iwasastar's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, Body shaming, Animal death, Death, Fatphobia, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Misogyny
hannahlouise_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
2.75
i thought i’d like this book a lot more than i did coming to it after reading my year of rest and relaxation but honestly it was slightly underwhelming? i felt that the ending only happened as a way to end it, and as much as i love a no plot just vibes read i wasn’t really connected to this book in any way
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Murder, Sexual assault, Cancer, Emotional abuse, and Excrement
Minor: Abortion and Adult/minor relationship
5aru's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I can’t say I didn’t enjoy reading this — and yet, while I really enjoyed My Year of Rest and Relaxation, this one just didn’t quite do it. I think it would’ve done better as a short story; the writing is excellent, but the entire second half of the novella feels like going in circles. Of course, this is also meant as part of the protagonist’s mental state, unstable and unreliable narrator that she is, but — and as much as I really do like Moshfegh’s writing — it simply was drawn out for too long.
I’m still giving it three stars because the concept is so fascinating and it really made me turn the story over in my mind after I was done; the extra half is for the writing. It’s reminiscent of a modernist style in the vein of Virginia Woolf or Henry James, but almost cruel with its surgical, cold precision.
I’m still giving it three stars because the concept is so fascinating and it really made me turn the story over in my mind after I was done; the extra half is for the writing. It’s reminiscent of a modernist style in the vein of Virginia Woolf or Henry James, but almost cruel with its surgical, cold precision.
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Rape
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