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I feel like ambiguous endings are a litmus test that I failed lol. On occasion ambiguous endings can add complexity and be so thought provoking they leave your mind blown (The Life of Pi) but often they just leave me feeling baffled and unsatisfied. To Paradise was the latter for me. HY‘s prose is beautiful and moving, but overall this book (or these three books ambiguously wrapped up into one) missed the mark for me. #bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

#12booksof2022
Definitely this one for January and will make my pick for best of 2022.

The writing is excellent of course, each of the stories capturing humanity and compassion. Each story(or should I say book!) echoed the others, with common names, themes and location-an NYC of the past and future, imagined and real. Characters often have little agency, complicated love, struggle with family, illness, grief. But after investing so much time, I ended up feeling a little like I was at arms length from what the book was trying to say.

Hanya Yanagihara is a go to author for me. I love all her books although this was my least favourite. This book had one of the most moving and powerful dying scenes I‘ve ever come across. So insightful. 💚

31 Aug-9 Sep 22 (audiobook)
Consisting of three only loosely connected narratives set 100 years apart in versions of Manhattan. Character names, themes of illness, family and freedom, and a house bordering Washington Square Park reappear. And all are unresolved.
The third part is the most compelling and frightening, set in a future ravaged by pandemic and climate change. It would be unbelievable if we had not all lived through the past few years.

I loved this one, but be ready to settle in for a while. It isn't a casual beach read. The third section was especially terrifying.

Over the course of 700 pages, three people in three different centuries struggle with undiagnosed executive function issues before eventually taking action with inconclusive results.

I loved this book. Yes, at times it was unremitting but it was a thought provoking page turner. It is an important reminder that democracy cannot be taken for granted that inequalities and colonialism have long term consequences and that we should understand the politics of our times even if we appear to have everything we want. I loved the subtle connections and with her readers between the parts and the games yanagihara plays with her readers

It was always going to be hard after the brilliance of A Little Life. Part one I was very engaged with and was disappointed when it finished. The characters and relationships were super interesting. Section 2 could have been amazing but the section in Hawaii was just long and dreary. I would have liked more in New York. Section 3 was ok. Other than Section 1 the rest of the book needed a MAJOR edit, it would have helped with the monotony

You should always have a close friend you‘re slightly afraid of. Why? Because it means that you‘ll have someone in your life that really challenges you, who forces you to become better in some way, in whatever way you‘re most scared of: their approval is what will hold you accountable. But was that really true?

Wow that was some book!

When this was written I can imagine readers thinking that will never happen now 6 months later we move ever closer to it happening here.

Full review here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4805972453

Images not currently working for me 🙁

Now it was time to seek. Now it was time to be brave. Now he must go alone. So he would stand here for another moment, the bag leaden in his hand, and then he would take a breath, and then he would make his first step; his first step to a new life; his first step - to paradise

An interesting concept but needed a robust edit!

Quite a marathon, but I finished these two with just enough time to get to the library. 😅 The Paper Palace will be returned unread to be borrowed again later.
And now I need some light escapism with a guaranteed happy ending where no one gets ill or dies, before I attempt How High We Go In The Dark. Because while Sorrow and Bliss at least had some surprisingly funny parts, To Paradise was 700 pages of unremitting and unresolved discomfort.

DNF. I didn‘t get on with a little life either so this author obviously isn‘t for me

Even his new grossness was a kind of shout, a defiance; he was a body that took up more space than was allowed, than was polite. He had made himself into a presence that couldn't be ignored. He had made himself undeniable.

"Self-pity is an unattractive quality in a man," he heard his grandmother say.
What about in a woman?
"Also unattractive, but understandable," his grandmother would say. "A woman has much more to pity herself for."

Tried to renew some library books. Turns out these three have holds and must be returned on Monday (Saturday for one of them, but let's go with Monday). So... I guess I know what I'm spending the bank holiday weekend doing! Good thing I have at least read Part 1 of To Paradise already. But I admit I might have to return at least one of the others unread. 😬

On a sentence level, Hanya Yanagihara is a compelling writer -- I nearly always find her books hard to put down because the paragraphs just flow so well. But we don't see the world the same way. Yanagihara's relentless darkness and bleak vision just don't work for me. I loved the first section, set in an 1893 with legal gay marriage, but I barely remember the second and I loathed the third.

I‘m glad I took breaks in between the sections, really worked for me! Still found myself trying to figure out how & if they connected in any way (besides the repeated names). I enjoyed all the parts pretty equally. I love her writing. It didn‘t have the same emotional punch as ALL but glad I read it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just finished and not really sure what my opinion is. I don't think Yanagihara is a brilliant prose stylist but something about her writing just flows for me -- I find it so hard to put her books down, even when I am baffled or put off by her plotting and characters.

I read other books in between the different parts so this didn‘t feel so daunting to read (plus I had a lot of library holds come in one after the other.) Think it‘s time for part three so I can finally finish it!

It was as if he had been bewitched and, knowing it, had sought not to fight against it but to surrender, to leave behind the world he thought he knew for another, and all because he wanted to attempt to be not the person he was--but the one he dreamed of being.

Here‘s how my bracket is shaping up! I love this way of thinking about my favorite book of month.

Wow. I finally finished this last night and find myself blown away. I absolutely loved it! It's very different from her previous works though, so if you're going into it expecting it to be like A Little Life you may be disappointed. It's broken up into three sections, each one more intriguing than the last. I love how similar themes tie them all together as well as the closing words for each section which are, 'to paradise.' Simply brilliant! ❤📖

March was a great reading month for me. To Paradise, The Island of Sea Women, I Must Betray You, and Syllabus were all 5-star standouts.

#marchreads #marchwrapup #monthlywrapup

I'm off today since I'm working all weekend, and the weather is very cold, windy, and cloudy! I guess that means I'm going to spend the day being cozy with endless cups of tea and a stack of books! 😁👍 I finally reached the third and final section of this book! I'm still absolutely loving it so far! ❤📖

Happy Monday from Rumpel! 😸💕 We are trying to get in as much reading as possible this morning before having to head into work! #catsoflitsy #littenkitten #rumpel

I‘m giving this a pick though I don‘t think I‘d recommend it unless they‘re big readers. The first two stories felt incomplete and it kinda frustrated me and I wanted a bigger, dramatic ending to wrap the timelines up and I knew it wasn‘t going to happen. I really enjoyed the third story. I like what she did with the timelines, characters, generations, altered universe, and it‘s a book to ponder for a while so I‘ll give it that. #pop22 #booked22

Happy Saturday! 🎉🎉🎉 Finally picking this back again and I'm so happy about it! There wasn't even any real reason I put it down other than the fact that I had a bunch of library holds I needed to read first! But as soon as I opened it up and started the second section I felt a wave of giddiness sweep over me. I just love the writing in this book so much! ❤📖❤ #catsoflitsy #chaplin

You wait 6 years for a Yanagihara novel and 3 come along at once. Less emotionally draining than A Little Life, perhaps, though the final section did leave me fairly drained. Superb, anyway.

#LitsyCrafters @curiouserandcurioser @Catsandbooks

Progress pic: 30 triangles finished, 24 of them attached to each other. A gazillion more to go.

I'm glad my #audiobook is very long.

#audiocrafting #CrochetersOfLitsy #HookersOfLitsy

I read this all in one day. The three different stories kept me captivated.
First story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️,5 / 5 (best written)
Second Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 (a bit confusing)
Third story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️,5 /5 (emotional & frightening)

#toparadise #hanyayanighara

Wow! This book is stunning: the stories, the complexities, the characters. It‘s long at 700 pages, but don‘t let that scare you. Three fascinating stories are told, 100 years apart. It‘s a masterpiece and will stay with you for a long time.

Grandfather, Charles, Edward. Mind boggling reuse of character names, settings, and situations but in totally different worlds/times. Split into 3 books, the 1st a very different past, the 2nd book the most recognizably to our current/recent past, and the 3rd a future in which one pandemic after another, climate change and the all-powerful “state” create a dystopia. I don‘t know if I “got” everything I was meant to in this huge book but I love it.

At 700 pages this is not a light read- it‘s heavy and weight and content. I will read anything Yanagihara writes (I loved A Little Life).
Split into three sections the last is the longest, and strongest. I may have missed the mark on why the other two sections even existed. That being said the writing is of course top notch, and I‘m looking forward to going back and reading her first novel, The People In The Trees.

What can I say, I‘m a huge fan of Yanigahara and this book didn‘t disappoint. Despite the length I flew through it. I loved the clever threads woven through the three stories and the variations on themes of race, colonialism, sexuality. I think my favorite was book 3, set in a very believable future.

This writer really knows how to do ‘vulnerable‘. Three stories that cleverly echo one another, all with main characters that have zero agency. As in ‘A Little Life‘ the writing is full of compassion for human suffering and weakness, but unlike Jude these characters are completely dependent on others. I enjoyed the imagined past and future worlds, which are written as an intelligent commentary on our present.

#AlmostAChunksterChallenge @TheAromaofBooks
I don‘t enjoy short story collections because they leave me frustrated and unsatisfied, and while none of the stories in this book could be considered short they left me feeling the same way. I am so disappointed, I have not read A Little Life but have heard how emotional it is and how much the book hit people right in the feels. So I had hoped that I was about to read something similar. ⬇️

For me, this beast of a book is just marvelous. I can see why it wouldn‘t work for all readers, with its three separate parts and reusing of names, but it really worked for me. I clearly need to go back and read A Little Life.

Read by candlelight this evening to #remembersharon
Though I didn‘t know her, I am glad to be able to honor her memory in this shared space we all love 🕯 ♥️ 📖

Loving this…start two days ago and already half way through😍beautifully written. Oh yeah this is a chunkster!

The fabulous Hanya Yanagihara on Manchester- she was so great. I loved hearing what she had to say about To Paradise. And now I want to read it again.
And bonus, a lovely catch up with @TrishB

On my way to see Hanya ❤️ hoping to get this signed

@trishb

#Sharreadathon
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Professional_Book_Dragon
Today I participated in the Sharreadathon in memory of our Litsy pal @sharread , I didn't know her well, but from what I have seen from others she was a sweet, generous and very loved.💗
Today I did some Audiocleaning, listened to the tagged book and did a deep clean of my bedroom. Made it to the half way point.

I am horribly behind with reviews, so going to try for some concise ones to catch up with myself. *waffle*. I may be behind because I just don‘t know what to say about this one! Here are some random thoughts.

I‘m glad I read it & the audio was fab. It‘s a very ‘clever‘ book with repeating themes, repeating names, a unique structure, & so many different ways to read it. You‘re left with SO MANY QUESTIONS. It really is crying out to be a bookclub

I really loved A Little Life, and although I enjoyed this one as well, it didn't have quite the impact.

Yanagihara is an author though whose books will stand the test of time and people will read, cherish, and talk about for years.

I'm still not entirely sure why this book is divided into three books. There are similar themes of choices and freedom amongst them all, but each part is unique and could really stand on its own. (more in comments)

What is Yanagihara trying to tell? Are the books even related? And the names made my head spinning. I enjoyed all three books and the writing but I am not loving it like many of you did. Too little of a reward after 700 pages! I still don‘t know what to think but am tending to think in line with the overall bleakness of the book.

#19822022 #2022 #pop22 #BookByAPacificIslander #52BooksIn52weeks #IncludesAMap #Booked2022 #MCLivingWithHIV

This took me a long time to read. I liked it, but I‘m not sure I totally got it.

#WeekendReading @Andrew65

I'm hoping to finish these three books this weekend. I'm currently on part 2 of the tagged book.

I'd love to know what you're reading this weekend @Reggie and @readordierachel