Reviews tagging 'Antisemitism'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

42 reviews

faerieevee's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Classism

Minor: Abortion

eachz's review

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I need to reflect on this more to give a proper review, but I really enjoyed it. This is my second Moshfegh novel and I'm once again struck by how she crafts these characters who you love and hate and root for and want to slap all at the same time. They're simultaneously realistic and ridiculous. I guess that speaks to the satirical nature of this story. Idk there was something profoundly relatable about the core of this story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Vomit, and Abortion

Minor: Antisemitism and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

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

puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

dark reflective tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Death, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Excrement, Antisemitism, and Abortion

vabraham's review

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

5.0

I think my favorite book of all time. I haven’t read a satire this good, especially criticizing whiteness and elitism, in a long time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Fatphobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Antisemitism, Grief, and Classism

anniesher23's review against another edition

dark 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

So overrated. As for the good, the writer is clearly very talented - I especially liked the writing at the end, where I appreciated the little bit of character development and resolution. I thought it was interesting character-building that the protagonist’s best qualities and love for others are subconscious. And the concept of the book was honestly relatable. Truly iconic to sleep for a year. 

But that said, I found the majority of this book intolerable. The main character is not only an awful person but also pretty boring. Her extreme privilege, cruelty, and apathy make her hard to care about at all. And when her character does vaguely develop at the end it doesn’t feel earned at all. 

I actually thought Riva’s story and character was the most interesting part of the book, so I was frustrated that she was reduced to antisemitic stereotypes of Jewish women (status/wealth/beauty obsessed, not as pretty as the main character, literally described as “greedy” and “vampiric” in one scene, etc.). I get that it’s all coming from the perspective of the main character, who sucks, but still. There’s no real resolution or self awareness on this. 

Also, people who liked this book kept asking me how I felt about the “twist.” What twist??? She lives in nyc in 2000/2001 and has two people in her life working at the World Trade Center. In what world would 9/11 be a twist?

I’m so shocked people like this book so much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, and Death of parent

phantompansy's review

dark hopeful sad slow-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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Abortion

sadiaa's review against another edition

dark relaxing

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, War, and Classism

behindherpages's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Antisemitism, Grief, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Abortion, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

spooderman's review

challenging dark funny reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Miscarriage, Racism, Islamophobia, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Classism