Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Big Swiss, by Jen Beagin

9 reviews

tbretc's review

dark emotional funny fast-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

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Stalking, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, and Suicide

alygoel16's review

emotional funny inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Suicide

irenemarie's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Stalking

Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug use

onmalsshelf's review

funny lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

This one definitely won’t be for everyone. It’s very vulgar, it invades privacy, and has affairs in it. However, I had a good time. 

I picked it for my audiobook (thanks Libro.fm for the ALC) for a weekend trip and have zero regrets. Parts made me laugh out loud, but didn’t take my attention away from the road.

I’ve seen many compare this to Melissa Broder’s writing, which I would have to agree. However I gave Milk Fed two stars and am leaning on giving this one 3.75-4 stars. 

There’s one major part of the story that didn’t make sense to me - how did Flavia go from immigrant cocktail waitress to a practicing gynecologist with her own practice at 28? Even if a doctor got their training abroad, being a full fledged doctor who passed all boards in the US by 28 is rare. I would’ve liked that information when we learned more about Flavia’s background. 

Avoid if you hate bugs. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Dementia, Grief, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse

bookishsapphicshay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Blood, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Drug abuse, Stalking, and Eating disorder

meganashlee27's review against another edition

funny reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Living with a friend in an ancient farmhouse that’s falling apart and inhabited by bees, squirrels, and other guests, Greta spends her days transcribing therapy sessions for a local sex therapist. After becoming intrigued by one of his clients, she recognizes her voice at a dog park. Their strange histories and trauma connect them. The problem? Big Swiss is married, and Greta gave her a fake name and didn’t tell her that she’s heard all her deep secrets in her therapy sessions. 

This book reminds me of some obscure indie movies of the early 2000s. They were sometimes weird, sometimes brilliant, and if you found a good one you could pretentiously refer to it as your favorite movie. There’s a lot going on in this book. It was sometimes weird, or gross, or eccentric, or heartbreaking. But there were also moments of laughter and pure love that endeared you to the story even more. Some of my favorite parts were the off-handed comments that really had nothing to do with the plot, but instead described the hipsters of the town, the animals, or were even used in a self-deprecating way. Although I never really loved the premise around Greta listening in to the therapy sessions (even though it was her job), the individual characters (and animals) are what held me in. 

I also saw that this has already been picked up by HBO, so I’m intrigued to see how that develops!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Suicide, and Sexual content

kendallreadsbooks's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Injury/injury detail, Suicide, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Sexual content

Minor: Stalking

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

challenging funny medium-paced

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

5.0

Hot damn, I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2023—every page makes me want to bray in delight!  Its self-destructive, middle-aged heroine, Greta, is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve ever read.  Greta has trauma, Greta has issues, Greta has a dog named Piñon and a job as a transcriptionist for a sex therapist with questionable credentials.  To me, Greta’s job feels like drinking gossip through a straw like a milkshake, and it’s how she becomes obsessed with Big Swiss, a client whose sessions she transcribes.  To Greta’s surprise, Big Swiss soon becomes obsessed with her, too.  For readers of Melissa Broder and other fans of hilarious, unforgettable queer chaos.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Medical content, Injury/injury detail, Drug use, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Stalking, Blood, and Mental illness

Minor: Abandonment and Emotional abuse

thevioletfoxbookshop's review

dark emotional funny reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

In an old Dutch farmhouse full of bees and lead paint, Greta transcribes sessions between a sex coach and his patients. Greta becomes fascinated with one of the patients, whom she refers to as Big Swiss. When Greta and Big Swiss meet at the dog park, their lives become irreversibly entangled.

Big Swiss is the sort of strange and beautiful novel that you have to read to believe. It's utterly shocking, absolutely hysterical, and beautifully cynical. Honestly, it was unlike anything else I've ever read.

I laughed out loud on every other page, rolled my eyes at the pervasive hipster things Big Swiss pokes fun at, and thoroughly enjoyed the quirky atmosphere.

However funny and entertaining, though, know that Big Swiss is also an intimate and often disturbing portrait of mental illness, infidelity, and trauma. It's a close encounter with human damage and nothing is off limits. The characters' flaws are glaring and their desperate attempts to cope feel all too real.

Raging feminism, bunk psychology, and bisexuality all mix with ennui, infatuation, and humor in Jen Beagin's newest novel, Big Swiss. It's a book you won't want to leave and one your mind will probably still be puzzling over long after you've finished reading it.

And just in case you haven't already heard, Big Swiss is already in development to become a show on HBO (and the book isn't even out yet)! You know the rule - the book is always better, so read it first! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Addiction, Cursing, and Stalking

Minor: Self harm, Blood, and Cancer