Reviews tagging 'Racism'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

125 reviews

khartke's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

This was a grueling read with a detestable main character and disgusting events. I could barely put it down. I found it well written, stuffed (over-stuffed?) with references and connections to other works so the themes were always exploding outwards in many directions. Honestly not sure how sincerely I should take

the inner peace at the end as a sign of redemption

but I found it to be pretty satisfactory. I feel like this demands a reread but I'll have to muster up some major fortitude before I can attempt it. I read the back 2/3 in quarantine which definitely contributed to the atmosphere, Would recommend if you have COVID. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Classism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Racism, and Abandonment

Minor: Rape and Abortion

morgasm's review

dark 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

3.0

It was a book, for sure. The “I support women’s wrongs” vibes were there but the actions weren’t severe/weird enough to make it intriguing so instead I found some of the plot just repetitive. I know the MC is meant to be unlikeable/a bad person, but I still wasn’t invested enough to be satisfied by the read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Racism and Classism

juulstizya's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

1.5

reva deserved better 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Vomit, and Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Abortion, and Classism

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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

3.0

I probably wasn't completely fair on this book because I read it knowing it wouldn't really be for me. I'd just heard so much about it over the last few years and was curious. It wasn't my kind of story but I'm glad I read it. I found parts of it interesting even if others frustrated me. I listened to the audiobook which was really well narrated by Julia Whelan so that definitely helped. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Racism

rionstorm's review

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

0.25

This book sucks so bad... she was clearly trying to be ironic and failed... literally everything about it is irritating... the casual racism, the repetitiveness, her constantly talking about how pretty she is, how every character is cartoonish and one dimensional, the incredibly silly (and distasteful) ending... awful

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Racism, Terminal illness, and Vomit

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Abortion, and Pregnancy

kirkspockreads's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Abortion, and Pregnancy

elenival's review against another edition

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

3.5

3.5 stars… ? Nothing really happens, but it’s also a wild ride? A very unlikable/unreliable narrator, very "entertaining" for lack of a better word. So over-the-top that it works? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Racism and Abortion

takemeapart's review

dark sad slow-paced

• 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

3.75

*drum roll* she’s depressed… and she’s racist! (side-eyeing all the white girls who rave about relating to this character).. morality aside i enjoyed the 
very chaotic read… i too would like to sleep for a year.. justice for Reva. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism

jwagstrom's review

challenging dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

Despite none of the characters being likable, I still enjoyed the process of reading this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Racism and Vomit

Minor: Abortion

lauralintunen's review

dark funny 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexism, Sexual content, and Vomit

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Racism, Suicide, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Classism