Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Mój rok relaksu i odpoczynku by Ottessa Moshfegh

361 reviews

joanabrt's review against another edition

dark funny medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Medical content

Moderate: Vomit and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy

rosrey's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.0

Honestly I don't know how to feel about this book. I breezed through because of how intrigued I was by the main character and what she was planning even though I didn't like her. I could see why this book is so divise, and although I didn't necessarily like any of the characters, it was refreshing to read about characters that are complicated and morally-grey. 

Although

I could see the 9/11 ending coming from the moment the twin towers were mentioned, I wasn't exactly expecting the protagonists reaction to it to be so... nonchalant. I am a little confused about the whole art thing that happened with Ping Xi was all about, but I found their whole friendship hilarious and absurd.

Overall I liked MY Year of Rest and Relaxation and have already checked out Lapvona to read next.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Drug use, and Eating disorder

haileyeh's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad 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: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Confinement, Drug abuse, Addiction, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Drug use

Moderate: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Medical content, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Cancer, Abortion, and Alcoholism

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Vomit

_rowan_'s review against another edition

dark reflective 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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Content Warnings

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

nick_reads_sometimes's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad tense 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

This is for a very specific audience and the girls who get it, get it and the girls who don't, don't.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Death

sestout's review against another edition

dark funny 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness and Addiction

Moderate: Terminal illness, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Eating disorder, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Sexual content, Death of parent, Grief, Drug abuse, and Animal death

Minor: Body shaming, Cancer, and Toxic friendship

eerikaanni's review against another edition

dark funny 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

I picked up this book expecting a somewhat lighthearted, character driven story with a mentally ill protagonist. What I got was a gorgeous satirical critique of white American capitalism that worked beautifully in showcasing the grotesque hypocrisy and blind privilege of rich white people in the U.S.

The main character is terrible. Her best friend is pathetic. Their dynamic is annoying at its best and completely destructive at its worst. There's little to no plot, and there's a 5-line long imagery collage of random things, names, places, activities, or thoughts like every other paragraph. That gets a bit exhausting to read at times.

But I think that's the point: materialism, the ownership and manifestation of things and more things is at the focal point of American capitalism. It is its driving force; the desire of more, until the Earth starts regurgitating everything we have consumed back up again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, Eating disorder, and Cursing

Moderate: Vomit, Bullying, Body shaming, Cancer, Abortion, Dysphoria, Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Fatphobia, and Child abuse

pil4r'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

3.75

Creo que Mi año de descanso y relajación es un buen libro tanto así como creo que no es una lectura para cualquiera.
Su sinopsis es bizarra y los lugares a los que la prosa nos va llevando se sostienen igualmente bizarros -y siempre distintos a los que yo esperaba o imaginaba-. Al mismo tiempo, Moshfegh construye personajes, en especial aquellos femeninos, tan irritables y deprimentes como complejos e interesantes. La construcción de sus voces y sus cuestionables e intrincadas acciones se consolida a lo largo de toda la novela como el fuerte de la autora, como el elemento clave que alimenta y atraca las ganas de continuar leyendo.
No puedo decir que la obra me encantó pero creo que porque, principalmente, no es mi tipo de lectura predilecta. El existencialismo y la depresión se retroalimentan, estructuran y pintan de gris toda la narrativa. Esto, por momentos, erige un tono de tristeza y vacío que me resultó un poco díficil de digerir a través de una protagonista con la que la identificación sólo se posibilita a partir de lugares oscuros y desagradables. 
De todas formas, este libro despierta muchos sentimientos, genera muchas preguntas y continua resonando; y, aunque no necesariamente lo hace dentro del campo de lo agradable, el impacto lo hace una obra, al menos, atractiva.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Abortion, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Mental illness, and Death of parent

fkshg8465's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

1.0

I fail to see why this book was such a sensation. It was possible one is the worst uses of my time. It had no point whatsoever, which is probably the way I would describe every single character too.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Self harm, Abortion, Cancer, Suicide, Death of parent, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

fkshg8465's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

1.0

I fail to see why this book was such a sensation. It was possible one is the worst uses of my time. It had no point whatsoever, which is probably the way I would describe every single character too. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Drug abuse, Drug use, Confinement, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Cancer