Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh

557 reviews

buud_w0rm's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I couldn’t put it down but at the same time it was hard to read at some points.Not sure if I’d recommend it to anyone but it somehow felt fitting for October.The ending is
fucking
crazy 

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hick's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • 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

4.25


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jesslynnking's review

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dark funny mysterious reflective sad 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

4.75


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shay_talksbooks's review

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dark slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.0

Borrowed from my local library

I don't know where to start with reviewing this book: it was all vibes, no plot. And I didn't particularly like the vibes!

Filled with the most horrid characters, behaving in the worst of ways and doing vile things to each other. The writing was good, and I got a decent impression of this medieval village (which felt somewhere in Eastern Europe) and the people who lived there. Their struggle and starvation was clear as crops failed & rain refused to fall, and the contrast between those in power and those without during that period was made clear. The author made some very valid points about how those in power keep it, and how those without often end up blaming each other instead of those truly responsible - but it was very loosely done and sometimes felt like it tipped into satire and back out again, which I wasn't sure on.

Although the writing itself was engaging, the content turned my stomach at times. Some of those moments felt necessary to show a characters desperation, but others felt like they were put in purely for impact/gross factor/trauma p*rn.

It's not a long book (only about 300 pages), however it took me forever to read because it left me feeling heavy and icky each time I entered the story. I've rated 2☆ but I may revise that in time. It's definitely a book that will stick in my mind, although maybe not for the reasons I want it to.

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lanamackreads's review

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

4.75


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sneakybeaky's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced
  • 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

2.75

Really hard to review this. In theory I like the themes it grapples with; how those in power keep the oppressed blind to their oppression; how the oppressed blame their suffering and anger on a perceived 'other' rather than their oppressors; how the powerful are themselves blind to their own stupidity, incompetence and callousness. However, it feels like it's grip is loose. It dips in to these questions at a surface level and I'm left wondering what the point it's trying to make is, beyond the fact that these power structures exist. It's also an extremely cruel and gruesome book in tone, sometimes excessively so, and I'm not sure it serves the story particularly well. Overall I'm not entirely sure what to feel which perhaps speaks volumes. My rating might change on reflection.

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leolai's review

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Disgusting, disturbing and vile and I liked it. This is satire on religion and power and it was brilliant. Lapvona is unapologetic tale about religion's dark corners, showing abuse, patriarchy/misogyny, human stupidity and hypocrisy in piousness. How death is more important than life we are living now. Suffering is a virtue and everyone feels superior to everybody else, justified in their hatred and selfishness. This book is easy to understand but hard to read because it's so dark. 


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bloodflood's review

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

4.0


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yulimaru's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

all the bad reviews made me want to read this. so thanks for that. i really enjoyed it. 

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catherinebaker's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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

5.0


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