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directorpurry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
_keyboardshmash_'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
seawiiitch's review against another edition
- 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
Let’s just say that quickly enough, my jaw was on a floor in utter shock and slight horror. Multiple times, I had to go back and read sentences one more time just to be sure I hadn’t (somehow) made up the words I just read.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad book, but rather a disturbing one. The only sane (and I’m being very generous with the term) character in this, and that I actually liked, was the old man Grigor. The rest of the cast easily represent what can go wrong in human beings or just how easily people can excuse their misconduct or wrongdoings.
Marek is the product of constant abuse, even though some are disguised as affection (I’m looking at you Ina) who distort religion to comply with what he believes in. Jude, his father, is just as bad and probably the one who really disturbed me once we reached the subject of Marek’s mother . I had to put my book down multiple times because of him.William is infantile, using the excuse of entertaining himself to abuse his staff or village. He uses religion and fear as tools to control the habitants of Lapvona .Ina, who if you read the book, really can make you feel disgusted with how she acts with Marek, Jude, etc… Marek’s mother, “Agatha”: is maybe the only one who made me feel bad about what happened to her. From the beginning till the end, she is a tool for the men around her, suffering abuse every time she tries to escape her situation. Even at the end, she is used by Ina to full-fill the old woman’s wishes. Grigor: as stated earlier, might be only true sane person in the entirety of the novel. While gruff, he is not cruel or violent. He does not uses religion as a weapon but tries to help his people. Even though he is far from perfection, he might be the only one close to it in this novel.
If I’m honest, I do not think the plot truly went anywhere. This is just about people and how bad they can to themselves and each other, about how easy it is for humans to be cruel.
As I stated, not a bad book. But it is not for everyone and it wasn’t for me, despite my rating. I will probably never read it again (unless I want to see if my review would be the same).
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Violence, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood and Excrement
jade_smith's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was my first Ottessa Moshfegh book and I’ll be running to pick up the rest of her catalogue.
Darkly absurd and almost fairytale-esque in its depiction of greed and human perversion, Lapvona is half pseudo-historical fiction and half a horror comedy.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Infertility, Kidnapping, Abortion, and Alcohol
books_and_sea_salt's review against another edition
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
charlisaurus's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lizzymcalpine'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
3.75
so much to explore and reflect on about the exploitation of the poor and women, about morality and its role in religion, religious justification, governmental neglect. definitely a thinker book, but left me wanting closure.
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Chronic illness, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Self harm, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
mangonana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hunterpatersonn_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Blood, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
hick's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Abortion, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Excrement and Fire/Fire injury