Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

90 reviews

caidyn's review against another edition

dark reflective tense 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

4.0

What a bizarre, difficult to rate book. It felt like a big character study of this small, medieval town. And very fucked up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Cannibalism

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

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

thearchivist03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.25

So...where to start?
You're not supposed to like the characters, and it's very body gore oriented with a side of medieval soft world building. It's captivating at first when Ottessa writes about each character's suffering, but you soon get desensitized and perhaps go a little mad and laugh at the over the top chaos.
I hear some people say that one of the characters is representative of female rage, but this character strikes me as thrown in out of the blue for more plot development. It does have an open ending, just a heads up.
I have such a love-hate relationship with the author and this book. I did enjoy the descriptions and her writing style of scenery and the world, but keep in mind her character descriptions and development brink on grotesque and nihilistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Ableism, Murder, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, and Gore

Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Stalking, Torture, and Violence

Lots of detail in the excrement and fluids part. And all the sexual violence scenes primarily take place in the abuser's point of view, even though it's omniscient. It demonizes women a lot, be warned.

shoohoob's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

1.0

I just don’t like Ottessa Moshfegh books. 

Not as gruesome as people make it out to be. Maybe I’ve just been on the internet for far too long though 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicide, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Death, Grief, Animal death, and Toxic relationship

celbl8o'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Body horror, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Blood, Child death, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Ableism, Bullying, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual content, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

elisabeth_with_an_ess's review against another edition

It just... Went from one gross thing to another. The only likeable character died in his first scene. I decided I'd had enough when got to a rape scene presented without any sense of horror or pity on behalf of the victim.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Grief, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Violence

kelleykamanda's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• 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

Gross, vile men sucking everything from the women that surround them. Came for the writing, stayed for the witch.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body shaming, Child abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Ableism, Gore, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Cannibalism, Bullying, and Cursing

Minor: Classism, Excrement, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Animal death

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

ephemeral_remi's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Religious bigotry, Gore, and Violence