
Great review, as always!
Haha, got to love January weather!
Ahh, that’s totally fair! I had some moments where I wasn’t sure where it was going, but it really sold me on it by the end!
Haha, I overheat generally now, so a heat suit might be too much for me, but an aircon suit is a different matter :)
@@BobTheBookerer
I did like it thematically, that’s for sure. I even switched to and bought the audiobook for part two because I just did not get along with the prose there. And then went back to the book for part 3. So I did struggle to get through it. And happy o did so!
okay well I get the heat seat and you get the air con suit and we can swap whenever needed. Post apocalypse managed!
@@SpringboardThought Haha, deal!
And that sounds like a good way of approaching it- how was the audio?
@@BobTheBookerer great! There’s 5 different narrators, one for each PoV. The scientist at the end is BD Wong too, who was incredible (the scientist in Jurassic Park and the psychologist in Law & Order). But the narration in part two was really, really fantastic. Life saver.
@@SpringboardThought Oooh! That sounds great! I need that in my life!
Live at 2 pm... 😅
Haha, yes! I keep forgetting that I’m just talking to my phone and have to them go back and edit 😅
Reveals a minor "spoiler"
(very minor and arguable if it is indeed one)
says "that isn't really a spoiler"
then laughs nervously
That is so Bob the Bookerer.
It is what I watch your videos for LOL
Haha, thank you! In retrospect, I don’t think it reveals anything more than is in the synopsis, but I hate potentially spoiling books!
@@BobTheBookerer
As most of the books I read
are classics (or at least old)
or non-fiction
the concept of "spoiling" a book
is not a major concern.
"A Judgement in Stone"
by Ruth Rendell
is a classic spoiler book
Its opening paragraph tells you
who the murderer is.
The quality of the book is in
the "Why done it" rather than
"Who done it"
@@johncrwarner Ah yes, that helps! And I’m really keen to read some more ‘whydunnits’ after Muriel Spark’s ‘Driver’s Seat’.
@@BobTheBookerer
"A Judgement in Stone"
is a good one
BTW I first encountered it
as a play adapted by Neil Bartlett
for his company Gloria
with Sheila Hancock as Eunice.
@@johncrwarner ooh, that sounds great! Sheila Hancock is great too!