Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

163 reviews

ramreadsagain's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I really enjoyed this but also struggling to put into words why.

It definitely feels like a pandemic novel, as we see the undeserving rich living in largely oblivious luxury while the poor starve, die, and are driven to insanity by the drought. Though the setting is medieval, a lot of modern human behaviour is laid out here: the rich playing with people's lives for amusement, resource shortage artificially created in order to ensure obedience, religion and faith used as tools to impose suffering on the masses, by people who do not even believe in a God, and how these come together to prop up the capitalist system. 

The book is incredibly atmospheric and I read it in three sittings, the writing style pulled me in and the characters are so awful you can't look away. 

There is a lot that goes without explanation particularly revolving around the village "witch" Ina. I enjoyed parts of this mystery, with some other aspects frustrating me with their vagueness. I also felt like the ending fizzled out a bit, whereas I was expecting a big crescendo. 

This has been my first Moshfegh read and I'm really excited to delve into her other novels. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Animal death, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Rape

Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Miscarriage, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Pedophilia, and Body horror

messedupmouth's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Excrement, Suicide, Vomit, Violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Gore, Incest, and Death

rgracyalny's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Rape, Alcoholism, Confinement, Blood, Death, Alcohol, Abortion, Cannibalism, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Cursing, Self harm, Gore, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse

gabi_06's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Death, Incest, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Cannibalism, Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Sexual assault, and Child death

brindolyn's review

challenging dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Pregnancy, Classism, Emotional abuse, Incest, Rape, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

megano_oregano's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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: Abortion, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Incest, Gore, Death, Sexual content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Child death, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Animal death, and Abandonment

geraldinerowe's review

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I'm not entirely sure what this book was about, but I enjoyed it. Yes, the book is gory and unpleasant at times, but not unnecessarily so as It's set in unpleasant times (although not quite in our universe as there are magical elements). The masses being kept in poverty by an idiot man-child ruler advised by a self-serving hypocrite could be a story for our time, as it could for pretty much any other time. Power corrupts. The consequences of blind faith. Any of these things could be the message of Lapvona. Whatever the case, I'll miss this grumpy bunch of characters.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Rape

paperbackinmybackpack's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Excrement, Pedophilia, Rape, Body horror, Cannibalism, Abortion, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Ableism, and Blood

kirareads02'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? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This book was so weird and disgusting but I couldn't stop listening to it. There wad no real sense of plot or movement really it was basically a year in lapvona. 

I don't know what I expected from the ending but it was very fitting. 

Just a weird story and I loved it 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Cannibalism, Confinement, Gore, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Ableism, Abandonment, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Chronic illness, and Suicide

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

lady_bountiful's review

challenging dark mysterious tense

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Rape, Animal death, Cannibalism, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Excrement, Incest, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault