Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Mein Jahr der Ruhe und Entspannung by Anke Caroline Burger, Ottessa Moshfegh

406 reviews

aritacb's review against another edition

dark funny reflective sad slow-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

4.5

This book was a lot of things - existentialist fiction, a dark humored satire with poignant realistic moments, a commentary on mental health and grief, a commmentary on the effects of privilege and how people abuse it. This book kind of reminded me of the Stranger by Albert Camus - an existentialist novel. 

The premise of the book is something that seems like it would be hard to pull off and Moshfegh did. My Year of R&R was reminiscent of novels like the Bell Jar while still being innovative. She touched on multiples topics well and nothing in the plot felt like it droned on or was rushed. 

This gets four stars since I hate how girls on booktok and bookstagram glamorize the protagonist. She was privileged, vain, conceited, selfish, a bad friend, and needed legitimate help instead of her quack of a psychiatrist. I hated how she treated her best friend and criticized her for being shallow and for the affair she was having with her boss when she was ten times more spoiled and couldn’t get over the also older crappy guy she was on and off with. 
I also didn’t like the vulgar parts in the book, which I know that Moshfegh added along with other things in the book for the shock factor but it was a bit much at times. 

The ending didn’t sit right with me because sleep “solved everything” and she got to live a normal life - something that wouldn’t get to happen without her privilege. I also feel like what happened at the end wasn’t fair to a specific character and that they deserved better than what happened to them. 

This isn’t for anyone who wants character development or is expecting a fast paced plot but if you want something simultaneously funny, aggravating, and sad that will make you think a little bit - I recommend this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse

Moderate: Grief, Body shaming, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Death

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

annarchy_'s review against another edition

dark funny fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Self harm, and Violence

tadiwa_e's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

In “My Year of Rest and Relaxation,” the MCs complex relationships, both with her best friend and toxic ex-boyfriend, create a captivating tapestry of human experience. As she seeks solace in sleep, the toxic dynamics with her ex-boyfriend expose the depths of her vulnerability and lack of self-esteem. Simultaneously, her friendship weaves through the narrative, providing moments of support and contrast to the darker aspects of her life. The author fearlessly explores the intricacies of human connections, making this a riveting journey through pleasure, pain, and self-discovery. 5 stars for its unflinching portrayal of relationships and the quest for healing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Sexual content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcohol, Abortion, Addiction, and Emotional abuse

lil_owl_reads's review against another edition

reflective sad 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

4.0

The last chapter of the book is worth the first 20 percent of me going “what the hell is this character doing.” I had no idea what to expect, and somehow I was still blown away by the ending. And yet, this is still a deeply weird book. I don’t think this is a must read for everyone, because I think it attracts a very specific audience. But if you read the first two chapters and think “I need to see where this goes,” you’re not going to put it down after that

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Addiction, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Suicide

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Sexual content

eileencastroo's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

5.0

this book is more on the darker side, as it takes a laughable deep look into depression and how the effects afterward are shown on a girl in her twenties who should virtually have no reason to be depressed - except the fact that

her parents are dead/spoiler> 

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Content Warnings

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

mirandahems's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.5

like a y2k Bell Jar

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Body shaming, Classism, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Grief, Mental illness, and Sexual content

baylee_grace's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

5.0

Unreliable narrator who isn't really a good person yet you sympathize with her. The descriptions of her thoughts and feelings are extremely raw and honest, you can't help but relate to them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Drug use, Sexual assault, Classism, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Body shaming

Moderate: Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion

aywebster'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

2.5

My official rating of this book would be 2 1/2 stars out of 5 because I did not actively hate or dislike reading it, but I also did not find myself actually enjoying it until around the last 100 pages. While I haven’t read or watched a lot of reviews for the book (to avoid what was a terribly predictable spoiler that I’d guessed upon starting it); I can totally understand why readers would deem the “payoff” unworthy of persevering through the boredom and un-like-ability of the main character. 

Would I recommend this? I guess so, if you don’t mind an unlikeable, unreliable, almost Patrick Bateman-type of main character (without the murder and with the satire level turned way down). Around the two-thirds mark, I had a realization which I had to stop and say to myself- this is very similar to the movie Donnie Darko! If you like that movie, read this book and get back to me about my loose comparison.

:::::::::::::::SPOILERS AHEAD:::::::::::::::

This brings me to my next point- I knew this would be a 9/11 book from the moment I read that it takes place in 2000-2001. I pointed it out to my husband every time the World Trade Center was mentioned and every time, I was met with “that’s just a red herring- the author can’t be that lazy.” To be clear, I don’t believe this was a completely lazy direction to take- but I can’t help but think about Remember Me’s twist 9/11 ending. I will say that I wasn’t completely correct in my predictions, though- I assumed Trevor would die too, MC would lose all hope and die the same way her mother did.

I guess I’m glad that I didn’t give up on this book because I always like to see even the least sympathetic characters find redemption, though it was in the most rich, white, fictional way possible. I’m still unsure of whether I believe that was satirical or not.

I’m just glad I got to see what all the hype/hate was about. I’ve seen this on a list of “red flag books” and I’ve yet to figure out why it’s a red flag- there’s nothing terribly shocking or gut wrenching- to me it’s mostly boring rich white people stuff.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Self harm, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content

phantompansy's review against another edition

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

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

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