Reviews tagging 'Incest'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

188 reviews

miarae22's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

grotesque and jarring

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Cannibalism, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship

This book is difficult to read at times. It is interesting to be sure but I would approach it with caution if graphic content makes you uncomfortable

cmorelli's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

3.25

Oh boy, where to start unpacking this one.

First off, it feels like this book tries to hit any and all triggers possible, so be warned in advance.

Marek, a crippled, abused, motherless shepherd’s son, constantly lives under the fear of his unworthiness in God’s eye. With jealousy and anger, he commits a crime that puts him as a ward to the Lord of the fiefdom - Villiam, who is childish as the very least, abusive, controlling, and wildly incapable of his position as a lord at the very most. 

This book, written in a medieval setting, gives you a sense of discomfort every page of the way.

While written to pull you in to the horror show of Lapvona you can’t possibly look away from out of morbid curiosity, Lapvona’s story falls flat without meaning. It’s a press just to see how uncomfortable you can be made.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Gore, Vomit, Bullying, Classism, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Incest, Mental illness, Excrement, Murder, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Cannibalism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

letsreadbooks_emilie's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

This book was disgusting, but I couldn’t stop reading it, already being a big fan of Ottessa Moshfegh. Seemed like a cloaked critique of capitalism, I can see how this was written during quarantine. Every (vile) character got their moment to shine for us to get a glimpse into their perspective. Very complicated reader-character relationship, like holding up a mirror to humanity.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Rape, Vomit, Excrement, Self harm, and Violence

Stay away if you are queasy, hard to read even with a strong stomach.

jazthegreat's review against another edition

dark medium-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

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Cannibalism, Violence, Death of parent, Incest, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Murder, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Vomit, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Abortion, Child death, and Grief

syddo's review

dark 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Rape, Incest, and Child death

baielleebooks's review

dark funny tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Provocative, absurd, and brimming with pathos all at once, Lapvona for me was a darkly brilliant novel, and I drunk in greedily the medieval soap opera of it all, the literary suet dripping from my lips.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, Incest, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

ayoooalec's review

dark medium-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

3.75

The opposite of The Giver

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual content

Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Ableism, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Blood, Excrement, Gore, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Infertility

kallibmatic's review

dark reflective slow-paced

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

2.5

Painfully bad, it’s like if!La Croix decided to write books instead of make sparkling waters has promise but gives absolutely nothing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Cannibalism, Child abuse, and Rape

historybabe's review

challenging dark slow-paced

• 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

3.0

Where do I even begin..... Honestly, I have never had to put down a book so many times in my life. I was shocked by the sheer depravity within its pages. If you can imagine a sin, it is in this novel. If you want to be sick to your stomach by all means, read it. I'm going to go take a hot bath in bleach and read my Bible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Death, Gore, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Murder, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cannibalism, Sexual assault, Cursing, Pregnancy, Violence, and Vomit

twelvekindsoftrouble's review

challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

I enjoyed this only sometimes. The writing and characters were often difficult to connect with, and I guess this just wasn’t my kind of weird. Could have been worse though; the plot and setting were really unique. Also Grigor rules.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicide, Abortion, Pedophilia, Sexism, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Excrement, and Gore