Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

18 reviews

brewingdaisies's review against another edition

challenging emotional lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

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

4.75

—a good read for psychology students/enthusiasts. I enjoyed reading the transcripts, being in people's minds (especially greta's) and seeing how fucking unhinged everybody is. LMAO. not your average small town story, that's for 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, and Grief

percybabercy's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

If you liked how weird the movie Saltburn was and how gross it made you feel after watching it -- I'd pick this book up! It's so bizarre and atmospheric. It's also quite gruesome so...warning. The banter between the main character Greta and her housemate Sabine also made me chuckle. The book is just full of crazy turns and is incredibly weird. Read it!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, and Death of parent

julessssss's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-paced

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

3.0

this is largely a small glimpse into the life of a mentally-ill woman, during which she falls in love. the absurdity of it all was my favorite part.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this book, and at times it was quite difficult to put down. On the other hand though, there was a good amount of things that did not hit too hard, like a lot of the comedy wasn't necessarily funny to me.

overall, I would not recommend this generally, but it is an interesting read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Sexual content, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Moderate: Blood and Sexual violence

Minor: Rape

kerriski's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Blood, Drug abuse, Addiction, and Animal death

the_lesbrarian's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Stalking, Suicide, and Sexual content

Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Grief, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Abandonment

claudvandamn's review against another edition

dark 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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Violence, Suicide, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Biphobia, Addiction, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Mental illness, and Infidelity

plumdustsuns's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

0.25

😭😭 the plot was so all over the place and everything was so racist. I need to stop listening to online book recommendations/buying them because the book has queer content. 
There was no linear string of concentration. Went from flavia’s trauma to random affair to Greta’s random descent into jealousy without showing that she had a tendency to be as much and that her mom was the same way. The blasé way of ‘I didn’t care that my mother offed herself’ in the last therapy session versus her using and being bogged down and sad by this trauma was not only conflicting but distasteful. Also Om randomly caring about her when she’s just his transcriptionist and his care/their friendship not even being handled before?? It’s not plausible/would have made for a better plot line and betrayal and made sense when he offered her sessions if they were friends or friendly. He said ‘Lmao’ when she said her house was cold and rain was coming in. And he suddenly cares? 
And Keith was made out to be such a big deal and the stalker narrative and it barely did anything/added anything into the story? It wasn’t even resolved in the end properly?
Greta saying she had been SA’ed but it never coming up for her own intimacy issues? And it was just an offhand mention?? 
Also racist humour and just… so much wrong with this book, man. And how Flavia reacts to/keeps coming back to Greta doesn’t quite make sense. Also Greta gaslighting Flavia that adultery was worse than what she did? No??? 
Absolute fucking disappointment. Just a lazy and unfocused book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Stalking, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Self harm, Drug use, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Racism, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Physical abuse

kir1072's review against another edition

funny sad medium-paced

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

3.75

As a "big Swiss" myself, I was intrigued. I loved how they ate Fondue, but Greta shouldn't have been able to have a Ricola-ad in her hallucination (she barely knows where Switzerland is). Apart from the mandatory references to Swiss food culture, I liked listening to the audiobook. It's a bit strange to call your dog "Ruderboot" when you are from a french speaking part (still strange in german parts), but It somehow fits Big Swiss. 

The plot was nice, but not unexpected. I liked listening in to all these therapy sessions, and really grew fond of the character of Big Swiss. Just as her, I strongly dislike eyecontact with strangers.  
All in all a nice book that I listened to over the last three days. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse

Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Stalking, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer

mothmaul's review against another edition

dark funny 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Child abuse, Death of parent, Animal death, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Violence, Death, Drug use, and Gun violence

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Addiction, Abandonment, Rape, and Grief

Minor: Stalking, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Eating disorder, Abandonment, and Alcohol

caroisreading's review against another edition

dark funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

Electric Lit saying this is erotic cottagecore makes me laugh because it's so dead-on. 

This book starts with such an intriguing premise - a therapy transcriptionist who starts to get obsessed with one of the clients by her voice, only. But I wasn't prepared to laugh as much as I did, and to find this protagonist endearing in such a strange way, with her mannerisms and how she describes things, especially when it came to sex. I appreciated the Ayn Rand reference at one point, so random but loved it.

Interwoven among the levity were darker themes, triggering circumstances, on top of a very horny, exploratory affair between two very different women. There was an almost obsessive focus on age, and age differences, those not acting their age or looking too much like their age. At least I appreciated a character story that wasn't coming-of-age, or mid-life crisis, but something unique and just as reckless.

I loved the varied methods of story -- going back and forth from transcripts to storytelling, really clever. 

I think you'll like this if you want to be entertained rather than lectured, can withstand lots of triggering material, and gravitate toward dark humor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Infidelity, Violence, Animal death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Drug use, Blood, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Toxic relationship