Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

45 reviews

swamphag42069's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was on a "wtf did I just read" list and I mean, that really says it all. Wtf did I just read. Haven't felt this weird since seeing Midsommar for the first time, which I think is a cool thing 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Torture, Abandonment, Abortion, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Ableism, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Xenophobia, Animal death, Classism, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Self harm, Slavery, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

rqdreads's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

HAVE YOU SURVIVED LAPVONA? 🐑

This might be then most disturbing, unhinged, disgusting book I've come across and I literally couldn't stop. It's as if the author wrote with the intention of, "how can I make the reader squirm with every page?"

Lapvona by Otessa Moshfegh needs all content warning on the planet. I just put everything as graphic because really the entire thing is graphic. Like, if you can think it, it's in there. This book is NOT for the weak and I don't even know how to rate it? What to think about it? It's the most problematic, twisted, fucked up macabre shit I've ever read. 

Have you seen what happens in Midnight Mass when people blindly follow the priest? Add an isolated medieval fiefdom with starving peasants who are being controlled and tortured by their lord for funsies. Moshfegh finds a way to make your senses ignite. My stomach turned frequently from the descriptions of the rot and ruin.

Every single time I thought, "there is no way it gets worse," I was wrong. I used to be a person who couldn't watch scary movies or read horror books with the lights off but lately nothing has been scaring me... but this is? Lapvona is true horror to me because it's humanity at it's absolute worst.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Excrement, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Abortion, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Sexism, Grief, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Torture, Vomit, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Incest, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Blood, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Death

kendalsbookcase's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Confinement, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Ableism, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Animal death, Incest, and Kidnapping

Minor: Miscarriage, Excrement, Pedophilia, Suicide, Abortion, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol

seanamcphie's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Child death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Ableism, Abortion, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Suicide, Violence, Body shaming, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual violence, Incest, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Classism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

fionagerman's review

challenging dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I dont really know what I just read. It was a good read though. Seeing how people are created and formed through the way society sees them and how they see society was interesting. Absolutely everyone is terrible in this book, some through no fault of their own for sure but they still do horrible things to themselves, to each other. Placing it in ( I assume) Medieval europe is an interesting choice since I think it allows you to see clearly how it doesn't really matter what time period you're in, people are gonna people.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Vomit, Torture, Violence, Cannibalism, Rape, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Incest, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy

issyd23's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Elites use religion and class to control masses 3🍇 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal death, Cannibalism, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Classism, Torture, Abandonment, Ableism, Blood, Incest, Gore, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Rape, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Infertility, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide

memegi's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Violence, Suicide, Body horror, Rape, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Kidnapping, Child death, Pedophilia, and Incest

aweso10's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

this the most disturbing shi i've read in a long time. props to ottessa mosfegh for creating theee most horrifying images in my head i guess.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Gore, Death, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Abortion, and Sexual content

Moderate: Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, and Sexism

Minor: Incest

jabberwalky's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

A window into the generously disturbing part of humanity or lack there of. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Child death, Misogyny, Body horror, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Self harm, Incest, Pregnancy, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Abortion, and Cannibalism

Minor: Cursing

dannilmp's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Once again, another head scratching book by Moshfegh with a just as ambigious ending. The only other book I have read by this author is My Year of Rest and Relaxation but I can see some consistency in the writing. Cetainly a good book to read if you are looking for something dark, mysterious but also like endings that leave you thinking. I'm starting to notice a theme with Moshfegh's books. The pacing appears slow in the beginning but you hit a major event at about 75% and then the last quarter feels like it was only ten pages but there is enough content to sink the titanic! 

I did not really enjoy this novel so finding something positive to say is difficult. However, despite the dark themes of this book, there were occasions that had me laughing as there were quite humurous. The ability to write characters and to be able to viserally hate every single one of them, but I still want to read every word? Amazing, but not a book I will ever read again. Make sure to prepare some good eye bleach and take plenty of rest breaks while reading this book. 

Looking at the downsides to this novel, it felt as though a lot of the scenes were made even more gory or stomach churning for effect rather than plot purposes. Make sure to read content warnings carefully before venturing to read this novel. Not a single character had a single redeeming trait in their bones and some characters were certainly worse than others! Despite the fact that there were clearly some otherworlding magic things happening in this world, the setting felt strangely comparable to our physical world, especially concerning topics such as public unrest, greed/hoarding wealth, poverty and famine. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Suicide, Child abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Murder, Violence, and Adult/minor relationship

Minor: Pregnancy