Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

128 reviews

kozumethan's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Pedophilia, Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

franniiia's review against another edition

challenging dark tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Rape, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, and Excrement

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Cannibalism

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Incest, Abortion, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Violence, Vomit, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Classism, Pedophilia, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship

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

kayla_wikaryasz's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

0.5

This book was gross. Not even in a good way. Clearly this author is talented, but the story was so perverse that it seemed they were just going for shock value. I only finished it because I invested too much time into it already, and was hopeful that it would at least end in a meaningful way. It didn't. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Blood, Mental illness, Death, Animal death, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Rape, Medical trauma, Gore, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Child abuse, Violence, Sexism, Miscarriage, Self harm, Religious bigotry, and Animal cruelty

hedsek's review

dark 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

3.0

A train wreck I couldn't look away from but in the end I wonder if there's any point to this book. Idk it just feels over the top ironic with how meaningless all the violence and gore is when all it seems to say is religion bad and humans bad.

Maybe it's because I'm used to fucked up stuff from reading Dutch literature but it's not as shocking as some reviews make it out. Still, unpleasant stuff. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Excrement, Murder, Rape, Body horror, Classism, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Animal death, Child death, Self harm, Sexism, Pedophilia, Ableism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Suicide, Addiction, and Suicidal thoughts

zombiepond's review against another edition

dark reflective 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

3.25

Frankly I don’t quite know what I’ve just read. Lots of weird people doing gross things and being pretty terrible. It’s written very straightforwardly, which wasn’t a bad thing, it was just very sequential if that makes sense. Like I said, some of the things these people do are very gross and occasionally hard to get through and I often wondered if I even wanted to finish it and I think the only reason I did was because I had no clue where the plot was going and I was curious how it would play out and how many more weird and terrible things these people could do. Interesting read I guess? The plot kept me reading but I don’t honestly know how I feel about this book. I guess read it if you want to read about some sick people doing some genuinely sick things. I know I’m probably missing out on something here that I maybe just didn’t pick up but i thought it was pretty disgusting.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Rape, Cannibalism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Alcohol and Body horror

Minor: Suicide, Animal death, Ableism, Pregnancy, and Classism

zlizzyv'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This was easily the strangest book I have ever read. Previous reviews said it felt like a fever dream. Truly it is beyond wild. I was, however, invested, so I did finish it and was surprised by the plot line/ending.

Was the point to be as repulsive and evil as possible? Is it a cruel irony to have so many trigger warnings in one book?

I do not regret finishing the book, but I cannot say I enjoyed it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abortion, Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Child death, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Animal death, Bullying, Ableism, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cannibalism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Death, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Incest, Physical abuse, Sexism, Grief, Medical content, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Slavery, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit

mahhias's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.0

What a book! Such a new perspective and storytelling. This is my first Ottessa book and  I loved Moshfegh’s techniques in story telling!  

 I will say however that I felt the book lacked some good-quality writing, there was stilted, almost blunt dialogue, and it made the experience a bit frail. The plot was a bit more mediocre than I expected and there was nothing remotely off-putting or grotesque as people were suggesting. Had my hopes very HIGH: so I was utterly disappointed by this. I think a lot of people say this since it’s probably their first book with this sort of sensitive topics and odd, wicked elements. 
So, people, don’t be so sensitive. You guys have not read books that are GROTESQUE and truly DISGUSTING yet. Do not be that dramatic. There is so many books out there that would perfectly fit the description that Lapvona is depicted as way better. 

I am fond of Lapvona in a way: but it’s not enough for me to really, really like it: there is gross imagery, most of it relating to bodily fluids and excrement, which I found super: disgusting (and this is the only disgusting thing I found in this book even though I was promised more)  and it’s darkly comedic prose, which I did liked this, sometimes, but it was done so many times that I found it super banal.

I feel this book could’ve been a bit better: but overall, this book was enjoyable and it had me very motivated to keep reading. Had me disappointed: of course, but It’s so bleak and satisfying at times. Good book! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Rape, Cannibalism, Ableism, Pedophilia, Incest, Animal cruelty, and Child abuse

Moderate: Murder, Miscarriage, Excrement, Drug use, Blood, Death, Abortion, Self harm, Gore, and Violence

Minor: Gaslighting and Suicidal thoughts

alicecrow's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

(Primarily Audiobook) what did i just read? it was certainly funny, disturbing, interesting, and unexpected at times, but i don’t know if it made much sense to me. the book felt experimental, it intrigued me, but it also seemed juvenile. don’t walk into this book with a weak stomach!! the ending left me a bit shocked, with an anxiety that took me a minute to shake. wow, honestly don’t know what to think. i feel like learning about the author’s intentions with the story would make it easier for me to form an opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Misogyny, Self harm, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Rape, Child abuse, Suicide, Pedophilia, Death, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Violence