#18 in Contemporary fiction
A Little Life
- 816
- Pages
- about 15 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 4 weeks on the list, peaked at #6
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About the book
A Little Life is a 2015 novel by American writer Hanya Yanagihara. Lengthy and tackling difficult subject matter, it garnered critical acclaim, was shortlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize and the National Book Awards, and became a best seller.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.2 across 1,320 ratings. With that many, the reader vote carries 88% of the weight and the score stays at 8.1 — the Contemporary fiction average of 7.9 barely moves it.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.9 | 121 | 9% |
| Hardcover | 8.2 | 1.2K | 91% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“Now, I don't ever write reviews. Usually, I'm more than content to sit back in my chair and reduce a book to the number of stars I give it. Whatever my opinions on any particular book may be, someone's already probably written about it much more articulately than I could have ever hoped, and to a much larger audience, besides. Sometimes, though, a book will incite such strong feelings in me that I don't feel like a one star rating would suffice. No, I have to sit down on my ass and ramble at the uncaring void of the internet, why, exactly it is that I absolutely, passionately, ardently despis…”
“things i liked: 1. beautifully written 2. good representation things i didn't like: 1. so much shit happened in Jude's childhood, maybe a little too much, made me a bit numb 2. plateaued a little in the middle of the book. while i understand it's meant to be more detail-oriented, it needed a little bit of more momentum from the story line. 3. i just wish Jude was a little bit less self-pitying 4. it felt a little feminine, maybe because it was written by a female author. she didn't understand the male psyche well enough (in my personal opinion)”
Frequently asked
What is A Little Life rated?
8.1 out of 10, from 1,320 reader ratings across 2 independent sources.
Is A Little Life worth reading?
Readers give it 8.1/10 from 1,320 ratings, which puts it ahead of 69 % of the Contemporary fiction shelf.
How long does it take to read A Little Life?
About 15 hours at an average reading pace — 816 pages.
Where does A Little Life rank?
#18 in Contemporary fiction on the current snapshot.
Was A Little Life a bestseller?
Yes — 4 weeks on the New York Times list, peaking at #6. Sales are shown here but never scored.
How long is A Little Life?
It has 816 pages — longer than 96% of the ranked books in Contemporary fiction.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Contemporary fiction — with scores between 8.1 and 8.2, closest to this book.
