Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

66 reviews

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

rhinaissance's review against another edition

dark funny 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

5.0

This book had me in a chokehold the whole time. It is bizarre, perverse, and a bit uncertain of its own ideas at times, but really really fascinating. And enjoyable (if you're weird, like me). I barely put it down the entire time, because I could not at all predict what would happen next. It was chock-full of "....what?" moments without being too overstated and obscene like Tender is the Flesh. I will admit, the moment I finished the book I was mad, but then as 24 hours have passed I find myself laughing at the absurdity. So it has won me back. 

On the surface, it appears as if there is no point, but I urge you to not stop there when thinking about it. There doesn't need to be a neon sign for something to be worth reading/analyzing. 

This book is not everyone's style but Moshfeg has really won me over.  I liked this novel a lot more than My year of Rest and Relaxation. But now I am *almost* tempted to go back. 
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

lotus440's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism

benevolentruler's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, Blood, and Excrement

Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Gore, Miscarriage, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

minxtte's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Excrement, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming and Miscarriage

corpseparty's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

3.0

I liked this more than my year of rest and relaxation but still it had no plot. It’s just nonsense from start to finish I need to stop listening to booktok recs lmao

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Abandonment