Reviews tagging 'Infertility'

Animal: A Novel by Lisa Taddeo

45 reviews

ktwoolen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I loved this story but as a mother I was so triggered and disturbed by so much of the dialog and imagery. Truly a heartbreaking read for me. A lot of reviews said it’s about how being in your 30s can make you want to kill- but to me it was about how parent trauma and send you on a spiral of self degradation, and how being treated like you’re disposable by everyone that’s ever come into your life can make you want to kill. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Rape, Suicide, Infertility, Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gore, Grief, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Sexism, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Addiction, Gaslighting, Dementia, Medical trauma, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Vomit, Mental illness, and Physical abuse

Really hard mother/daughter trauma to get through, along with detailed description of a miscarriage.

haileyeh's review against another edition

dark 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

Uhhhhhhhh…..ok then

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Sexual content, Blood, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Murder, Rape, and Suicide

Moderate: Pedophilia, Stalking, and Vomit

Minor: Infertility, Abortion, and Cursing

awhitson's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Rape, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Murder, Sexual content, Violence, Abortion, and Physical abuse

Very well written. Very dark.

laedyred's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

This is one of the best novels on the effects of generational and sexual trauma I have ever read. This is not a story of redemption or hopeful new beginnings. Joan is an utterly real person, and we see the contradiction and pain living inside her without the fluff of a character built to be a turned-hero. The first half of the book is a stream of consciousness and can drag at times. However, a piece like this is not to entertain. Its goal is not to inform or enlighten. This is an expression of pain taken at face value. Those who have not experienced what Joan describes cannot fully grasp what this text does. Although feminism is a huge motif, the modern interpretation of the "girl boss" is nowhere seen. Joan's rage mimics the violence that builds through oppression and abuse, steering her to act out. She is not a hero, but she is also not an anti-hero. She is a person, she is a woman, she is an expression of those who know.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Sexism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Infidelity, Blood, Death of parent, Infertility, Sexual harassment, Abortion, Child abuse, Suicide, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual assault

alex_likesbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.25

i loved and hated this book. It was SO slow and heavy in the beginning but when everything started unraveling i couldn’t put it down. It was super depraved (duh) and dark and disturbing. I do wish i read TWs before just to know what i was getting into, I went in blind. I did like the portrait of female rage portrayed and a lot of the points brought up about how women are viewed by society and by men. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Child abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Suicide, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Infertility

clairebartholomew549's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

I don't know how to feel about this book. I resonated with a lot of its themes and assertions about the ceaseless violence men commit against women and the ways our entire inner lives are shaped by the men we're exposed to, and I appreciated Joan's unabashed commitment to voicing the darkest parts of herself. But I found the plot kind of tiring, definitely disturbing, and vaguely performative; it felt a little redundant of other books I've read like it before, like The Girls and Bright Young Women, and it was not an enjoyable read.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Gore, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Violence, Grief, and Vomit

thebookpaiges's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Mental illness, Murder, Drug use, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Infertility, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Emotional abuse

mmccue1997's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Child abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child death, Sexual content, Abortion, Infertility, Murder, Rape, Violence, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse

kendoge's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

I loved this but holy hell was it tough to hear. I listened on audiobook and the narration was amazing. The prose was beautiful and incredibly well written but so difficult and heart wrenching. This gave me every emotion and thought I wanted Nightbitch to give me. The content warnings are as long as the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Pedophilia, Infertility, Child abuse, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Child death, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Grief, Physical abuse, Murder, Drug abuse, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Violence, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexism, Self harm, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Infidelity, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent

grunbean's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have never read female rage like this before. If you have ever experienced what it is like to present as female in this world, you will relate to. It’s womanhood’s revenge fantasy.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Infertility, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Death, Death of parent, Cursing, Grief, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gun violence, and Sexism

Minor: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, Abortion, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual violence, and Violence