Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

81 reviews

mediocrity_is_expected's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Religious bigotry, Rape, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Child death, Classism, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Pandemic/Epidemic, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Confinement, Sexual violence, Murder, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Blood, Bullying, Incest, Suicide, Alcohol, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Sexism

Moderate: Animal death

karmkeigh's review against another edition

dark tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

This was a fantastically written book; however, a good portion of the content was fairly disturbing. While much of it was integral to the structure of the story and understanding who, exactly, these characters all were, Moshfegh certainly didn’t spare us any details. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Vomit, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Murder, Animal death, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Abortion

Minor: Suicide, Excrement, Grief, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Pregnancy, and Pedophilia

cwiita's review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

Well, after marking My Year Of Rest and Relaxation as my only DNF ever, I managed to make it through this one. I purchased this book before I started MYORAR, before I had any idea how much I would struggle with Otessa Moshfegh. I find her to be a difficult read, not for lack of skill or quality, but for the simple fact that she seems to have an ongoing problem with fatphobia and ableism, among other things.  I discussed my initial problems with MYORAR with a friend who has read most of Moshfegh's work, and the consensus was that her stories relay very similar views each time and that her characters tend to be the same type of people across the board. I am a big fan of unreliable narrators and I appreciate the challenge of crafting a story around difficult characters, but to do it unrelentingly in every book while consistently implying hateful messages is tough for me to get behind.
With that being said, I blew through Lapvona. This book is absolutely vile, but incredibly readable when it comes to pacing and language. It was also much easier to tolerate the actions and views of the characters knowing that the events were taking place under a feudal system in medieval times. Moshfegh did a wonderful job of characterization, for better or for worse. The plot is somehow both ceaseless and unrecognizable. It's an infinite circle of pointless suffering, but maybe that's the point.  In an uncanny way, there was something enjoyable about this read. Since I already own MYORAR, this piece almost convinced me to give it another try. Almost.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Classism, Grief, Abandonment, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Body shaming, Child abuse, Abortion, Sexual assault, Drug use, Excrement, Ableism, Blood, Death, Cannibalism, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy

evantmellon's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Self harm, Sexism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Abortion, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

jazthegreat's review against another edition

dark 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

0.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Cannibalism, Violence, Death of parent, Incest, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Vomit, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Abortion, Child death, and Grief

braddersmith's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Sexual assault, and Rape

ayoooalec's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

The opposite of The Giver

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Blood, Excrement, Gore, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Infertility

nicoleanthony's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Classism, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Vomit, Suicide, Violence, Rape, Abandonment, Ableism, and Child death

historybabe's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

3.0

Where do I even begin..... Honestly, I have never had to put down a book so many times in my life. I was shocked by the sheer depravity within its pages. If you can imagine a sin, it is in this novel. If you want to be sick to your stomach by all means, read it. I'm going to go take a hot bath in bleach and read my Bible. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Death, Gore, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, Cursing, Pregnancy, Violence, and Vomit

lena_pls's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault