Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Mijn jaar van rust en kalmte by Ottessa Moshfegh

186 reviews

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

readbydej's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

This book was sad but oddly refreshing. Who wouldn’t want to take a year off and just sleep with the expectation that when you wake up you’ll be made anew? Now, it’s very faulty and numerous red flags plague the storyline as well as the characters (I honestly don’t like any of them) but it does include little gems that force you to think about the world around you and how you view your place in it. I also view the main character as an unreliable narrator for numerous reasons but I understood her plight. It’s a pretty quick read and it doesn’t take itself too seriously but it does make you think. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Death

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

joanaavilameneses's review against another edition

dark tense slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism

froggoz13's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

3.75

Somehow I very much enjoyed the story. When reading it you could feel the haze the main character is in. Even though the book is slow based, it feels tense so it was easy to keep reading. 

I really enjoyed reading the book; the ending however.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Addiction, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Body shaming, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Animal cruelty, and Cancer

Minor: Abortion

nessidy's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Drug use, Vomit, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Cancer, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Abortion

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

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

annarchy_'s review against another edition

dark funny fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Self harm, and Violence

dativa's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

3.0

hm.

it was easy to finish.

and difficult to read.

easy: i really like
the pacing, voice,
characterization.

difficult:
1. I... am studying my eye
for desire politics...

this book was useful
in this regard --

the narrator's discussion
of self, Whoopi
("magical negro trope"/fixation
with Whoopi and her body),

and/in relation with every other
person/subject in the book.

2. This person 
is really hurting.

p.s.
did not realize
until now that 

i wasn't forgetting
her name -- we do
not ever get it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Grief, Self harm, Drug use, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Abortion, Medical content, Misogyny, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Cancer