Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

80 reviews

mahhias's review

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

What a book! Such a new perspective and storytelling. This is my first Ottessa book and  I loved Moshfegh’s techniques in story telling!  

 I will say however that I felt the book lacked some good-quality writing, there was stilted, almost blunt dialogue, and it made the experience a bit frail. The plot was a bit more mediocre than I expected and there was nothing remotely off-putting or grotesque as people were suggesting. Had my hopes very HIGH: so I was utterly disappointed by this. I think a lot of people say this since it’s probably their first book with this sort of sensitive topics and odd, wicked elements. 
So, people, don’t be so sensitive. You guys have not read books that are GROTESQUE and truly DISGUSTING yet. Do not be that dramatic. There is so many books out there that would perfectly fit the description that Lapvona is depicted as way better. 

I am fond of Lapvona in a way: but it’s not enough for me to really, really like it: there is gross imagery, most of it relating to bodily fluids and excrement, which I found super: disgusting (and this is the only disgusting thing I found in this book even though I was promised more)  and it’s darkly comedic prose, which I did liked this, sometimes, but it was done so many times that I found it super banal.

I feel this book could’ve been a bit better: but overall, this book was enjoyable and it had me very motivated to keep reading. Had me disappointed: of course, but It’s so bleak and satisfying at times. Good book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Cannibalism, Ableism, Pedophilia, Incest, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Miscarriage, Excrement, Drug use, Blood, Death, Abortion, Self harm, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Gaslighting and Suicidal thoughts

ruairim95's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Child death, and Suicide

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Infidelity and Infertility

emilymyra's review

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Abortion, Animal death, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Miscarriage, and Physical abuse

uranuz's review

dark funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Physical abuse, Child death, Rape, and Sexual violence

alainral's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Rape, and Abandonment

Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Classism, Pregnancy, Excrement, and Death

Minor: Incest

lyricdeletedherinsta's review

dark medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Gore, Pregnancy, Suicide, Incest, Blood, Sexual violence, Classism, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Rape, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Death, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Drug use

bloupibloupreads's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Imagine having top quality ingredients and yet still baking a disastrous cake because you can’t follow the recipe correctly. This was my opinion on Ottessa Moshfegh’s “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”. This opinion still stands with her latest book, Lapnova. 

The intrigue picked my curiosity, the idea in itself is great but the way Moshfegh worked around with it was just not it. It’s always tell, never shown, the book is trying to be “something” deep in a way but completely fails because there is no substance, there’s nothing concrete in this story. 

For My Year of Rest and Relaxation, Ottessa Moshfegh just scratched  the top of an amazing idea with her fingernail and never tried to go deeper, here she sprinkles a semblance of deeper knowledge onto a great idea, she works around it never on it. She adds stuff here and there, left and right to the story that just makes everything feel a little bit too much. The book just comes off as trying too hard. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Rape, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicide, Murder, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

studydniowka's review

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

No i przeczytałam „Lapvonę”, ale niestety nie jestem do niej przekonana. Nie czułam w ogóle tej konwencji baśni i trudno było mi się przez nią przegryźć. Czekam jednak na spotkanie wokół książki.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Self harm, Death, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Body horror, Incest, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Violence

allisonz6's review

dark 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

1.5

what the actual f was that

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Slavery, Death, Torture, Self harm, Abortion, Blood, Rape, Body horror, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Murder, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Gore, Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

Minor: Miscarriage

cmorelli's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.25

Oh boy, where to start unpacking this one.

First off, it feels like this book tries to hit any and all triggers possible, so be warned in advance.

Marek, a crippled, abused, motherless shepherd’s son, constantly lives under the fear of his unworthiness in God’s eye. With jealousy and anger, he commits a crime that puts him as a ward to the Lord of the fiefdom - Villiam, who is childish as the very least, abusive, controlling, and wildly incapable of his position as a lord at the very most. 

This book, written in a medieval setting, gives you a sense of discomfort every page of the way.

While written to pull you in to the horror show of Lapvona you can’t possibly look away from out of morbid curiosity, Lapvona’s story falls flat without meaning. It’s a press just to see how uncomfortable you can be made.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Gore, Vomit, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Incest, Mental illness, Excrement, Murder, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, and Pregnancy