Scan barcode
humblebee20's review against another edition
5.0
This book was something sitting on my shelf for a while that I finally picked up and I am so glad I did. This feels like a divine tragedy in all the best ways. You see these pieces put side by side and watch as it all falls into place. Everything has a purpose and place and you watch the car crash happen in slow motion. This book feels like what "Of Mice and Men" was supposed to feel like. It is dark and gritty and sad, but I could not stop reading. As someone who has never seen GoT, I hope it's remotely like this.
ellamoody's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
seraphiina's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely adored this novel. It was also probably one of the most disgusting novels I have ever read - but in a way that felt natural to the universe and its inner logic, and not just for cheap shock value. It inspired feelings of awe, discomfort and wonder to explore Lapvona and all its depravities. Each character more conflicted and awful than the next, each event making me want to gag a bit while reading it. But I absolutely loved it. I felt like I could imagine the looks of not just the characters, but also Lapvona itself. After finishing it, I felt like I could imagine the church, the lake, the manor.. Truly a treat from Moshfegh.
ofdogwood's review against another edition
3.0
★★★☆☆ 3.8 out of 5
boy, was this hard to stomach at times! i’ll be truthful i took a whole star off for that. with rape and incest, you really couldn’t get much worse. the religiousness of this all, seeing each character’s interpretation of what they have been indoctrinated into knowing from their elders or the church. everyone had strikingly different opinions on god despite all being lapvonians. watching the downfall of many during christmas. you know those parts of the book where your heart starts racing just because you KNOW it’s the climax? yeah. that’s how the entire “winter” chapter felt.
watching marek slowly change after being pulled into the world of high class living was also great, to see his privilege grow and learn the opinions that others around him felt. he went from doing things specifically to piss off jude so that he’d be beat for god to pity him to well…
grigor was boring. sorry your grandkids died or whatever but i didn’t like him or his name.
boy, was this hard to stomach at times! i’ll be truthful i took a whole star off for that. with rape and incest, you really couldn’t get much worse. the religiousness of this all, seeing each character’s interpretation of what they have been indoctrinated into knowing from their elders or the church. everyone had strikingly different opinions on god despite all being lapvonians. watching the downfall of many during christmas. you know those parts of the book where your heart starts racing just because you KNOW it’s the climax? yeah. that’s how the entire “winter” chapter felt.
watching marek slowly change after being pulled into the world of high class living was also great, to see his privilege grow and learn the opinions that others around him felt. he went from doing things specifically to piss off jude so that he’d be beat for god to pity him to well…
grigor was boring. sorry your grandkids died or whatever but i didn’t like him or his name.
mothling's review against another edition
3.25
it's giving oedipus rex vibes without being at all related to oedipus rex
vincentkonrad'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? Yes
pancake_pages's review against another edition
4.0
The best way to describe this book is it’s like an accident you can’t look away from.
This book was so incredibly messed up. I wanted a book that made my jaw drop in shock and boy, did I get that with this one. I plan on rereading this in the near future, annotating every moment my jaw drop, I made a disgusted face, or the characters commit one of the 7 deadly sins.
I felt there wasn’t much plot in the book, and with the lack of plot, I tried filling in the caps with symbolism. With everything they do being for or because of God, it was ironic that they performed the most heinous acts. The 7 deadly sins, being pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth, were all present themes within the novel. Actually, most horrible things you can think of were present throughout the book; pedophilia, rape, self-harm, child abuse, cannibalism, animal abuse/death, suicide, murder… all were present.
Not only did I feel there was a lack of plot, there wasn’t a consistent narrator nor did I feel the speech was consistent. At times the speech felt appropriate for its medieval era, and some it felt too modern. There wasn’t a consistent narrator, as you changed perspectives every few paragraphs. To my surprise, I didn’t mind this. This, plus the lack of chapters, was not a style of read I was used to, but Ottessa made it easy enough to follow along with and I was never confused.
Some things were predictable, like Marek becoming lord, Agata not actually being dead in the beginning, Villiam getting what he deserves… but I still have questions. Like in the end, did Agata die during childbirth like Jude said happened when she gave birth to Marek? Did Marek throw his baby brother off the cliff where he pushed Joseph? Does Ina actually possess magical abilities? Did she switch the horse’s eyes for Agata’s eyes and that’s why they weren’t bulging as much?
As much as I wanted to walk away from this book to separate myself from its darkness, I couldn’t. It had me hooked from the beginning. I’m a slow reader but I was able to finish this book in under a month. It was fast-paced and I could NOT put it down even though I wanted to. I just had to know what other messed up stuff would happen.
It’s a shame, really. I used to love grapes. Now I’ll never be able to eat them the same way again.
This book was so incredibly messed up. I wanted a book that made my jaw drop in shock and boy, did I get that with this one. I plan on rereading this in the near future, annotating every moment my jaw drop, I made a disgusted face, or the characters commit one of the 7 deadly sins.
I felt there wasn’t much plot in the book, and with the lack of plot, I tried filling in the caps with symbolism. With everything they do being for or because of God, it was ironic that they performed the most heinous acts. The 7 deadly sins, being pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth, were all present themes within the novel. Actually, most horrible things you can think of were present throughout the book; pedophilia, rape, self-harm, child abuse, cannibalism, animal abuse/death, suicide, murder… all were present.
Not only did I feel there was a lack of plot, there wasn’t a consistent narrator nor did I feel the speech was consistent. At times the speech felt appropriate for its medieval era, and some it felt too modern. There wasn’t a consistent narrator, as you changed perspectives every few paragraphs. To my surprise, I didn’t mind this. This, plus the lack of chapters, was not a style of read I was used to, but Ottessa made it easy enough to follow along with and I was never confused.
Some things were predictable, like Marek becoming lord, Agata not actually being dead in the beginning, Villiam getting what he deserves… but I still have questions. Like in the end, did Agata die during childbirth like Jude said happened when she gave birth to Marek? Did Marek throw his baby brother off the cliff where he pushed Joseph? Does Ina actually possess magical abilities? Did she switch the horse’s eyes for Agata’s eyes and that’s why they weren’t bulging as much?
As much as I wanted to walk away from this book to separate myself from its darkness, I couldn’t. It had me hooked from the beginning. I’m a slow reader but I was able to finish this book in under a month. It was fast-paced and I could NOT put it down even though I wanted to. I just had to know what other messed up stuff would happen.
It’s a shame, really. I used to love grapes. Now I’ll never be able to eat them the same way again.