Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

145 reviews

ghoulianne's review

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  • 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

You know, sometimes you gotta question how fucked up an author is to be able to depict such deplorable characters… Where is this inspiration drawn from? How can our main character, Lucy, have so much sympathy and pity for herself, yet shows ZERO remorse for her actions and the people (and dog) she’s hurt.

The beginning of the book was intermittently relatable, but the remaining 80% was incredibly painful and laborious to trudge through. If you are into characters with less compassion than serial killers, dive right in! I absolutely LOVE the lack of self awareness Lucy exhibits.
”Oh, my mermaid boyfriend wants me to drown for him? No way!! That takes away my autonomy!! But I ABSOLUTELY have every right to repeatedly over-drug a dog that is not mine to the point of FATALITY so I can see my shitty, potentially illusory mermaid boyfriend :))
Yay!! Girlboss slay!!” I’d say grow the fuck up, but I know this character is too self-centered and dimwitted for that to be possible. 

Also, what the fuck is up with the numerous disgustingly unsexy sex scenes and ill-placed sexual metaphors??? It’s reminiscent of everything that is wrong with try-hard avant garde writers (take Lena Dunham for example).

Would not recommend unless you want to make your day worse. I have never said this about a book before, but I truly wish I could get the time back that I spent reading this shit show.
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niltic's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Darkly, darkly funny. This book is good, and the humour and delivery felt very fresh/contemporary to me. It's incredible that Broder can weave in so many tones and dark themes and jokes into one tight package. I laughed out loud multiple times, but reader beware that some topics won't be for everyone.  I knew very little and found the plot quite surprising, depressing and silly! 
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barfing's review

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1.5

I could have done without the main character neglecting a sick dog the whole time and killing it in the process
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blyttgh's review against another edition

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4.0

03/27/24 a lot of men and not enough lesbians

“I don't know that we are ever really okay in life, but there are times when we feel closer to it—when we don't remember what it feels like to suffer. During these times we are moving forward in the void, forgetting we are going nowhere, so the void feels less daunting.” 41

“I would go sit on the toilet immediately after he came. This was partially to avoid getting a urinary tract infection, but also so he wouldn’t see me frowning. When he found me sitting there sadly, I told him it was because the sex made me feel such powerful things. But really what I felt was despair: that this was all there would be, forever and ever and ever, until of course it wasn't.” 63 

"So which poets do you like?" he asked.
"Me, no one at the moment. I actually want to kill all of poetry. If there was no more poetry left in the world I would be fine with it."
"I hate art too," he said.
"Really?" I asked.
"No." He grinned.
65 

“I was playing it cool. Look how chill I was. But I felt angry and sad. This wasn't what I was in this for. I mean, it was something, at least, not just ordinary, hollow life. It was a stab at the nothingness. But I had wanted him to really fall for me, obsess about me. Had I been used? Could you be used if you were also using the other person? Did the one who came automatically become the user? Or was the one who was less attached automatically the user?” 88

“But what kind of person didn't try to talk their friend out of killing herself? I didn't want to tell her that she had to live for her children. I knew that she felt bad enough about them already. I could have told her what an amazing and fun and funny person she was, but I knew that right now it all felt to her like just a performance. Her charming personality was only more heaviness—another mask that she was going to have to pick up again to prove she hadn't lost it in the depression. The only reason to put it on again was out of fear that she might never get it back. Otherwise, there was no real reason to have to put on a heavy costume every day. It was too tiring.” 131

"Please stay with me," I said. "I need you."
But she told me she had exams, and while she wanted to stay with me, she had to go back or she wouldn't complete the semester. I felt totally rejected, but I did not judge her. I looked up to her, and my world had already been so destroyed by the death of my mother that I couldn't afford to be angry with her. But it hurt, nonetheless. So instead I judged myself. I made myself wrong for needing someone, for revealing that need. I needed more than the universe could give me. Clearly my feelings were too big for the universe to hold, too disgusting. I would not put them out there like that again. I didn't even want to have to feel them myself.
150 
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bold's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced
  • 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

3.0

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maisiesmom's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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

2.25

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murphy87's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

2.0

Just wtf.  It was good on the emotional soul searching part but everything else was just too painful to read. Lucy is so so terrible and obviously a love addict who's ex boyfriend strung her along. She goes off the rails but not so totally that you can feel for her or excuse her.  The very graphic detailed sex scenes also felt unnecessary or just added for shock value. 
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sarahjx's review against another edition

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

2.75

I can't handle animal abuse. 😫 
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kateships's review

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It’s a good story in many ways. I really liked the exploration of the MC trying to heal and figure her life out post-break up. But as soon as she was
neglecting the dog to try and get laid by randos/the mermaid
I had to quit. 
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annab802's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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

2.5

Tough to rate this one. There were some beautiful passages and insightful bits but ultimately it just disappointed me. I liked the first half but then it just stagnates in this really cynical place. I wanted more development for Lucy.
and they didn't have to do that to the dog
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