Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

La casa de hojas by Mark Z. Danielewski

163 reviews

jessthanthree's review against another edition

challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

astareads's review against another edition

challenging mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

Not bad, not great. I probably didn't understand half of it, whereas the other half was either thrilling or boring. 

I went through every footnote and reference that was actually inside the book, and that too was a mixed bag. Sometimes it was interesting, sometimes it just kept referring back to itself which got frustrating.

I think I would've enjoyed the story of The Navidson Record on its own, as Johnny Truant's bits were just incomprehensible most of the time and not really much of interest until towards the end when

he finally let go of the drugs and sex.

On the good side I was reminded of Susanne Clarke's Piranesi, which is one of my favourites and has a similar labyrinthine feel to it, although a lot more literally than this!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

gondorgirl's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Car accident

sullyfunn's review against another edition

tense fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Car accident

raebeiss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

where do i even begin. a book that took me 6 months to read and is also amazing. please go read this one?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Misogyny

galaxy_cat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I was planning on writing a whole essay about all the messages, about the confusion and dread this piece of work causes to anyone who is capable of actually finishing it. About its ability to infiltrate your brain and leave a permanent mark, just like JT describes in the introduction.

But then I realised that maybe it's just a house of leaves. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Abandonment

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and War

storm_37's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

House.

5/5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Injury/Injury detail

missmagpie's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.75

House of Leaves is one of my favorite books of all time, though it's certainly not for everyone. It's a dense, oftentimes frustratingly difficult, read. The two times I've read it, I made a habit of keeping my laptop close to periodically look up allusions or translations or even other people's interpretations to fully grasp what I was reading. But that is also the thing that's so great about it - every time I think about it, read it, or scroll through discussion boards of other people's takes, I get something new from it. It also plays so effectively with form - pushing the boundaries in such a wonderfully post-modern way of what a book IS. What fiction can be. And how typography affects how you read. When asked, I say it's a story within a story within a story; a man finds his neighbor's unfinished manuscript analyzing a documentary about a house that is impossibly bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. And so it is three stories: the tale of the house, the interpretation of the documentary, and the story of the man reading it. But really it's a story about fact and fiction, questioning what is real and what isn't, and questioning the mediums we inherently accept as factual, such as academic papers and documentaries. Most people won't love this book. It takes work to read. It's filled with the rambling commentary of the most annoying character in the world (to enjoy the Navidson Record, one must suffer the annoyances of Johnny Truant). But I love it so, so much. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Johnny Truant's sections often involve incredibly graphic, usually misogynistic, sex scenes. Content warning also for Johnny just being annoying.

mo0nsugar's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

This book will stick with you long after you've climbed from its cavernous depths.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent

This book can be rough for people in a dark headspace.

justawholeapple's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A labyrinthine trek through heartache, loss, and meaninglessness that defies defintion and rewards multiple close reads.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, and Suicide

Minor: Alcoholism