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A Little Life

By: Hanya Yanagihara
Narrated by: Oliver Wyman
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Publisher's summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A stunning “portrait of the enduring grace of friendship” (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century.

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • MAN BOOKER PRIZE FINALIST • WINNER OF THE KIRKUS PRIZE

A Little Life follows four college classmates—broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition—as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves.

Look for Hanya Yanagihara’s latest bestselling novel, To Paradise.

©2022 Penguin Random House Audio (P)2015 Audible, Inc.
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Featured Article: The Audible Essentials Top 100


The spirited (but friendly) debate over these titles could have gone on indefinitely. With years of listening, countless customer reviews, and a catalog of seemingly infinite great listens, 100 suddenly felt like a very small number. What we know for sure—each title that made it to this collection is elevated and made special in some way by audio, whether by a layered performance from a single narrator, a brilliantly cohesive full cast, original music, or immersive sound effects. Discover an audio experience for the ages.

What listeners say about A Little Life

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,101
  • 4 Stars
    327
  • 3 Stars
    173
  • 2 Stars
    107
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  • 3 Stars
    98
  • 2 Stars
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    1,946
  • 4 Stars
    326
  • 3 Stars
    137
  • 2 Stars
    81
  • 1 Stars
    150

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Heartbreaking. Frustrating. Overwhelming

I don’t usually leave reviews but this book was so good. It’s triggering for sure but you can literally feel the love. There are times when you think “ok enough already” the author makes it all come together. Oliver does such an amazing job. I could listen to him forever.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderfully written and narrated

It had a slow start for me, but it was solid character building. Really great book, and talented narrator

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

I purchased this book in physical form, but I realized I needed more. I’m glad I purchased it and listened here. The narrator did an excellent job with the tones and voices and affects. The story is both beautiful and so full of sorrow. A really great book that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Amazing voiceover

The voices of the each characters had different personalities that I thought maybe at least 2 different actors were not just reading it but “speaking” that he was so good. I couldn’t tell until closer to the end…and this was 800 pages! My favorite voice was of Jude, the main character so soft and sweet.

I’ve got Hanya Yanagihara’s latest book To Paradise when it came out but I’ve decided that I can’t sit and read books anymore because I’m too busy and looked and found A Little Life here on audible that I’ve been reading while I work, driving or in bath, then in bed.

Her story tells so much details of not only the main characters’ lives but also their friends etc. the times switched around that I got confused and had to go back to see which character was who, or “wait, when did they move..?? but it made this story so vivid and real. Ms. Yanagihara’s knowledge of art etc. and references of NYC, choices of locations they lived such as Garrison or places they visited were also made sense to me as I live in NY, and sounds perfect for these people.

I put 3 stars only because the violence was too much for me and I almost stopped listening to it but I couldn’t abandoned Jude as I felt for him as Julia, maybe. as I mentioned this book on my IG post, I learned these 4 friends had so many followers and people have posted photos of themselves holding the book over their faces as Wilem (?) , or visiting the red building on Lispenard street that Jude and Wilem lived or had “x=x” tattooed on their arms etc. almost like a cult. I learned how it ends but listened to it to the end anyway. They had made it a theater show in London, and suddenly the characters in my imagination became alive.

I must have missed some parts while I was going back and forth because I don’t know who Anna was, and how Jude made it to Boston from Philadelphia. I have to check it back or might buy the book.

I know tragic stories sells as in Opera, and I’d watch the film if it becomes available in the US…but I also learned how many people get influenced by others. For that, I wouldn’t recommend this book for anyone who has low-self esteem. I’m glad this is a fiction.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wow. Just… wow.

I know this isn’t everyone’s favorite book but I thought it was really good. It was sad, incredibly moving, well-written, and informative. The author’s descriptions of people and places was exquisite. I love it when I read a book and feel like I’m effortlessly learning as I read. I was impressed. There were times when I had to take little breaks and times I became almost enraged but most of the time I was completely entranced with the story. I fell in love with a couple of the characters. I disliked a couple of them as well. I would definitely recommend this book!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Tragic beauty

This is the saddest fn book I have read. Amazing story and character development though!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story, bad voice

I am halfway through A Little Life and am just so moved by it. It took longer than expected to get into the book, but I am so enjoying it. It took me time to put my finger on what was bothering me about it and realized that the voice/reader dates the story to a time period that doesn’t feel relatable, let alone accurate itself to the story’s setting. Or maybe it’s that I don’t like when a novel is consumed by audiobook because it feels like they’re reading from a script, versus a memoir for example read by the author of course perfectly matches their voice to the name, so to speak. Surely the voice casters could hold more extensive auditions for the roles…

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Painfully beautiful

This book was painfully beautiful. So happy I decided to read this with the audio, Oliver’s voice made that much more real.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Such a great book!

Have some tissues near by! Beautifully written. Didn’t not expect for the ending to be honest.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

A profound, beautiful yet agonizing journey of love, friendship, trust, hardship and loyalty. A must read!

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