Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh

201 reviews

andreanunezdecaceres's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

brittneypadilla's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

Sharp, witty, modern feminist book I needed to read and have a good laugh with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

poenaestante's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Well...that was not what I was expecting!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault

natalie75's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional relaxing sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Abortion

ams5x9's review against another edition

challenging 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

This was hard to get through…The main character is pretty miserable. The last 1% of the book had the smallest redemption/semblance of humanity. And holy depression (pills) and drug use, Batman! This book had more normal, everyday villains than any other book that comes to mind. An interesting look into the mind of a brain I’m very glad not to inhabit. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse and Drug use

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

bskalka's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

3.5

I wouldn’t say I hated this book, however there were definitely aspects I didn’t like. For example, the way the narrator treated Reva during her mothers funeral made me certain of my dislike for her. I also didn’t like how vulgar this book was. I have no problem with vulgarity in books but it has to have a purpose or its just uncomfortable to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, and Abandonment

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Classism

_drucifer_'s review against another edition

dark reflective 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

2.5

I do love that the unhinged feminine trope is alive and well. I love that we keep getting “weird woman” books. Some of my favorite books ever are about women’s descent into madness (hellooooo The Bell Jar). The thing is….the stories need to be good, believable, nuanced. 

This was not that. This was just absolute absurdity. And not even interesting absurdity, but tired, tropey absurdity that disappointed and bored me. From the protagonist’s “model” appearance and convenient wealth to the ludicrous caricature of the ethically-bereft, new-age, negligent psychiatrist to the toxic hate-hate relationship with the “best friend”who only serves to contrast the narrator, to the crappy, bordering on abusive dead parents. Everything was hyperbole, which felt lazy. 

I love a good morally ambiguous character, ethical gray areas are my jam. But there was no ambiguity here, all these characters were just insufferable people. And worse, they weren’t even interesting insufferable people. I didn’t find anything clever or redeeming about this at all. 

I think readers of a certain age will understand pretty early on that the timeline of this novel bends its arc toward a

9/11 conclusion

, but even knowing that’s where it was headed I found the ending to be rushed and a bit of a cheap trick. However, the last 20 pages were probably some of the best writing of the entire book. 

TLDR; I got this, but I didn’t like it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug abuse, and Eating disorder

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, Vomit, Grief, and Toxic friendship

rebekkamafia's review against another edition

2.0

this was a waste of time

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal cruelty, Vomit, Abortion, and Pregnancy

hanamany's review against another edition

dark inspiring reflective tense 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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

Minor: Abortion

This book was painstakingly slow. It didn't invoke much in me even though the theme had great potential to be extremely provoking. While the ending felt somewhat inspirational, the whole thing felt dull and mundane. Maybe that's what the author intended, but it was simply too boring

bibibee111's review against another edition

reflective fast-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

2.75

I just think is not a book for me. the protagonist is unhigend but this make me like her (not in the points that i relate to her, this make me wanna be a better person lol).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse

Moderate: Eating disorder

Minor: Animal cruelty and Grief