Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

43 reviews

this__nerd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad 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

I’ll admit that part of my rating is that I don’t think I “got” the book. This book is just a series of bad things happening to bad people and everyone blaming it on each other and/or god. It did manage to be an effective critique of toxic religious culture and exploitive wealth while also being extremely uncomfortable to read. Major trigger warnings on this one

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cannibalism, Abortion, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Violence, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Rape, Death, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Gore, and Body shaming

nixieba25f's review against another edition

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Religious bigotry, Violence, Vomit, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Grief, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexual harassment, Abandonment, Drug use, Homophobia, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Ableism, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Self harm

porporina's review against another edition

challenging dark funny reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Child abuse, Colonisation, Confinement, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexism, Vomit, Bullying, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Animal death, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Ableism, Abortion, Cannibalism, Child death, Excrement, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, and Violence

racl'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

2.0

It meanders and feels less a story with a plot than an examination of the community it focuses on for a year. There are moments of death and horror but they don't have a purpose in the larger picture that I found. There's no growth, just repetition, and while that itself can be an interesting story, it's too scattered to leave an impact in this case.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Animal death, Classism, Death, Pregnancy, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Death of parent, Abortion, and Body shaming

Minor: Incest and Miscarriage

quiltsandtealibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• 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

5.0

Loved this book. Fucking wild as hell, but good. Not for everyone & not an easy read (emotionally) but it’s so well written it is an easy read? If that makes sense? 

Longer review:
Lapvona is nothing like anything I have ever read before. The book is disturbing, distorted, unsettling, & most of all very distressing for the most part. There is no chapters, just Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, & Spring again as we follow the story of the people of Lapvona through multiple POVs. Lapvona is a self aware story of the evilness of humans, how it’s shaped & how it’s created, greed & society. The book explores religious beliefs & traumas, daring to ask “if the creator is so great, then why has this happened?” 

I couldn’t put Lapvona down & read it in one sitting. There’s so much, yet so little to understand. It is a well written book that is hard to read at times. I do not recommend going into Lapvona blind & to maybe even spoil yourself for certain scenes to prepare yourself.

There is a way motherhood, childhood, coming of age/self discovery, & parental care that is explored in this book & shown in this book that will haunt me for the rest of my life. 

I don’t know if there will ever be another book like Lapvona, but I am eager to read more from Ottessa Moshfegh

5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Blood, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Self harm, Body horror, Gore, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Abortion, Alcohol, Cursing, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Minor: Incest and Pregnancy

This book is,,,,,something. Please maybe read some spoilers or just be prepared with the warnings i provided. This book just explores like everything grim & awful of the nature of humans. It frames all these ugly, evil things as bad so it gave me some peace of mind while reading it. But it’s??? Something

erenreads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective 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

3.75

this definitely was one of the books i’ve read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Cannibalism, Classism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Violence, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Abortion, Incest, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, and Rape

Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Classism, and Excrement

Minor: Miscarriage

soswiin's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.75

i wanted a medieval version of my year of rest and relaxation and i got the most disgusting book i’ve ever read 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual violence, Violence, Incest, Rape, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, and Abortion

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Body shaming

seanamcphie's review against another edition

challenging dark funny mysterious sad tense 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: Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, Abandonment, Child abuse, Confinement, Kidnapping, Child death, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Ableism, Abortion, Death, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Suicide, Violence, Body shaming, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual violence, Incest, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Classism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

princesspunkass's review against another edition

dark sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Pregnancy, Violence, Vomit, Ableism, Death, Suicide, Child death, Grief, Body horror, Murder, Abortion, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Body shaming, Classism, Domestic abuse, and Suicide attempt

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.