Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Animal: A Novel by Lisa Taddeo

41 reviews

citybound13's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

2.5

This was the hardest to read book I’ve ever encountered and I’ve read some very gruesome and scary books. Be kind to yourself while reading this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Suicide, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Vomit, Miscarriage, Death, Murder, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Addiction, Dementia, and Death of parent

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

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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.

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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. 

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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

kendoge's review against another edition

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. 

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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

rachthecreator's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Murder, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Abandonment, Child death, Miscarriage, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Dementia, Suicide, and Vomit

aranxap15's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Murder, Suicide, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Eating disorder, and Death of parent

astoriareader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

SYNOPSIS:

• On the first page, we are told a man killed himself in front of Joan. This sends Joan to flee across the country to LA. She is in search of a yoga instructor named Alice, but we have no idea why. We do know that her parents are no longer alive, and nothing seems to be keeping her in New York City.
• She moves into a compound, where several other people live. Her landlord is a strange older man.
• Joan vaguely refers to some trauma that happened when she was a child.
• There are lots of questions. Who is Alice? What happened to her parents? What trauma did Joan experience? Who is Joan narrating the story to? What is up with the landlord? Why did the man kill himself in front of her?

MY THOUGHTS

• This book is very dark & uses vulgar language in different parts. If you have any triggers, it is worth it to check out content warnings.
• The execution of this novel is impressive. It’s like a train wreck that you can’t look away from. Taddeo gives vivid, unsparing descriptions, and I can see this being divisive among readers. This will be either a book you love or a book you hate. I don’t see it falling in the middle.
• Although some parts are hard to read, I found myself unable to put down.
• Joan tells us the story, and despite being unlikable, she’s actually a fascinating character. Taddeo deftly makes it so you understand the character, even when you don’t like her. I found myself rooting for her, which I can’t say I have ever done for a main character that I didn’t like. Joan is complex & layered. She’s both a victim and a villain.
• We get a lot of flashbacks & insight into Joan’s past. Taddeo skillfully plots the book & intertwines stories from the past. There are deep wounds in her childhood. The family dynamics are extremely interesting. With the flashbacks, I felt for Joan, and I saw at her core that she was a little girl that only even wanted love (particularly her mother’s). The book looks at how our childhoods shape us & intergenerational trauma as well.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️not for everyone, but for those who connect with it, it’s an impressively executed novel. be sure to look into trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Abortion, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Infidelity, Rape, Abandonment, Child abuse, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Physical abuse

ashpociadlo'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Blood, Sexual harassment, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Infertility, Grief, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Dementia, Child death, Abandonment, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexism, and Child abuse

lenka_lenka's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? No

3.25

Story of a woman fighting to survive in a man’s word, fighting internalisied misogyny and learning how to connect with other women. 

It doesn’t have much plot, more stream of consciousness as we follow the main character. 

Joan is not a likable character but definitely is the star of her own life. She reminds me of Esther from The Bell Jar or the main character of A Year Of Rest And Relaxation. 
Her complicated and layered past relationship cast a shadow on all other  connections with other people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Cursing, Sexism, Addiction, Murder, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Animal death, Grief, Vomit, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Violence, Alcohol, Abandonment, Blood, Body shaming, and Death