Yesterday I got home from work around 4:30. I was about 300-pages deep into A Little Life and wanted to keep going. Just before midnight, I closed the book. This is a 736 page novel and it was then, amidst the crumpled tissues and empty whiskey glass, that I realized I never even ate dinner. This book had captured me so completely that I sat on my couch for five and a half hours just to finish it. So if you want to know what kind of book this is…well, that’s a good way to describe it.
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I’m reading this for my book club in March. I’m scared.
I think that is a good emotion to have. It really is an excellent but, but it’s a hard read. I would make sure to leave more time than you think, both because it’s dense and because you’ll need emotion breaks.
Excellent review. I really want to read this, but think I’m going to have to wait for a bit, as my life is very stressful at the moment, and I pretty much only have the brain power or emotional stability for fairly light reads.
Thank you! Yeah, if things are hectic right now, I’d wait on this one. It’s draining and I think rather consuming. Wait until you’re happier and then you can bring yourself right back down! (That’s a selling point, I promise.)
I’ve heard good things about this book in a number of places, but also that it’s a demanding read. I think I may wait until I have some time off and am feeling relaxed. I always tend to get very emotionally invested in books, so I need to be in a good place emotionally when I read it.
Ooooh, adding to my list for later this year. Right now, I’ve got to read some books on my shelves to clear out space for more books. But your review has me questioning that plan at the moment…
Read it now, because I am selfish and need more people to talk to about this. Also because it’s good, but mostly the first reason. ;)
Ah, I both love and hate the “I read this amazing book and I need other people to read it to NOW NOW NOW so I can talk about it in detail and at great length” feeling. I’m so glad I’ve found a community of romance readers online, because most of my RL friends do not read that genre and my best friend has this rule where she can’t read a book where the hero shares the name of anyone she knows (which limits the books she reads a lot, as she has three uncles, two brothers and a whole bunch of other names that are no-goes).
Okay, that might be the strangest reading quirk I’ve heard of, but if it works for her, why not!
That’s exactly it, though. Sometimes I want to evangelize a book because it’s so amazing and I want everyone to experience it. Sometimes, like this, it’s because I need to talk about it and I don’t want to spoil it for anyone! I did have a friend who just read it (because I wouldn’t shut up about it), but all they did was cry a lot so it was less of a discussion and more of a commiseration.
I have this one preordered for when it comes out in paperback! I’ve been dying to read it. Glad to know its living up to the hype!
I hope it does for you, too!