ashs_ephemera's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Death, Murder, Sexual harassment, Body horror, and Suicide
Moderate: Blood and Mental illness
Minor: Vomit
christianpunk'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
2.0
The first half is intriguing and I genuinely enjoyed it. The relationship between the Narrator and Simone shows a deep look into how hedonistic relationships can make us not love eachother for the person but only for the body and fetishes, most of the time in vain. In Isolation. Their actions of pursuing these nasty ventures also get other people evolved, most of it non-consensual as they put them in an orgy, and start raping people like Marcelle. They get in trouble because of these acts with the Narrator leaving home before he's parents get to see him again. Attempting to commit suicide. But then decides to start living with Simone. They start however getting attached by Marcelle as they only want her to fill the gap in their relationship. Marcelle - after being tainted and ruined - commits suicide after mistaking the Narrator for a Cardinal Priest (Which I assume is probably because she started liking being hedonistic with her innocence turning from tainted to Bi-polor trauma). The Narrator and Simone Leave France after pursue their endeavours of lust in Spain.
The second half honestly made me sick and uneasy. If you have read the book you would know what I'm talking about. I was shocked not only by them doing the nasty and raping a priest but also because this felt incredibly out of place for me. Throughout the whole novella I felt like it was going to go somewhere interesting. But the last two chapters felt like an ugly deadend of foul nothingness. I do know the author was a catholic who converted to an atheist, but is that truly the point of the novella? To show you hate Catholicism by putting rampant smut and sex? Obviously I'm a little biased because I am catholic but was the second half already planned, and the first half was only the build for those last two chapters? I could go but Georges Bataille was clearly going through some demons during his life. Despite his renouncment of Catholicism I know God would have judged him well, rather he be going to hell or heaven. Thanks for reading and may God bless you.
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, Murder, Rape, Vomit, Cursing, Death, Torture, and Toxic relationship
benjaminwylie1'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
4.0
makes you kind of question what the point of a novel is, wonderful prose but horrible thematically
average french person etc etc
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Sexual content, Excrement, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Death, Pedophilia, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Murder
tcgarback's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Critical Score: B
Personal Score: C+
Reading Experience: 📘📘📘(3/5)
Grabbed my attention at the start and the end, lost me in the middle. Altogether too involved in its own symbolism and musings on agony and pleasure. But this is still a bomb of immorality that is as courageous as it is sleazy—as it’s meant to be, so really, they’re the same thing here.
This is fascinating to me as a piece of transgressive literature, but it’s not something that at all moved me or, given the stuff I’ve read in recent years, shocked me.
Graphic: Terminal illness, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Rape, Torture, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Death, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Murder, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
yutrobog'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
3.5
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Gore, Murder, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Cursing, Death, Grief, Torture, Violence, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Suicide, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
tailwhip's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
0.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Excrement, Mental illness, Rape, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Ableism, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, War, and Abandonment
elaichipod'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
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child death, Death, Gore, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Animal death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Torture
erissa_lestrange's review
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Excrement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Confinement, Gun violence, Murder, and Vomit
Minor: Incest and Violence