Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

내 휴식과 이완의 해 by Ottessa Moshfegh

330 reviews

chrysanthxmum's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Eating disorder, Drug use, Infidelity, Addiction, and Death of parent

Moderate: Abortion and Cancer

tezariah's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a very complicated book and story. The main character who remains unnamed throughout the whole novel is extremely complicated. She is incredibly unlikeable and we are given no reason to like her as a person at all. However, from many reviews I have read and heard, there are people who want to like the main character to make up for the lack of plot. I think that’s understandable and also foolish. As readers, we aren’t supposed to love and idolize every character we read. Sometimes, we are supposed to dislike them but try and understand their story. At least, that’s my philosophy and what I presume to be true. 

This novel is incredibly well written. This is my first read from Ottessa Moshfegh and I plan to read her other works. 

I did love this character because of how real and relatable she was, and I’m not some white, rich, woman who lives in New York City or had some upperclass life with parents who seemed of high status or whatever. I am pretty much far below that bar and rank, but that doesn’t mean she should be erased and neglected from minds because she doesn’t have that relation, connection, or tie… she is relatable in the sense of having given up and wanting a fresh start and being so done with life. She was depressed and didn’t know how to manage and chose an option that seemed better to her and we read that play out. 

I don’t think the purpose was to get us to sympathize, especially with how twisted, cruel, and menacing she was with her words and some of her actions, but we could sympathize and understand without liking her. I enjoyed that. 

Considering a lot of reviews that I have read and heard, I do think this book is for a specific and small group of people, but I don’t exactly know that group. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Mental illness, Eating disorder, Grief, Drug use, Alcoholism, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

radicaledwardiv's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Body shaming, Sexual content, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Grief, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Fatphobia

alyc00per's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Death, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Self harm, Animal cruelty, Blood, Cursing, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Abortion, Animal death, Classism, and Toxic relationship

maramandarine's review against another edition

dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Drug use, and Classism

sestout's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, and Mental illness

Moderate: Death, Grief, Suicide, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death of parent, and Eating disorder

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Toxic friendship

haileyeh's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Drug use

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Abortion, and Alcoholism

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

_rowan_'s review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Death of parent, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Terminal illness

eerikaanni's review against another edition

dark funny sad slow-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 picked up this book expecting a somewhat lighthearted, character driven story with a mentally ill protagonist. What I got was a gorgeous satirical critique of white American capitalism that worked beautifully in showcasing the grotesque hypocrisy and blind privilege of rich white people in the U.S.

The main character is terrible. Her best friend is pathetic. Their dynamic is annoying at its best and completely destructive at its worst. There's little to no plot, and there's a 5-line long imagery collage of random things, names, places, activities, or thoughts like every other paragraph. That gets a bit exhausting to read at times.

But I think that's the point: materialism, the ownership and manifestation of things and more things is at the focal point of American capitalism. It is its driving force; the desire of more, until the Earth starts regurgitating everything we have consumed back up again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Cursing

Moderate: Vomit, Bullying, Body shaming, Cancer, Abortion, Dysphoria, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Child abuse

gmtietz's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

it was, in fact, not a year of rest and relaxation, but rather a year of turmoil and taxidermy dogs. this was as apathetic and disturbing as it was tender and emotional. this novel held my attention from start to finish, and i’m so excited to explore more from moshfegh. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Child abuse, Ableism, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Toxic friendship