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A Little Life  By  cover art

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.

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
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  • Overall
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    3 out of 5 stars

A hard review to write

I have never written a review for a book that I didn't finish. I have 12 hours left, but I can't listen to another minute. The writing is fantastic. The narrator is perfect. The story is so well written, interesting, and rich with layers and details. But, I am actually at a point now where I am feeling physically sick and emotionally wrung out. I was not sure if I could keep going, so I googled "does a little life have a happy ending" and what I got in return was so bleak and horrific, that I decided that I had to stop listening. This writer is amazing and gifted, but I am not equipped to take in this much explicitly detailed pain, trauma, and endless suffering.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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  • CC
  • 01-18-23

St. Jude, patron saint of hope and impossible causes…

Oh my…just finished this heart wrenching story. So beautiful, poignant and meaningful. It was so incredibly sad, but full of perspective and mixed with joyful & horrific moments. If you are faint of heart, take heed; but in the end know that this is a very, very worthwhile and important listen/read.

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3 people found this helpful

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

Absolutely amazing. Wonderful story.

Absolutely amazing story by an awesome writer and phenomenal narrator. The story grips you. A little slow in the beginning but once on the freight train it turns into it keeps going faster and wilder. This one will squeeze your heart.

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1 person found this helpful

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

very powerful story

This block goes to the depths of the most horrific things that could happen to our children and how they deal with it as they grow without any support

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1 person 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

Wow.

I’m truly devastated. This seriously just broke me in ways I never ever thought possible.

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1 person found this helpful

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

So horribly sad.

Wow! So sad and horrifying to hear this happened to anyone……………. Sad sad sad sad

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1 person found this helpful

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

Tragic, beautiful, heartbreaking

Heavy, so very heavy...but beautifully written. It is hard to put into words, just a tragic, heart wrenching story. The narration was fantastic. This one will stay with me for a very long time.

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

Beautiful and Devistating

I’ve never read a book that has touched me as much as this one. It will stay with me for a long, long time. As another reviewer stated, it’s soul crushing.

Thank you to Oliver Wyman for a truly beautiful narration.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

It wasn't too disturbing

I picked this up cause I was looking for a disturbing book. It's more of an intense drama that could be made into a soap opera. I am also a horror and disturbing book fan as well so take my review with a grain of salt.

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

loved

well performed, terribly difficult stories to write and read. loved this book. well done.

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