Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

26 reviews

imlfox's review against another edition

dark sad fast-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

3.5

This book was uncomfortable in so many ways. Really compelling and well written but just so unpleasant. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Self harm, Death of parent, Child death, Ableism, Rape, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Body horror

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Self harm, Incest, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Pedophilia, Abortion, and Fire/Fire injury

miathy's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

2.25

This book has amazing writing, and I often found myself having to put the book down and return to it later because of the gruesome horrors imprinted through the language. 
Horror isn't a genre I typically read, but Moshfegh's beautiful style of writing is one that I definitely enjoyed. 

However, I found myself losing interest in the second half of the book. It felt as though the development and journey of the characters fell short through their abrupt deaths.

In the end, I really was expecting more, and it felt a more forced read in the end for me.
This ultimately comes down to reading practices and the atmosphere one is looking for when they're going in for a read. I wasn't reading this to analyse or really to engage my brain at all, and saw it as more of an avenue for entertainment, and this felt like a missed opportunity. 

This book is so character focused, and the result is an array of equally complex and compelling characters, each with their own backstory and ability to alter the course of the plot. 
I think this is where I lost the direction of the story, because so much of it extends to the village of Lapovna as a whole. As the story progressed, more and more characters were introduced, developed and explained, but I wasn't able to find a connecting link outside the physical acquaintances and relationships between the characters. 

I think I definitely have to revisit this book in another time, but it seems that horror is just not something I can handle. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Violence, Death, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Murder, and Physical abuse

toujours753's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Chronic illness, Violence, Abandonment, Body shaming, Torture, Vomit, Gaslighting, Excrement, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Rape, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Infertility, Incest, Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Stalking

makayla_m812'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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Death, Grief, Miscarriage, Violence, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Child death, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Animal death, Infertility, Death of parent, Gore, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Self harm, Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Alcohol, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicide

ruairim95's review against another edition

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

quirkko24's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, Cannibalism, Excrement, Violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Infertility, Gore, Child death, Blood, Suicide, Incest, Religious bigotry, Body horror, and Animal death

Minor: Vomit, Pedophilia, and Torture

allisonz6's review against another edition

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

eemily's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Animal death, Child death, Self harm, Gore, Emotional abuse, Rape, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Classism, Forced institutionalization, Murder, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Infertility, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcoholism, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Body shaming, and Blood

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

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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

mnatale100's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Rape, Cannibalism, Abandonment, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Slavery, Violence, and Vomit

Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Ableism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Abortion, Confinement, Excrement, Misogyny, and Pedophilia

Minor: Infertility, Miscarriage, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Incest