Naar het paradijs
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- Create Date：2022-03-06 07:51:35
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Hanya Yanagihara
- ISBN：9046828964
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Summary
Naar het paradijs is een gewaagde， briljante roman over drie verschillende versies van Amerika， in drie eeuwen。
In 1893 maakt New York deel uit van de Vrije Staten， waar mensen ogenschijnlijk mogen liefhebben wie ze willen。 David verzet zich tegen de door zijn rijke familie gearrangeerde verloving met een geschikte kandidaat; hij voelt zich meer aangetrokken tot een charismatische maar arme muziekleraar。
In het door de aidsepidemie geteisterde Manhattan van 1993 woont de jonge Hawaïaanse David samen met zijn veel oudere， rijkere partner， voor wie hij zijn moeilijke jeugd en het lot van zijn vader verzwijgt。
In 2093 probeert Charlie zich staande te houden in het totalitaire New York zonder de bescherming van haar grootvader， een gerenommeerd wetenschapper。 Ze ontmoet David， die zegt haar te kunnen redden - maar kan zij hem vertrouwen？
Deze drie delen vormen samen een weergaloos epos over familie， verlies en de zoektocht naar liefde。 Wat niet alleen de personages， maar ook de verschillende versies van Amerika met elkaar verbindt， is de worsteling met de eigenschappen die ons menselijk maken: angst， liefde， schaamte， afhankelijkheid， eenzaamheid en bovenal het pijnlijke verlangen om degenen van wie we houden te beschermen。
In 1893 maakt New York deel uit van de Vrije Staten， waar mensen ogenschijnlijk mogen liefhebben wie ze willen。 David verzet zich tegen de door zijn rijke familie gearrangeerde verloving met een geschikte kandidaat; hij voelt zich meer aangetrokken tot een charismatische maar arme muziekleraar。
In het door de aidsepidemie geteisterde Manhattan van 1993 woont de jonge Hawaïaanse David samen met zijn veel oudere， rijkere partner， voor wie hij zijn moeilijke jeugd en het lot van zijn vader verzwijgt。
In 2093 probeert Charlie zich staande te houden in het totalitaire New York zonder de bescherming van haar grootvader， een gerenommeerd wetenschapper。 Ze ontmoet David， die zegt haar te kunnen redden - maar kan zij hem vertrouwen？
Deze drie delen vormen samen een weergaloos epos over familie， verlies en de zoektocht naar liefde。 Wat niet alleen de personages， maar ook de verschillende versies van Amerika met elkaar verbindt， is de worsteling met de eigenschappen die ons menselijk maken: angst， liefde， schaamte， afhankelijkheid， eenzaamheid en bovenal het pijnlijke verlangen om degenen van wie we houden te beschermen。
Reviews
Matt Bennett
，
To Paradise is pretty close to a masterpiece。 It is many things: a Cloud Atlas-style journey through time with recurring leitmotifs and characters; a fantastical alt-history of the US in which marriage equality arrives 150 years earlier; a post-apocalyptic warning about the confluence of pandemics and the loss of freedom; and a look back at recent history， with a searing portrait of gay men at the height of the AIDS epidemic。This is not an easy book - it requires concentration and care。 But it i To Paradise is pretty close to a masterpiece。 It is many things: a Cloud Atlas-style journey through time with recurring leitmotifs and characters; a fantastical alt-history of the US in which marriage equality arrives 150 years earlier; a post-apocalyptic warning about the confluence of pandemics and the loss of freedom; and a look back at recent history， with a searing portrait of gay men at the height of the AIDS epidemic。This is not an easy book - it requires concentration and care。 But it is a very good one， and well worth the time and effort。 。。。more
Fred Cohen
，
Wonderful book。 It would take a more astute reader than I to put all three time frames together but they’re wonderful on their own。
Nick
，
A Little Life is my favourite book of the last 10 years…。 This i really struggled with。 Quite disappointing。
Rachel
，
If you only read one sprawling 700-page piece of literary fiction this year， make it To Paradise。 Significantly less pornographic than Yanagihara’s previous novels but just as heart-piercingly sad and beautiful。 What a story。 What do I even follow this with？
Synoeca
，
«To Paradise» is romantic， it shows beauty in the way we like to see beauty， it’s merciful and it grabs you by the hand to lead the way into three different stories， three worlds， each with their own utopian and dystopian elements。 But it also feels like it lets go of my hand sooner than I’d like; after each story is told， my palms are only warm because of my own body temperature， and no glowing fragments remain from Yanagihara’s writings。 To be honest， I’m fine with it for the first two parts， «To Paradise» is romantic， it shows beauty in the way we like to see beauty， it’s merciful and it grabs you by the hand to lead the way into three different stories， three worlds， each with their own utopian and dystopian elements。 But it also feels like it lets go of my hand sooner than I’d like; after each story is told， my palms are only warm because of my own body temperature， and no glowing fragments remain from Yanagihara’s writings。 To be honest， I’m fine with it for the first two parts， since they’re on the shorter side; they end smoothly， openly， as if they were to announce the third—and by far largest—part of this book， the one set in the future。 So of course I was eager to move on into the latter halve of «To Paradise»， even a bit anxious， for I expected this part to hit me like «A Little Life» had hit—burned， crushed， hollowed— me last year。 And then it just didn’t。 For the intricate world-building， for the profound introspection， for the portrayal of complex feelings and relationships， I can only show appreciation， admiration—by all means， this is Yanagihara， c’mon！—， but that’s all there is to it。 This is the part where I realized I had set the bar too high and honestly it kind of spoiled the enjoyment of reading this novel that I otherwise would like for its attention to detail， its humane characters and again， its stunning world-building。 Overall， this is a fine novel。 If I hadn’t read «A Little Life» beforehand， I’d been unbiased in forming an opinion on «To Paradise»;I didn’t， however， and thereby it’s completely fair to say this is an unfit representation of Hanya Yanagihara’s true writing abilities。 。。。more
Tiana
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One of the best books I've read in my life。 One of the best books I've read in my life。 。。。more
Sara
，
A Little Life is a tough act to follow。 To Paradise breaks your heart， just differently。 It's written through multiple generations and centuries， including a dystopian future （my fav）。 Interestingly， the names are the same。 Initially that threw me off， but I figured it out。 Yanagihara's ability to articulate and capture emotional expression and deep human desires is what makes her brilliant。 We all want a better future for ourselves and our loved ones despite life's roadblocks。 The people who pu A Little Life is a tough act to follow。 To Paradise breaks your heart， just differently。 It's written through multiple generations and centuries， including a dystopian future （my fav）。 Interestingly， the names are the same。 Initially that threw me off， but I figured it out。 Yanagihara's ability to articulate and capture emotional expression and deep human desires is what makes her brilliant。 We all want a better future for ourselves and our loved ones despite life's roadblocks。 The people who push us to stay within our own comfort zones are usually the ones who fear for their own loneliness。 Each character fights their own inner struggles and personal dilemmas in addition to facing the societal differences and plagues of their time。 Deep down， we're all searching for our own paradise。 。。。more
ivy and the sun
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For starters， it's awfully long and may appear to be dull at some parts。 Also， as much as I don't want to make comparisons， it's apparent that A Little Life set the bar way too high。 It may be hard to admit， but A Little Life became well-known for its trauma porn （haha！）。 It was a well-known tearjerker， after all。I still need to splash cold water onto my face， for it's 3 in the morning， and I still have my soul attached to the book—in different periods。 （Whoops！ Digress no more！） I won't conclud For starters， it's awfully long and may appear to be dull at some parts。 Also， as much as I don't want to make comparisons， it's apparent that A Little Life set the bar way too high。 It may be hard to admit， but A Little Life became well-known for its trauma porn （haha！）。 It was a well-known tearjerker， after all。I still need to splash cold water onto my face， for it's 3 in the morning， and I still have my soul attached to the book—in different periods。 （Whoops！ Digress no more！） I won't conclude that I hated this for being boring; I like "boring" books （but if it's too long， that's another story）。 One thing's for sure I won't give this five stars。If you're looking for another Yanagihara tearjerker， this isn't it。 Find another title， or at least consider getting some help。It's divided into three parts， and surprisingly， you'll encounter the same names in each book。 At first， I thought it was a good thing， for I am able to discern connections and conclude that perhaps these were the versions of life that David and Edward were not able to experience （reincarnation）。 But it went downhill because it slightly became difficult for me to comprehend （due to the names）。 I still liked what she did anyway。 My fault that I let confusion eat me whole。I once saw a review it says that Yanagihara's great at representing controversial subjects—we're perhaps in accord with that notion。 It provides less traumatic experiences and is lighter than her previous novel。 Moreover， amidst reading it—I told myself that I enjoy what I am reading and discarded the existence of A Little Life temporarily。 It tackled homosexuality， poverty， and subjects that we're still dealing with up until now。 The light is also way brighter in this。 It seems like ALL blew out all the candles and decided to suffer in silence。 It's also filled with open endings。 But then， maybe the readers should get to foretell the future by considering the provided bits。 Changes are constant in our life anyway。 。。。more
Hazlewood95
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Meinung:"Ein wenig Leben" ist wahrscheinlich DAS eine Buch， das ich auswählen würde， wenn ich nur noch ein Buch auf der Welt lesen dürfte。 So beeindruckend war dieses Werk für mich。 Nun kann man sich als Leser vorstellen， wie gespannt und wie glücklich ich war， als ihr neuer Roman "Zum Paradies" erschienen ist。Und zu Anfang muss ich sagen hat mich der Schreibstil der Autorin wieder in seinen Bann gezogen。 Er hat mich in Empfang genommen， mich mit einer warmen Decke aus ausgewählt literarischer u Meinung:"Ein wenig Leben" ist wahrscheinlich DAS eine Buch， das ich auswählen würde， wenn ich nur noch ein Buch auf der Welt lesen dürfte。 So beeindruckend war dieses Werk für mich。 Nun kann man sich als Leser vorstellen， wie gespannt und wie glücklich ich war， als ihr neuer Roman "Zum Paradies" erschienen ist。Und zu Anfang muss ich sagen hat mich der Schreibstil der Autorin wieder in seinen Bann gezogen。 Er hat mich in Empfang genommen， mich mit einer warmen Decke aus ausgewählt literarischer und emotional bedachter Sprache zugedeckt und mich erneut in ihren Schreibstil verlieben lassen！Auch die Charaktere sind herausragend gezeichnet und von einer Melancholie und Kraft， wie es zu lesen ein Geschenk ist。Für mich ein erneut herausragender， emotional anspruchsvoller Roman， der vielleicht nicht ganz an den Vorgänger heranreicht， aber nicht weniger glanzvoll ist。Unbedingt lesen！！！ 。。。more
Kat
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Not really sure what to say about this book。 Enjoy the first third， almost quit during the middle third， and the final third kept me up late at night reading。 The ending has left me speechless。 I did not remember why this was on my TBR list so reading it was a complete surprise。 And discovering the last part was about a horrible earth changing pandemic blew my mind。 I will think about this book for a long time。 The way the same brownstone in Washington Square and the same names are used in three Not really sure what to say about this book。 Enjoy the first third， almost quit during the middle third， and the final third kept me up late at night reading。 The ending has left me speechless。 I did not remember why this was on my TBR list so reading it was a complete surprise。 And discovering the last part was about a horrible earth changing pandemic blew my mind。 I will think about this book for a long time。 The way the same brownstone in Washington Square and the same names are used in three different centuries… Part one: fragile wealthy boy falls in love with a grifter。 Part two: fragile ancestor of Hawaiian royalty tries to make a new Hawaii; later his son deals with aids。 Part three: the future multiple pandemics have changed the whole world。 The scientist who unwittingly caused most of the problems tries to help his granddaughter move forward 。。。more
Margo Hollingsworth
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This book is a commitment， and while the characters were beautiful and the world Was terrifying （especially the 2094 world） I am just not sure that I really understood what it was all about？ I will read reviews and analyses， and the odds are that I have missed something deep and meaningful， but I feel like this book could have easily been 400 pages instead of 700 and done just as much just as well
Margriet
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Beautiful language， left me sad and unable to start a new book for days。
Kat
，
I couldn't figure out what was going on in the beginning of this book; it reads like historical fiction but everyone is in a gay marriage and there seem to be these strange historical details that don't blend in。 I found it really hard to get into this novel without knowing the rules and history of this alternate universe。 The story itself was fairly dull; a period piece about a man being proposed to by an older man he doesn't want while simultaneously being seduced by a con artist。 I was lookin I couldn't figure out what was going on in the beginning of this book; it reads like historical fiction but everyone is in a gay marriage and there seem to be these strange historical details that don't blend in。 I found it really hard to get into this novel without knowing the rules and history of this alternate universe。 The story itself was fairly dull; a period piece about a man being proposed to by an older man he doesn't want while simultaneously being seduced by a con artist。 I was looking forward to moving to the second section of the book which I knew was a separate story; that was the story of a man living with an older man who controlled everything。 Virtually the same story （lover not Grandfather controlling him， but same useless， powerless main character） with the same character names and still boring。 It's hard to feel sympathy for these feckless manchildren who have all this privilege （money， title， not having to work， etc。） but whinge about being bored or without purpose - go on trips， read a book， write a book， learn an instrument， make some friends， go to college， the whole world is at your fingertips！ Stop whining。 Looking forward to starting part three after 364 pages of tedium: and the same sort of feckless， dull protagonist from parts one and two。 Starts with the same unsuccessful implicit world building as part one， but， improves throughout。 This section is the best of the three and there is tension developed with the threat of a new outbreak and Charlie's fate。Ultimately， the writing is strong but this book is quite long and there's nothing substantive， the characters or the world， to hold my interest throughout。 5 stars for the writing but 2 stars for the characters， world building and plot。 。。。more
Joseph Murray
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Book 1: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Book 2; Part 1: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Book 2; Part 2: ⭐️⭐️Book 3: ⭐️✨⭐️⭐️✨⭐️✨✨💫⭐️
Siobhan Markwell
，
How to do justice to To Paradise in a brief set of notes （never any time to write a true review， especially for a door-stop of jaw-dropping complexity）？ Yanagihara's epic novel must have cost her dear pressure-wise after the huge critical acclaim given A Little Life。 It's epic three story structure is not derivative but it did remind me of the work of other stand-out writers， for example David Mitchell's with his repeating and interwoven locations， names and power relationships。 This sets up a s How to do justice to To Paradise in a brief set of notes （never any time to write a true review， especially for a door-stop of jaw-dropping complexity）？ Yanagihara's epic novel must have cost her dear pressure-wise after the huge critical acclaim given A Little Life。 It's epic three story structure is not derivative but it did remind me of the work of other stand-out writers， for example David Mitchell's with his repeating and interwoven locations， names and power relationships。 This sets up a sense of fatedness and consequences of choice that reverberate through time。 Part three put me in mind of Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy in its chilling dystopian realism but， without Atwood's sardonic tone， it's grimly realistic。 Arguably， To Paradise is the first convincing post-Covid novel and explores the social and political consequences of wave upon wave of pandemics but there are so many themes skilfully woven into the narrative: same-sex love， enduring friendship， spectrum disorder， consumerism， climate change， class， racism， cultural on-upmanship and appropriation and imperialism all take centre stage at various points in the novel， that it's hard to pin down the central idea of the story until you're well into the final third of the book。 Yanigahara's powers of description are acutely honed。 She pulls you subtly inside the skin of characters overwhelmed by strong emotion， dealing with the minutiae of their daily lives and the constraints of their social and familial settings but she describes a dish of apricots， figs and chocolate shards so you want to hold our your hand and eat a mouthful。 Ultimately though， it's the slow burn trajectory of the three stories that opens our eyes to the consequences of choices we are making as individuals and as societies right here and now。 Never preachy， her message is， nonetheless， compelling and urgent。 I'm sure many readers will see this as a masterpiece。 。。。more
Haaziq Zahar
，
I was hesitant to start reading this 720 pages， based on my experience reading A Little Life - which I cried and took days to recover from a reading slump。 Reading To Paradise was a slightly different feeling altogether。The book is divided into 3 main parts - from different eras， tied by the same location （Washington Square）， gay characters and some are even using the same names， but all are in very distinctive settings。 Part 1 is about this guy who left his great riches from his family to follo I was hesitant to start reading this 720 pages， based on my experience reading A Little Life - which I cried and took days to recover from a reading slump。 Reading To Paradise was a slightly different feeling altogether。The book is divided into 3 main parts - from different eras， tied by the same location （Washington Square）， gay characters and some are even using the same names， but all are in very distinctive settings。 Part 1 is about this guy who left his great riches from his family to follow the person he loved to California， a person who his family was certain would betray him。 There is a hint of this story again in Part 3， but you were left wondering what happen to this guy。Part 2 is my least favorite of the 3 parts， about this young Hawaiian guy who lives with his much older and wealthier partner。 You know he was hiding something about his past， about his father and grandmother， but you would only discover the story towards the end of this part。 AIDS was an epidemic during this era。 Part 3 is about a dystopian future， where there were pandemics every few decades。 I have read a few dystopian books， so I was intrigued by how Yanagihara’s story will be different than others。 Surprisingly， the setting felt like the extreme version of our current pandemic。 I like it as it was not too far-fetched from reality。This book for me is well structured and has self-controlled more than A Little Life。 I felt sad and had to stop reading for a couple of days at times， but overall， still more bearable than her previous book。 Yanagihara also inserted quite many Hawaiian influences and elements in this book - more predominantly in Parts 2 and 3。 I felt lots of thought has been put into writing this book， which I appreciate。 4。5 ⭐️/ 5⭐️ for me。 ✅ A must-read if you are a fan of A Little Life， but please your expectation as it will not be as emotional rollercoaster ride as A Little Life。 。。。more
Alice Caryer
，
3。5。。。 going to write a review later when it's sunk in。 3。5。。。 going to write a review later when it's sunk in。 。。。more
The_andreea
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4。5
John
，
This work is three novels sort of related to each other， and very difficult to rate: 4 stars for the first 2 stars for the second and a reluctant 3 stars for the third。 They are linked by the words at the final sentence of each: “to paradise”。 Washington Square 1893 is the first。 What we now call “America” in 1893 comprised independent split ups of the states: The Free States were made up of the NE original states， called free as a result of bargaining in the 1790s with George Washington: they c This work is three novels sort of related to each other， and very difficult to rate: 4 stars for the first 2 stars for the second and a reluctant 3 stars for the third。 They are linked by the words at the final sentence of each: “to paradise”。 Washington Square 1893 is the first。 What we now call “America” in 1893 comprised independent split ups of the states: The Free States were made up of the NE original states， called free as a result of bargaining in the 1790s with George Washington: they could be free to for people to marry whoever they wanted， universal suffrage except for Negroes but they were allowed to travel unharmed on their way to Canada or wherever else。 The Free States were allowed to trade however they liked， but for all of this freedom they paid large taxes to “America” comprising essentially the MidWest。 California was another region， fairly lawless， and the racist Colonies in the Deep South。 David Bingham is the grandson of Binghams the richest firm， and he lived in Washington Square。 He had a chequered past with unsatisfactory love affairs so Grandfather badly wanted him to marry and settle down。 In the custom he set up several arranged marriages， but David rejected them。 Finally Charles a rich， earnest businessman was selected。 He and David got on until he e=was seduced by Edward。 Grandfather strongly resisted this match believing Edward to be a conman but David was in love， rejected Charles and set off to California as Edward’s fiancé -- to Paradise。 This upheaval of our customs is done very stylishly: the homosexual scenes are suggestive rather than explicit， and the emotions convincing in their context。 The idea of a grandfather arranging the marriage of his grandson to another man at one level is confronting， but at another is made to appear natural as the way things are。 We are drawn very skillfully into accepting the culture of the Free States。Lipo-waho-nahele is set first in Washington Square with same names but different characters in a cocktail party of HIV positive characters including a young Hawaiian David。 Apart from the names of different role characters the situations are similar enough to cause dissonance。 We then are in Hawaii exactly 100 years later with David’s grandfather and father talking to him， known by them as Kawika about his royal ancestry – hence his English name of David， after King David。 There are some interesting aspects of Hawaiian life， an easygoing people who are enjoined to resist the Americanization of their culture to the point of losing it。 Lipo-waho-nahele is a fairly barren area on Oahu which leads to paradise。 This novel consists long monologues that are very detailed and very boring。 I found myself reading the first sentence of a long paragraph then skipping to the next long paragraph。 Maybe I missed an awful lot but life’s too short for this kind of writing。 I would give this 2 stars。Zone 8 is set 100 years later in 2093 but the voice for a change is female: a pathologically shy girl Charlie who can hardly talk to strangers; she is closer to her Grandfather （ Charles） than to her husband arranged by Charles solely to protect her， not to have sex。 She can’t converse meaningfully with her husband。 They are living in low-medium status Zone 8， in Washington Square of course， but now divided into tenements。 Climate change is harsh， people have to wear cooling suits outdoors; since the 2040s zoonosis has created dreadful diseases one after the other。 Most people are employed in disease related occupations。 The progress of the disease and government authoritarianism is related in letters from Charles to his lover Peter every decade， with fast forwards to 2094。 A strange man David befriends Charlie to her great embarrassment because she doesn’t know how to talk to people。 But he is an undercover agent from New Britain and his job is to get Charlie there – yes， to paradise。 Or not。 Paradise could also mean the hereafter。 The device of using poor dumb Charlie’s voice slows things up as does Charles’ ten yearly letters。 It was difficult to get into this story although slightly easier than the Hawaiian one: the characters are not very likeable， the theme of legal homosexual partnerships goes through all three novelettes， and the same names recur attached to quite different characters causing confusion。 I think it works in the first novelette， not all in the second， and hardly in the third。 How do you rate this blockbuster: as one novel or as three different novels？ You have to give credit for the immense amount of research and inventiveness but the end result is a curiosity， writer-based not reader-based。 In other words， the writer was playing games。 It is not a work I take very seriously。 。。。more
Calee Spinney
，
Listen， I love Yanigihara。 I wanted to read this book without knowing a single thing about the plot because I loved A Little Life so much。 The idea of the three stories coming together reminded me of the premise of Cloud Cuckoo Land， and I was excited。 It took me a bit to sort out the first book， but then I was really into it。 Unfortunately， it ended right as I thought It was hitting its stride。 The second book was… not good。 I couldn’t get into it， I was confused by the names， and my progress s Listen， I love Yanigihara。 I wanted to read this book without knowing a single thing about the plot because I loved A Little Life so much。 The idea of the three stories coming together reminded me of the premise of Cloud Cuckoo Land， and I was excited。 It took me a bit to sort out the first book， but then I was really into it。 Unfortunately， it ended right as I thought It was hitting its stride。 The second book was… not good。 I couldn’t get into it， I was confused by the names， and my progress slowed to a crawl because I didn’t care about the characters。 The third book was more dystopian， which is totally my jam。 I blazed through this section and I really enjoyed it。 I was invested in the characters and enjoyed figuring out the story。 All in all， the book as a whole was uneven。 I liked the first and third parts but the second was pointless。 It seemed to be there to give us a reason to call back to Hawaii， nothing else。 There was no through line between the three stories other than the confusing and distracting choice to use the same names over and over for the three stories。 。。。more
brin
，
To Paradise a book of three books， each set a hundred years apart from the next one， and set within alternate versions of America。 Throughout the books， the same names and motifs are present， such as characters named David， Charles， or Edward， but their relationships to each other change from book to book （lovers in one， family in the second， etc。）。Book one is set in 1893， in a version of America that’s been split into multiple parts。 In the Free States， marriage between people of the same sex i To Paradise a book of three books， each set a hundred years apart from the next one， and set within alternate versions of America。 Throughout the books， the same names and motifs are present， such as characters named David， Charles， or Edward， but their relationships to each other change from book to book （lovers in one， family in the second， etc。）。Book one is set in 1893， in a version of America that’s been split into multiple parts。 In the Free States， marriage between people of the same sex is normal， and life is generally more pleasant and prosperous compared to the other parts of the country （ex-country？ I have no idea）。 We follow David Bingham， the eldest child and sole bachelor of a generationally renowned and esteemed family， as he debates between an undesirable-but-strategic-and-socially-acceptable marriage offer and an undoubtedly-risky-but-exhilarating romance。In book two， David is a paralegal having an affair with a senior partner at his firm。 You learn more about his past and the life he had before ending up where he currently is， and the people he’d left in doing so。 This book， set in 1993， contains a lot of references to the AIDS crisis and an alternate version of Hawaiian history （though I can’t tell how much it’s deviated from the truth because I’m not an expert on Hawaiian history at all）。The longest of all， taking up half the book， book three is set in 2093， in a dystopian version of America that’s withstood multiple pandemics and climate crises。 The government has shifted completely， as with the geography and culture of society。 The narrator， unnamed and lacking a description until later on in the book， leads us through how life has come to this and what little she knows of how it used to be。Each book ends with the same two words— the titular phrase， ‘to paradise。’There was a lot of buzz around this book， obviously， because of how much notoriety surrounds A Little Life， which I’d read early last year and liked at the time （looking back on it now， I’ve developed a more conflicted view of the book）。 Towards the end of 2021， I’d actually picked up People in the Trees， and hated it。 So I went into this book skeptical and curious— I had a feeling that it would be tedious to read but that there would at least be good bits here and there。But GOD， the first thing I have to say about this book is that it was underwhelming even with managed expectations。 The fact that every story literally ends with ambiguity， something that would set off a series， makes it difficult to stay invested especially towards the end of each book。I definitely liked the second book， Lipo-Wao-Nahele， most out of all the three。 Reading about estrangement and a difficult， nuanced love between a parent and child felt genuine and moving， especially when the perspective shifted。 I think that Hanya’s writing shines the most with material like this， not in the longwinded sentences of exposition or worldbuilding that takes up the bulk of each book。Book three， Zone Eight was fine too， but absurdly slow paced。 I did feel satisfied with gradually learning more and more about how things progressed， from the past pandemics to the most recent one， but it was honestly impacted by the way the book just depressed me。 OKAY， shocker。 Reading about a dystopian society in the not-so-distant future that’s faced multiple pandemics， climate crises， and government reforms slash uprisings。。。 IS UNPLEASANT！？ But it really was！ Obviously not disturbing in the way A Little Life was， but this is another book that will likely leave you a bit subdued and somber。The first book was just a pass。 Did not like the protagonist at all， I found him pathetic and frustrating， SORRY！！ Plus， its ending was when I’d realized that all books would lack any major closure， so it was the most disappointing。Overall， this book is too much and too little at the same time。 I think that it would have hugely benefited from editing and cutting down， there was no reason for it to be over 700 pages long。 There are valuable insights and themes in each story， but they’re drowned out by establishing the settings， and sometimes too tediously written to really absorb。OR， maybe this book just wasn’t for me！ I’m not at all a fan of historical fiction and commentary on ~America~ anyways。 So there’s that。 But three stars still。 。。。more
Shannon
，
5 star for part 3， holy shit what the fuck！ Part 1 + 2 were good （4 and 3 stars respectively） and I loved the parallels across all 3; so beautiful and amazing how easily I forgot how the players in the previous section behaved and interacted。 I felt connected to part 1， & was disappointed when it ended （but respected it）。 I really dragged my feet through part 2， but only because I didn’t feel a personal connection and the characters were a little distanced。 Part 3 is something that I could see m 5 star for part 3， holy shit what the fuck！ Part 1 + 2 were good （4 and 3 stars respectively） and I loved the parallels across all 3; so beautiful and amazing how easily I forgot how the players in the previous section behaved and interacted。 I felt connected to part 1， & was disappointed when it ended （but respected it）。 I really dragged my feet through part 2， but only because I didn’t feel a personal connection and the characters were a little distanced。 Part 3 is something that I could see myself returning to in 40 years: it really embodies the current pandemic anxieties … very 1984 （ in the obvious ways of controlled statehood， etc。， ） but also from a cultural standpoint of a novel that projected the current collective worries onto a future landscape。 。。。more
Victor The Reader
，
In Yanagihara’s drama that’s also an alternate take on history， we follow three different sagas that all take place in different time periods and each all focus on their protagonist facing tough obstacles while trying to find love and peace。The novel’s messages of love and family can be found deeply in these stories， which is what engaged me throughout but can dull on at times。 The first story is definitely my favorite one as it’s about whether to follow family or follow your heart。 The second s In Yanagihara’s drama that’s also an alternate take on history， we follow three different sagas that all take place in different time periods and each all focus on their protagonist facing tough obstacles while trying to find love and peace。The novel’s messages of love and family can be found deeply in these stories， which is what engaged me throughout but can dull on at times。 The first story is definitely my favorite one as it’s about whether to follow family or follow your heart。 The second story， on the other hand， didn’t really keep my attention a lot。 The final story has a bit of a sci-fi take and focuses on human survival， which is a solid read。All in all， a solid historical saga with very emotional moments of love and desire。 B+ （83%/Very Good） 。。。more
Terry Tessar
，
Quit。
Emma CW
，
compared to most other books : 5/5compared to A Little Life: 3/5
Naomy Sartal
，
Personalmente， me ha gustado mucho esta distopia， especialmente disfrute la parte final del libro。 Creo que este libro tiene tres partes bien definidas que tratan temas como súper colonialismo， Libertad， enfermedad， discapacidad， amor， familia， entre otros muchos… En la primera historia del libro， se habla de David， un personaje súper bien construido， que me ha encantado。 Trata de un mundo donde la homosexualidad está totalmente normalizada， el nudo de la historia se encuentra cuando el abuelo d Personalmente， me ha gustado mucho esta distopia， especialmente disfrute la parte final del libro。 Creo que este libro tiene tres partes bien definidas que tratan temas como súper colonialismo， Libertad， enfermedad， discapacidad， amor， familia， entre otros muchos… En la primera historia del libro， se habla de David， un personaje súper bien construido， que me ha encantado。 Trata de un mundo donde la homosexualidad está totalmente normalizada， el nudo de la historia se encuentra cuando el abuelo de David quiere casarlo con un hombre rico mientras que David está enamorado de un chico pobre。 En la segunda historia， se cuenta la vida del padre de David en Hawaii y de cómo se rompió su familia， la cual deja escrita en una carta。 Personalmente esta fue la historia que menos me gustó。En la tercera parte de esta historia， y la más larga， se cuenta una distopia post pandémica， donde los alimentos y los bienes se racionan de forma estricta y se han eliminado derechos del colectivo homosexual。 En mi opinión， disfrute el libro， creo que todos los personajes están muy bien escritos y son muy complejos。 。。。more
Marcy
，
I loved and hated this book at parts。 I'm thankful to read something different， but fustrated with some of the confusing structure of the story/stories。 I loved and hated this book at parts。 I'm thankful to read something different， but fustrated with some of the confusing structure of the story/stories。 。。。more
Theodora
，
Good and heartbreaking and slightly frustrating （I hate open endings）。 HY paints human character in a way that occasionally takes your breath away （or punches you in the stomach， depending on the context）
Retrodropout （taylor）
，
I AM YELLING
Ludo Spaepen
，
Drie afzonderlijke verhalen。Zeer ontgoochelend in vergelijking met de vijfsterrenroman« Een klein leven »。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Naar het paradijs
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Naar het paradijs&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Naar het paradijs&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0