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gbmillar2002's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Behaviours it is bizarre
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
lopez27sergio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
tiwwy's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Abortion
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Self harm, Blood, and Murder
acatastrophe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
NPR's year-end booklist bills Lapvona as dark and disturbing, and I'd have to agree. It follows a year of drama and destruction in the feudal land of Lapvona. Marek, son of Jude and herder, kills the son of the lord and achieves, through a cruel comedic bit, lordship himself. It's a disconcerting tale of death, hardship, and grime, but one I quite enjoyed.
I've been thinking of what this book may have been about on a deeper level. In the end, I think it's about exploitation. Marek is being exploited by those around him--his mother Agata is defined by exploitation (and is even canonically voiceless); Ina both exploits and is exploited by the town; but the centermost exploitation is the extraction of work and life from the Lapvonans by Villiam, their feudal lord. The message here is that resource extraction leads nowhere--having wealth and power does not serve nor save Villiam (who leads a pained and empty existence)--Villiam is even subjected to an exertion of power by the unseen northern warlord Ivan. The only character given what passes for mercy in Lapvona is Agata's newborn, thrown from a cliff at the end of the story and spared a life in the wretched world.
There's also an interesting subplot with sight and seeing--Ina, Grigor, the blinded horse, and Ina's stolen eyes--but I don't have room to get into it. Overall, a good read that scratches the litfic itch and gave me quite a bit to think about moving ahead!
Graphic: Incest
stinetro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Incest, Rape, Suicide, and Cannibalism
aubdyson's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Cannibalism, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
02kloun's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Abortion, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Body shaming, Drug use, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Self harm, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
starvation due to drought is a core plot device throughout one of the sections of the bookreads2cope's review against another edition
1.0
It was so disgusting and pointless that I would have thrown it aside early on if I wasn’t reading it for a bookclub. This is especially strange because it had such potential - an interesting setting, ruined by a total lack of commitment to the alleged time period (people know disease was spread by ships, travelers, and rats [yet take no predations, just continue to die]; a character is asked if he had a “girlfriend”; a kid proclaims that he wants to be an “explorer” when he grows up, and so much more) and themes of religion, family, truth, sexuality, class, abuse, pandemics, isolation, and so much more are introduced, and then simply thrown aside.
In an especially jarring section at the end of the second to last chapter, the reader is suddenly addressed directly: “Everything seems reasonable in hindsight.
The only partial redemption and what even allowed me to finish reading was the flow and some actually funny lines:
‘What about heaven, Ina? Don’t you want to go?’
And even less often, a truly beautiful paragraph:
“his heart felt cold, like a sweat chilled by a sudden wind. It was a terrible feeling, the boy's first experience of nostalgia: the pain of his past. Until now, time had had almost no meaning. The sun rose and set. The church bells donged, but he didn't bother to count them.”
“She had a wisdom that nobody could recognize; the deaths of her children hadn't torn the innocence from her heart, but had calloused her against her own rage.”
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
friedathurman's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Abortion, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
curiouspoet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child death, Incest, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death and Gore
Although it was disgusting, I kind of liked what Moshfegh wanted to showcase. Might as well reread it again (not because of topics but because of characther analysis)