Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

8 reviews

annabel98's review against another edition

dark sad fast-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

2.5

I couldn't put Animal down. If nothing else, it's gonna grip you. But it just didn't do it for me personally, I do think a lot of that is personal taste, I think the narrator is a little too unreliable, and the really fast paced, short sentences jumped around too much. It's definitely not predictable, but you can see the outline of what is going to be revealed, just not what exactly happened; I wanted either more mystery around Joans past, or more character development from her. 

Please, please read the content warnings, and understand they are very graphic. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

kendoge's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

4.25

I loved this but holy hell was it tough to hear. I listened on audiobook and the narration was amazing. The prose was beautiful and incredibly well written but so difficult and heart wrenching. This gave me every emotion and thought I wanted Nightbitch to give me. The content warnings are as long as the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

lenka_lenka's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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? No

3.25

Story of a woman fighting to survive in a man’s word, fighting internalisied misogyny and learning how to connect with other women. 

It doesn’t have much plot, more stream of consciousness as we follow the main character. 

Joan is not a likable character but definitely is the star of her own life. She reminds me of Esther from The Bell Jar or the main character of A Year Of Rest And Relaxation. 
Her complicated and layered past relationship cast a shadow on all other  connections with other people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

lily_kruse's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment

n0e11e0000's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Stalking, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Vomit, and War

helenus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective 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

3.0

 《 nunca sabemos cuánto pueden empeorar las cosas. ese es el mayor regalo que tenemos en la vida. 》

devastadora, cruel y espeluznante. esta es una dolorosa representación de lo cruda que llega a ser la vida real y el mundo en el que nos encontramos, vagado de almas rotas que tratan de encontrar algún tipo de salvación fácil mediante recursos rápidos como lo son las relaciones superficiales [de una noche o no] y la falsa sensación de intimidad [romántica o no] que se pone en práctica con alguien que no te ve con ojos honestos, ya que en verdad no te conoce, y ni quiere.

《 él no es nada. solo lo que crees que falta en tu interior. te prometo que no te falta nada. 》

el libro no se centra en sexo por mucho que se envuelva mayoritariamente en él, sino en el proceso de un análisis psicológico profundo sobre las necesidades biológicas y los seis sentidos que los seres humanos poseemos. en vez de usar la ciencia, Taddeo lo describe de manera descabellada, con un pavor inexistente a los tabúes y colocando en primer plano aquellas experiencias comunes pero aterradoras con las que toda mujer o persona femenina puede sentirse representada; esas decisiones que te hacen sentir un horror desagradable hacia tu propia carne.

《 me sentí avergonzada, como si pudiera verlo todo de mí: los pensamientos turbios, la soledad, el sufrimiento y, lo más humillante, los celos mezquinos. 》

la táctica que la autora usa como argumento a cada punto negativo mencionado en contra de la figura masculina durante el largo de la narración es utilizar como ejemplo principal cada uno de los hombres que han sido partícipes en las diferentes fases de la vida de nuestra depravada protagonista (tal cual ella se retrata) y cómo la influencia de estos le afectará hasta el último de sus días, acompañado de una representación gráfica y una serie de conversaciones longevas basadas en situaciones muy específicas, combinando así naturalmente la teoría con la práctica. y aunque en menor cantidad, lo mismo se aplica con personajes [antagonistas] femeninos igual de relevantes catados a empeorar la decadencia de la chica.

《 porque a veces es mejor matar a alguien que abandonarlo. 》

Joan no es más que una víctima indirecta: el resultado de un sistema de apoyo fallido, provocando como causa un entorno insalubre e imposible de escapar sin heridas graves en estado crítico; obligando una adaptación maligna del ser y la perdición de un corazón puro como consiguiente al inicio de un seguido de tragedias sin fin. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Misogyny and Dementia

Minor: Animal death

cameronrae's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Dementia, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

lilacsandliterature's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

Thank you to Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster for the gifted advanced copy!

TRIGGER WARNINGS: this book is full of graphic descriptions of rape and miscarriage so please be warned 

Wow. This book is incredibly dark but equally as compelling and I couldn’t put it down until the last pages. It’s hard to express enjoying such dark subject matter but it was written in such a way that I can’t deny its power. The story of Joan, the daughter of parents who have made many decisions that will effect her life forever, is one that will stay with me for a while. Joan goes on a mission to find a woman she’s never met before but who changes the course of her life without even knowing she exists. Joan is an incredibly complex character who seems to let herself be treated poorly in order to punish her child self. 

This book could not be more graphic and disturbing but so well written. I recommend to fans of books like Luster and The Push.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, and Rape