To Paradise
- Downloads：8431
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-09 04:19:03
- Update Date：2025-09-13
- Status：finish
- Author：Hanya Yanagihara
- ISBN：B091XWH5T2
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Annette Jordan
，
To Paradise is the much anticipated new release from Hanya Yanagihara and it is an ambitious and bold undertaking。 The book is broken into three sections， each set 100 years in the future from the preceding one， starting in 1893 in an alternative version of America where in the "Free States" same sex marriages are the norm， especially amongst the wealthy elite where they are used to secure inheritances。 Young bachelor and scion of a wealthy family， Charles Bingham is being encouraged by his gran To Paradise is the much anticipated new release from Hanya Yanagihara and it is an ambitious and bold undertaking。 The book is broken into three sections， each set 100 years in the future from the preceding one， starting in 1893 in an alternative version of America where in the "Free States" same sex marriages are the norm， especially amongst the wealthy elite where they are used to secure inheritances。 Young bachelor and scion of a wealthy family， Charles Bingham is being encouraged by his grandfather to form a match with a suitable suitor， but is distracted by an attractive， if perhaps less worthy and certainly less wealthy music teacher。 In 1993 New York is in the grip of the AIDS epidemic and we meet David， a paralegal who is romantically involved with a senior partner at the firm he works in， while his father is unwell back home in Hawaii。 The final and longest section is set in dystopian future version of New York。 In 2093 the world has faced multiple pandemics， and much of the nations resources are diverted into studying them， fighting them and preparing for the next one。 Charlie in this world is a young woman who suffered damage as the result of an experimental treatment give to her as a girl。 Labelled as infertile she is part of an arranged marriage to a man who is kind but disinterested。 Though the three sections seem very different at first， it was really enjoyable to see the recurrent themes as they unfolded。 I particularly enjoyed the first and third sections， I found the second a little more of a struggle to engage with。 Having previously read A Little Life， I was expecting more of an emotional connection ， which I did not find in this book。 I could appreciate the skill of the writing and the ambition of the book as a whole but I did not love it as much as I hoped。 I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher， all opinions are my own。 。。。more
Mary Picken
，
I read To Paradise between Christmas and New Year as more Covid restrictions were kicking in and many of the themes in this book were resonating and rattling round as questions in my head。To Paradise is an epic work。 In three sections， Yanagihara tackles some immense topics which ultimately lead you to question notions of freedom and freedom of choice and what we as society do to each other in that name。 Though this book is about love， family， protection and choices， it is also – especially in t I read To Paradise between Christmas and New Year as more Covid restrictions were kicking in and many of the themes in this book were resonating and rattling round as questions in my head。To Paradise is an epic work。 In three sections， Yanagihara tackles some immense topics which ultimately lead you to question notions of freedom and freedom of choice and what we as society do to each other in that name。 Though this book is about love， family， protection and choices， it is also – especially in the third section – a pandemic novel， so be warned。To Paradise spans three centuries and centres around one house in Washington Square。 In an opening reminiscent of Henry James’ The Ambassadors and Edith Wharton’s House of Mirth， this mannered society is one in which arranged marriages are the norm， though there’s a moment when you realise that this society is one in which gay arranged marriages are completely accepted， and that makes you blink。David Bingham lives with his wealthy grandfather， Nathaniel。 A sickly child， his illnesses are not spoken of and must be concealed from potential suitors。 Gay marriage may be welcomed in this 1893， but class and wealth play just as strong a role as ever they did and the suitability of eligible partners is still paramount。 This part of free America is racist though; it does not non-Europeans as citizens except and former black slaves from the South are encouraged to move on to the North or the West。 And so we follow David， torn between pleasing his grandfather by contracting to marry Charles and inheriting all that he holds dear and holding out for the most unsuitable of matches which everyone but David can see will end in tears。The second section， set in 1990’s New York is poignant and takes us to a group of affluent men gathering to say goodbye to a dear friend， now dying of terminal cancer but who is mightily relieved not to be dying of a disease which is rife amongst their friends。 This disease， characterised by skin lesions， often burned off in an attempt to avoid the stigma， is all too clearly Aids。 David Bingham a paralegal， （not the same one， names are repeated in this triptych） is having an affair with his firm’s senior partner Charles。 David is a young Hawaiian man whose father， descended from royal blood， is dying in an institution on the island and this is his story， sometimes told by him and at others it is his father’s monologue which drives the narrative。 Yanagihara shows us an uncompromising America colonising Hawaii， oppressing its peoples and stealing the land and customs。 In doing so it has created a society in which the people are conflicted， angry and suffer greatly from no longer knowing or understanding their rich heritage。 The darkness suffered by the Hawaiians is suffused through their mental health and disintegration of collective memory。Cue then， the third section of this triptych， taking place in2094 with flashbacks， in an America which is scarily recognisable。 This is the pandemic section and strikes a chord with all of us who have lived through three lockdowns so far。 Here is a society which has been crushed by a series of viruses and whose efforts are now entirely directed at predicting and curing the next wave。Everything is directed in pursuit of these aims and in the process Yanagihara portrays a totalitarian regime in which any joy has been removed and freedom no longer exists。 Charlie lives in New York with her remote husband。 Partners each have a free evening and Charlie is curious about where her husband spends his。 As she tells her story， we learn about her background and through her grandfather Charles’ letters to Peter， a member of the UK Government。 A promising scientist he allows the virus to corrupt his ideals from mass protection of the public to the creation of internment camps for the sick and their families。 Soon it is only the well-connected in Government and the wealthy that are likely to survive。 And so procreation becomes important as the population diminishes， leading to an eradication of every freedom that Americans have enjoyed。 His son， though， cannot ignore his stirrings of discontent and becomes a vocal dissenter。This America is one in which a combination of lack of freedoms because of inequality， climate change and pandemics has produced a society in which life holds little joy or freedom and life is brutal because of the ‘national emergency’。 It is not at all difficult to extrapolate today’s world from the futuristic warnings in To Paradise， and though I cannot go along the logical trajectory that Yanagihara lays out， the warnings are clearWhat the reader is left with is that thought about possibilities。 What are the choices we make along every road？ How could one small decision change the course of society and the worlds we live in？ Because she has used the same names， the possibilities are counterpointed and each of these Davids and Charlies have cause to question what could have been different。 What has been sacrificed in the cause of so called safety and what freedoms are they prepared to give up – and why？Verdict: I said at the start of this review that this book had echoes of James and Wharton。 By the end though， it felt a bit more like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol。 Looking backwards to examine choices made and forwards to see the consequences of those choices。 To Paradise is a massive， dizzying work on a huge scale that asks some very big questions pertinent to the choices we make for the future。 It’s immersive， complex， finely layered， sometimes repellent and utterly absorbing。 It’s rather beautifully and compellingly expressed and is one you’ll be thinking about for years to come。 。。。more
Laura Sackton
，
Will be writing a full review later for the newsletter。 But I have to say， despite all the literary baggage I carried into the experience of reading this book， and despite some serious issues I had with it， I loved it。 I even loved it wholeheartedly， with an awareness of its flaws， of the ways it made me uneasy， of the pieces of myself I brought with me into it as I read。 We do not live in a safe world。 This is not a safe book。 Honestly， it stunned me。The audiobook is outrageously good。 Outrageo Will be writing a full review later for the newsletter。 But I have to say， despite all the literary baggage I carried into the experience of reading this book， and despite some serious issues I had with it， I loved it。 I even loved it wholeheartedly， with an awareness of its flaws， of the ways it made me uneasy， of the pieces of myself I brought with me into it as I read。 We do not live in a safe world。 This is not a safe book。 Honestly， it stunned me。The audiobook is outrageously good。 Outrageously。 。。。more
Tina
，
What do you say about a book so crushingly good？ Can't wait for others to read this so we can discuss。 Yes， it's very long， but not a word is in excess。 What do you say about a book so crushingly good？ Can't wait for others to read this so we can discuss。 Yes， it's very long， but not a word is in excess。 。。。more
Booklunatic
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More to come。。。
Florina Diana
，
This comes out on my moms birthday which makes january 11th twice as good！😌 can't wait to cry my eyes out again🤍 This comes out on my moms birthday which makes january 11th twice as good！😌 can't wait to cry my eyes out again🤍 。。。more
Gülbadam
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Favorite
Aden
，
this is possibly the best sounding premise to a book i’ve ever read in my life。 am i currently in the middle of a little life right now and being torn to absolute shreds？ yes。 will i be reading this 720 page emotionally impactful beast on the day it comes out next week？ fuck yeah！
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，
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roosmarijn
，
oh my god i preordered something thats new
Eileen Miskell
，
I’ll be waiting for others to read this book so we can share the experience。
Veronica
，
The last thing Yanagihara is， is subtle， but she writes with such deftness that I ultimately tore through To Paradise – although still I had to take several long breaks from the book's devastating depictions of vulnerability and inhumanity。 The third and longest section is set in a pandemic-ravaged （！） 2093。 It depicts an exaggerated vision of totalitarianism， with many disconcertingly familiar elements that inevitably evoke events of the past 24 months。 It made me reflect on the functions and l The last thing Yanagihara is， is subtle， but she writes with such deftness that I ultimately tore through To Paradise – although still I had to take several long breaks from the book's devastating depictions of vulnerability and inhumanity。 The third and longest section is set in a pandemic-ravaged （！） 2093。 It depicts an exaggerated vision of totalitarianism， with many disconcertingly familiar elements that inevitably evoke events of the past 24 months。 It made me reflect on the functions and limitations of dystopian fiction （a genre I've always been drawn to）， whether contemporary additions to the genre can communicate anything more original and galvanising than what Orwell achieved with 1984 （which To Paradise extensively pays homage too）， and what readers want from it besides to reassure ourselves that we're not there yet ourselves。I initially expected the book to reveal itself as a recursive palimpsest， but ultimately it is three compelling yet separate novels bound together， with intersecting themes， shared locations， echoed events and dynamics， and recurring character names spread across three centuries and three visions of the USA。 Achieving a deeper weaving together of timelines， characters and events across 700+ pages would have been a herculean effort， but I would have loved to see Yanagihara attempt it。Imperfect but captivating。 。。。more
Sue
，
Write a review？ Please。 My head is still spinning。To Paradise is AMAZING！ Once it stops swirling around in my head， I’ll have more to say。
Elizabeth
，
Let me get the most important bit out of the way: this book is not nearly as bleak as A Little Life。 Is it bleak？ At times， yes （it wouldn't be Yanagihara without exploring themes of loneliness， love， familial ties， and questioning major life decisions）。 But there's a great deal less despair and hopelessness in To Paradise。 Yanagihara is an amazing writer。 In fact， I frequently enjoy re-reading certain sentences just to bask in her unique style。 And yet I have mixed feelings about this book: I c Let me get the most important bit out of the way: this book is not nearly as bleak as A Little Life。 Is it bleak？ At times， yes （it wouldn't be Yanagihara without exploring themes of loneliness， love， familial ties， and questioning major life decisions）。 But there's a great deal less despair and hopelessness in To Paradise。 Yanagihara is an amazing writer。 In fact， I frequently enjoy re-reading certain sentences just to bask in her unique style。 And yet I have mixed feelings about this book: I couldn't bring myself to care all that much about any of the characters， so the length and verbosity turned this read into a 700-page slog for me。 Unfortunately， for me， this book is a bit too long， overly descriptive， and the characters insufficiently compelling compared to those in A Little Life （though that I'm judging against a book that I've now thought about for two years and still can't even decide whether I love it or loathe it isn't lost on me）。 In the end， for fans of HY， I recommend。 But if you're looking for somewhere to start， go with A Little Life。 。。。more
Lana
，
I'm gonna need a vaccine for this heartbreak。 Lord help us。 I'm gonna need a vaccine for this heartbreak。 Lord help us。 。。。more
Kerry
，
I cannot give anything less than 5 stars because this novel - this piece of work - is brilliant。 This is either an epic novel， or three novels in one， take your pick。， but settle down and focus because you'll need to。 There are three different time frames （nineteenth， twentieth and way-in-the-future twenty-first century） exploring， really， life。 Or， life and culture， or being human， or free-will， or science， biology - or all of those things。 The complexity is soothed by Yanagihara's hypnotic pro I cannot give anything less than 5 stars because this novel - this piece of work - is brilliant。 This is either an epic novel， or three novels in one， take your pick。， but settle down and focus because you'll need to。 There are three different time frames （nineteenth， twentieth and way-in-the-future twenty-first century） exploring， really， life。 Or， life and culture， or being human， or free-will， or science， biology - or all of those things。 The complexity is soothed by Yanagihara's hypnotic prose style and if you keep in mind that it's those complex themes that link the three parts together， rather than the characters， or the names， then you'll get it。 If you try to do ancestry work， you're on the wrong track。 There's no doubt that 'A Little Life' is a hard act to follow but I don't think 'To Paradise' fails。 There are some similarities in the way the characters are drawn - their loneliness， for instance - but it's not so drawn out， and anyway， the emphasis is elsewhere here。 This is not another '。。。Little Life'， how could it be？ Don't expect that。 But do expect mesmeric prose and excruciatingly thought-provoking themes。 。。。more
Paola
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What an ambitious novel this is - told in three sections that take place in three different timelines （in the early 1900s， the 1990s， and then between the 2050s and the 2090's） and quite likely in three different universes， with recurring character names and themes - and one that only Hanya Yanagihara could pull off。 It is incredibly well written， the prose is completely absorbing and the way the author explores themes of loneliness， unrequited love， sexuality， family， wealth and poverty both em What an ambitious novel this is - told in three sections that take place in three different timelines （in the early 1900s， the 1990s， and then between the 2050s and the 2090's） and quite likely in three different universes， with recurring character names and themes - and one that only Hanya Yanagihara could pull off。 It is incredibly well written， the prose is completely absorbing and the way the author explores themes of loneliness， unrequited love， sexuality， family， wealth and poverty both emotional and in terms of status and culture， power， racial identity and illness is just as masterful as always。 I struggled a bit with the central part of the book but the skill with which the author builds the worlds in her novels is unparalleled。 。。。more
nay
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im fucking ready
BookBagDC
，
This is a story about what it means to search for a perfect life。 This novel is divided into three parts， moving across the 19th， 20th， and 21st centuries。 The first story offers an alternative history of the post-Civil War period where even though the northern states won the war， the country is divided into multiple parts。 It takes place in 1893 in New York， the capital of the Free States， which are made up of several northern states which have separated from America in order to offer greater This is a story about what it means to search for a perfect life。 This novel is divided into three parts， moving across the 19th， 20th， and 21st centuries。 The first story offers an alternative history of the post-Civil War period where even though the northern states won the war， the country is divided into multiple parts。 It takes place in 1893 in New York， the capital of the Free States， which are made up of several northern states which have separated from America in order to offer greater freedoms particularly for same-sex couples， although these expanded rights do not extend beyond the white population。 The story focuses on David， the eldest son of one of the wealthiest families in the Free States。 He has had a difficult childhood and struggled to find his way as an adult。 His family is encouraging him to marry a wealthy and widowed man who clearly cares for him despite it being an arranged relationship。 But David is drawn to a charming but penniless music teacher with a mysterious background who dreams of escaping to a new life。 In the face of society's pressures and his family's expectations， David must confront how far he is willing to go for a new love。The second story takes place in the New York of 1993， when the city is in the midst of the AIDS epidemic。 A young man from Hawaii， also named David， lives with his much older partner， a wealthy attorney。 This part explores David's experiences navigating his newfound life of comfort and his husband's friends， wealthy themselves and mostly white and from elite families， while telling the story of his childhood that he is seeking to hide from his partner -- a story of growing up in Hawaii with an unreliable father trapped by his efforts to protect his family's legacy and the fate of native Hawiians following statehood。 The final story takes place in New York of the future。 This part focuses on two sets of characters。 The first includes a scientist who moves to New York from Hawaii with his curator husband and their young child， David， so the scientist can work on responses to new diseases and， ideally， make the world a safer place。 This part of the story explores their experiences adapting to life in New York as a series of plagues over the course of several decades decimate the population， reshape daily life， and lead to creeping authoritarianism in the America of that day and the different ways each of the three， and those in their lives， react to these changing circumstances。 The second portion of the third part of the book centers on Charlie， the granddaughter of a key leader in the government's response to the series of pandemics。 Charlie was damaged as a result of one of the pandemics and ever since was protected by her grandfather。 But now， following his death， she must navigate life without him at a time of increasing uncertainty is an already uncertain world。 This book is a masterpiece。It is hard to give a full sense of the scope of the book without reading it。 The component parts are each excellent。 Taken together， though， the whole work reaches another level， offering a penetrating examination of some of the most pressing issues of today， including the nature of freedom， economic inequity， the balance between individual and collective interests， the shape of human connection and loneliness， what individuals owe their families， the impacts of power， and， most of all， the potential and pitfalls of the search for utopia。 The three stories are connected to various degrees， through characters and locations， but each provides a different and powerful perspective to explore these themes。 Both the central characters and the societies in which they live in each of the three parts are flawed in significant ways， and these flaws provide powerful lenses for reflecting on the experience of modern-day America。 This is a book that I will be thinking about for a long time。 Very strongly recommended！ 。。。more
Elena
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Rezension folgt am 11。 Januar ✍🏻
Ratchel
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I can't wait to read this - not because of 'A Little Life' but because of her often overlooked first book， 'The People in the Trees'。 I think her first novel was brilliant and it didn't rely on gratuitous trauma like 'A Little Life' did。 It surprises me it doesn't get more attention。 Very much looking forward to reading her third book。 I can't wait to read this - not because of 'A Little Life' but because of her often overlooked first book， 'The People in the Trees'。 I think her first novel was brilliant and it didn't rely on gratuitous trauma like 'A Little Life' did。 It surprises me it doesn't get more attention。 Very much looking forward to reading her third book。 。。。more
Willa
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A very， very different read to Yanagihara's last book - A Little Life， which is both a blessing and a curse。 I fear that this may not be as embraced because it doesn't come with her 'token' explicit trauma （while there are upsetting things in the book， it's nowhere near the same level – though I found myself welling up more often than I did when reading a little life）。 A very， very different read to Yanagihara's last book - A Little Life， which is both a blessing and a curse。 I fear that this may not be as embraced because it doesn't come with her 'token' explicit trauma （while there are upsetting things in the book， it's nowhere near the same level – though I found myself welling up more often than I did when reading a little life）。 。。。more
Samara
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To Paradise is my first Hanya Yanagihara book。 Despite being over 700 pages I finished it over the holidays in a matter of days （I received an advance proof copy）。 The book is divided into three sections， each set 100 years apart。 They read as three separate books， which I now understand to be set in different universes i。e。 the events do not connect chronologically。 But recurring throughout are the characters' names， location， and themes of sexuality， illness， loneliness， migration， and family To Paradise is my first Hanya Yanagihara book。 Despite being over 700 pages I finished it over the holidays in a matter of days （I received an advance proof copy）。 The book is divided into three sections， each set 100 years apart。 They read as three separate books， which I now understand to be set in different universes i。e。 the events do not connect chronologically。 But recurring throughout are the characters' names， location， and themes of sexuality， illness， loneliness， migration， and family relationships。In the first section， Yanagihara presents an alternative version of 1983 where people can marry whomever they love。 But this seems to be where the radical revisionism ends because Black people still cannot be citizens and are still referred to as 'negros'， Yanagihara centres the lives of the elites （while the poor are either graciously subservient or thieves）， and the female characters are effectively non-existent。 I powered through this hoping section two would elucidate the point of all this。。。 it did not。 The second section tells stories of the AIDS crisis （though the 'illness' is never named）， Hawaiian identity， and mental health but sadly in an unengaging and uncompelling way。But it's in the final section that I finally began to enjoy this book。 Set in 2093， in a world of recurrent pandemics， climate crises， and increasingly authoritarian rule， Yanagihara （successfully） explores themes of parent-child relationships， marriage， individual vs societal responsibility， sexuality， and disability。 It is in this final section of the book that I could finally empathise with the characters' vulnerabilities， hopes and fears。 This is also the section with a developed female character， Charlie， through whose perspective most of the section is told。 In many ways， it reminded me of The Last Children of Tokyo， where older generations are forced to witness the consequences of their actions （in the form of illness， loss of liberty， and even desire） on their descendants。 。。。more
Charlotte Cantillon
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Just to start， I am absolutely honoured to have been approved for this book。 A Little Life is in my top books of all time， and I had preordered To Paradise the second I heard of its existence。Hanya Yanagihara has a reputation for truly devastating books。 I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten over A Little Life， one of the greatest books of the last decade。 She’s also known for very long books。To Paradise is definitely long。 I’m a pretty quick reader but it took me a week during a period when I was off w Just to start， I am absolutely honoured to have been approved for this book。 A Little Life is in my top books of all time， and I had preordered To Paradise the second I heard of its existence。Hanya Yanagihara has a reputation for truly devastating books。 I’m not sure I’ve ever gotten over A Little Life， one of the greatest books of the last decade。 She’s also known for very long books。To Paradise is definitely long。 I’m a pretty quick reader but it took me a week during a period when I was off work。 According to my kindle it took me 15 hours in total to read。The book is split into 3 time periods - post-civil war New York， New York in the 1980s and post-2040 New York， all the way to the 2080s。 The stories are tied together but not necessarily connected， and each contain characters with the same name。 The world of these eras are all slightly different from our world， the notable difference being men and women are allowed to marry anyone， regardless of gender。I really loved the first two sections of the book， the second one in particular， and I was disappointed to not be returning to those characters in later chapters。 The final section。 which lasts over half of the book， was my least favourite， set in a futuristic world ravaged by pandemics。One thing to note - there’s been a lot of pandemic-themed books coming out lately and I personally am not here for it。I did really like this book。 Yanigahara is masterful at writing characters and relationships and I really like a lot of what she has done here。 It reminded me a lot of Klara and the Sun towards the end， another book I really liked but did not love。Is it anything like A Little Life？ No， not really at all。 I don’t think many books will have the effect that one had on me and this certainly didn’t。 Is it a good book？ Yes， but not sure it’s one I will remember， apart from spending 15 hours with it。I really really appreciate getting this read this one early， and I can’t wait to follow the discourse when it’s released。4 stars 。。。more
Liana Grace
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HELL YA
Sara Da'Neer
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Non io che ho appena scoperto che in Italia arriverà con due giorni di distanza dall'uscita americana。 Sessione invernale be like: ritenta， sarai più fortunata。🤡 Non io che ho appena scoperto che in Italia arriverà con due giorni di distanza dall'uscita americana。 Sessione invernale be like: ritenta， sarai più fortunata。🤡 。。。more
Maria
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I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG OH MY GOD MY FAVORITE AUTHOR IS BACK 😭😭😭😭😭😭 need to stock up on tissues ASAP 💔
Susan Tunis
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Review to come。。。
Jesse Hassinger
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A complete feat and fete of writing splendor。 It takes its time to reveal itself and the journey is worth going on。 There is not as much violence or despair as was in A Little Life， but the heartbreak is around each page turn…heartbreak and beauty。
Birgit
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