Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

107 reviews

elenabamburg's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Gore

Moderate: Abortion, Abandonment, Death, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death of parent, and Child abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Infidelity, and Infertility

charlotteih's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective 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

2.5

i started this book and was immediately blown away by the gruesome darkness of the events in it. i had never read any of moshfegh's novels before, so i certainly wasn't expecting what greeted me. in the first 30 pages, i was nearly about to give up. nevertheless, it being my only book on a trip, i decided to finish it out of spite. once i moved past the horribly dark exposition of the book, the story seemed to mellow out a bit and just focus on distasteful characters and relationships/themes. the ending annoyed me, but i have just decided to ignore certain aspects of it that are upsetting. i would say that if you REALLY wanted to, read this book, but it does take some gut to get through the first bit. that being said, READ THE CONTENT WARNINGS. this book is no joke, and it has an impressive list of triggers so just keep that in mind. i did enjoy the food for thought on theology and misery, but i'm gonna have to give it 2.5 stars.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Death, Miscarriage, Body horror, Child abuse, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Excrement

2busyreading's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Gore, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Child abuse

Moderate: Incest and Abortion

Minor: Miscarriage

quietlex's review against another edition

dark funny sad tense 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

5.0

I loved this book. It’s disturbing, uncomfortable, and makes you feel icky inside, but it is written beautifully. So many horrible things happen- sexual assault, imprisonment, suicide, cannibalism, murder, drought, starvation, greed, religious trauma… and lots more I won’t mention, this book has it all. You hate every character, yet can’t wait to turn the page to see what they do next. Nothing is predictable, besides maybe the legitimacy of heirs. Trigger warnings galore, but a captivating story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexism, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Incest, Child death, Cannibalism, Rape, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Death, Child abuse, Blood, Suicide, Slavery, Sexual assault, Grief, Excrement, Animal death, Abortion, Sexual harassment, and Murder

ellawalken's review against another edition

challenging dark funny sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Death, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Vomit, Violence, Abortion, Animal cruelty, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Pedophilia, Death of parent, Excrement, and Gore

reibee's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.5

THIS BOOK IS SO WEIRD! but thats the point so i feel weird taking points off because it was grotesque. I guess this genre isnt my cup of tea so thats why i didnt enjoy it but at times it felt like it was just being gross to be gross. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Abandonment, Misogyny, Incest, Physical abuse, Gore, Blood, Torture, Rape, Miscarriage, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Child death, Cannibalism, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Abortion

sweetpea's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

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

1.5

I had a difficult start with the first 1/3 of the book. Put it down for months and then read it all in one sitting. I felt I had no entry point for any of the characters. Truly all were unlikable, which is not a fault in and of itself, but the way they were written was so alien to me that I could not be remotely invested.  The characters seem to survive off spite. Mosfegh's obsession with bodily functions and filth, while curiously funny in other works, was so tiresome here!  There was something generally underbaked about the novel. I'm not a deeply religious person, so, the novel's central themes of faith and religious artifice might have gone over my head. This was just a chore to get into and a bit predictable (again not a fault). The setting was really intriguing to me and I could tell she put effort into researching it. I just felt the story never went anywhere... 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicide, Vomit, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Pedophilia, Excrement, Kidnapping, Rape, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Miscarriage and Abortion

isiahreads'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I really tried to enjoy this, but she made it so difficult. Deeply disturbing and seemingly without a good reason, idk, just wasn’t my cup of tea. Just look at the content warnings and it’s plain to see, I didn’t even get them all

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Cannibalism, Suicide, Death, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Body horror, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Excrement

ropalimpia's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is probably my favorite book that I've read this all year, and I picked it up as a hate read. After having read My Year of Rest and Relaxation a while ago and having absolutely abhorred it, this felt entirely different. It was disgusting, grotesque, gory, it smelled bad. It felt like a project in filth, immorality, religion, class, and abusive family dynamics. This book is "Religion is the opium of the masses. It is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of the heartless world, and the soul of our soulless conditions": The Novel. Most of the dynamics present in Lapvona were the rich looking down on the poor for being too pious, stupid, and easy to manipulate, and the poor looking down on the rich for being too indulgent, stupid, and distant from God.

Lapvona is not for the reader who turns to reading for comfort and escapism. It's not even for readers who want to read about the complexities of the human condition. It's not for readers who want a creepy horror read. Everything in this book is exaggerated and digusting. It's meant to cause revulsion in the reader. I'm not someone who is easily fazed by text, but there were times when I would physically cringe, but over time, you grow numb to the vile acts. It's like you become one of them. 

I really loved this book. I loved Moshfegh's project. I loved how much care she put into something so irreverent. It's not something I would recommend to anyone, frankly, but, for me, it's the single best book I've read all year. I like to be uncomfortable. Maybe that's it. This is for the reader who wants to be uncomfortable, but still enjoys amazing writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Gore, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Classism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Kidnapping, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Murder, and Pregnancy

Minor: Alcohol, Excrement, and Incest

lotus440's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Death of parent, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Pedophilia, and Self harm