Reviews with content warning for Violence - Big Swiss

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Big Swiss by Jen Beagin

151 reviews

sarahbethhh's review against another edition

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challenging funny medium-paced

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

3.5

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bek_p87's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad 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

3.75

I feel like this started off so strong, but towards the end, too many things were happening that it became a little overwhelming and unbelievable. It is still incredibly unique and, at times, grotesque, and I will definitely be thinking about it for months.

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writersrelief's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny 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

4.0

Jen Beagin’s third novel, BIG SWISS, promises an eccentric, raunchy, darkly hilarious time. Set in Hudson, New York—a haven for weird, artsy misfits—BIG SWISS is jam-packed full of intentional and memorable oddities. The main character, Greta, works as a transcriptionist for a sex therapist who calls himself Om and who loves to do sound baths with his clients. Through her work, Greta is privy to the deepest, strangest secrets of Om’s many clients (and boy, are some of them strange!). Even Greta’s home is notably strange: It’s an ancient farmhouse which she shares with her roommate, Sabine, who makes and sells edibles to the locals. The house is falling apart and there’s no insulation, but there are bees—thousands of them.

Although the relentlessness of Beagin’s quirky details can at times become tiresome, they certainly grab a reader’s attention. And while they don’t really stop or slow down, the oddities are eventually somewhat tempered by the very human traumas and experiences that begin to make themselves known as the darker underbelly of this oddball sex comedy starts to show itself.

Though Greta keeps her distance from Om’s clients, she can recognize them in the voices she hears around town and delights in the secrets she knows about these people. This isn’t a problem until Greta recognizes one voice in particular—that of a stoic, married woman Om has just begun seeing, and whom Greta is fascinated with. Greta introduces herself with a fake name and eventually begins a secret affair with the woman, whom she had previously nicknamed “Big Swiss” but whose real name is Flavia.

Flavia and Greta both have traumatic pasts. But, while Flavia is dead-set against leaving hers behind, Greta, even after moving across the country to get away, is constantly emotionally tortured by hers. Their vastly different approaches to trauma become clear through their relationship, and the book gives itself space to explore this theme. The layers of darkness, danger, and plot come together rapidly from here on out, following the story’s multiple plot threads to places you would never have seen coming. The quirky cast of characters, the intentionally strange setting, the witty dialogue, and the fairly fast-paced prose all help to lighten the heavy loads of Flavia and Greta’s horrifying backstories, keeping the book from veering into overly-sentimental territory. The result is an intensely entertaining read that manages to explore dark themes without becoming overpowered by them.

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alecrigdon's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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hannahfie's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-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

4.5

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jusslaww's review against another edition

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dark funny

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

5.0

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tiffany_lishan's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.0

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sirmack's review against another edition

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3.5

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isaarusilor's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-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

4.5

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applesodaperson's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-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

I really liked this book, but I feel like it just didn’t quite live up to the hype. Still good, just not as good as I expected. Also, the characters did not feel like real people, more like exaggerated caricatures. This wasn’t necessarily a good or bad thing, just something I noticed.
Read from the Provo library.

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