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Lapvona
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
60 posts | 49 read | 29 to read
In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters, a motherless shepherd boy finds himself the unlikely pivot of a power struggle that puts all manner of faith to a savage test, in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfeghs most exciting leap yet Little Marek, the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd, never knew his mother; his father told him she died in childbirth. One of lifes few consolations for Marek is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife, Ina, who suckled him as a baby, as she did so many of the villages children. Inas gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a unique ability to communicate with the natural world. Her gift often brings her the transmission of sacred knowledge on levels far beyond those available to other villagers, however religious they might be. For some people, Inas home in the woods outside of the village is a place to fear and to avoid, a godless place. Among their number is Father Barnabas, the town priest and lackey for the depraved lord and governor, Villiam, whose hilltop manor contains a secret embarrassment of riches. The peoples desperate need to believe that there are powers that be who have their best interests at heart is put to a cruel test by Villiam and the priest, especially in this year of record drought and famine. But when fate brings Marek into violent proximity to the lords family, new and occult forces upset the old order. By years end, the veil between blindness and sight, life and death, the natural world and the spirit world, civility and savagery, will prove to be very thin indeed.
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review
Leniverse
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
Panpan

I managed to get through it, and was actually a bit fascinated by parts, but I skimmed a lot of it and not just the gross bits. I'm not really sure what this story was trying to do or say. The way to God and immortality is through cannibalism? Seems a strange message. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Anyway. Read, did not like, would not recommend.

monkeygirlsmama The blurb sounds mildly intriguing, yet your takeaway definitely makes it sounds like a hard pass. 3mo
Leniverse @monkeygirlsmama If you have any triggers at all, then stay away. This book is a lot. And there's no reason for it to be other than to shock and to take attention away from the characters being caricatures and the plot not really going anywhere. I find it mildly annoying that the writing was good enough to reel me in. 🤪 3mo
Leniverse Just read the blurb again, and it makes the plot sound way more interesting than it is. 3mo
See All 6 Comments
TrishB Cant believe you finished it 👍🏻 3mo
Leniverse @TrishB It worked for a reading challenge and I couldn't be bothered to last minute track down another book. 😆 3mo
monkeygirlsmama @Leniverse I will definitely keep this in mind! Saw it at B&N after reading this post the other day, and allowed myself to pick it up and start reading the blurb again. My daughter called me away though before I hand a chance to skim the pages. Maybe this was a good thing. Haha 2mo
34 likes6 comments
blurb
Leniverse
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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This book is grim! I'm only 40 pages in and so uncomfortable I'm not sure I want to continue 😬 Is it awful all the way through? It gets worse, doesn't it? Maybe I should try it at a different time of year.

TrishB Never been drawn to this one! 3mo
JessClark78 The cover image made me not want to read it. 3mo
Leniverse @JessClark78 @TrishB Yes, it's not very appealing 😆 I can't actually remember why I wanted to read this. 3mo
Hooked_on_books I haven‘t read this one, but I find this author deliberately provocative in a way that really doesn‘t work for me. So…I‘d bet it gets worse. 3mo
38 likes4 comments
review
Twainy
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

Well. That was dark & depressing. This book will make you feel uncomfortable. High depravity! So many trigger warnings. Feckless characters.

A social commentary. Religion, capitalism, and a complete disregard for anything living. Not an easy book to stomach. You‘ve been warned.

A truly horrific Novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

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Ladygodiva7
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Reading this next, book 49 of the year.

55 likes1 stack add
review
LukeP167
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
Pickpick

I know a lot of people don‘t like this because of the ‘needless‘ disgusting scenes, and the detestable characters - but that‘s why I loved it 🤷‍♂️.
No but seriously, whilst I genuinely had no issue with the depravity and all the various awful scenes, I felt this was an interesting look at religion, capitalism, fiefdom, family and the futility of life. If you can stomach the worst of it, you‘ll really love the best!

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nosferatu
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

A blunt metaphor supported by endless, needless descriptions of all kinds of cruelty. Also, painfully naive characters. I did enjoy Moshfegh‘s audio book narration though, a welcome distraction on this summer‘s many car rides.

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

I can't figure out where this story is set, because they have moose, elk, and wild-growing cannabis. 🤔

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Marek‘s face was, to Dibra, void of anything mysterious, like a mask over nothing. A curtain covering a blank wall."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"He moved like a spider walking on its hind legs."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"It struck him now that his dreams were never quite right. They seemed to occur in a space without time, in death, he thought. He heard a night bird sing its aeolian melody. That was the problem, he realized. He did not dream of birds. Without birds, there was no time."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Of course Lispeth had no appetite for the food the family ate at the manor. The gardener used the shit to fertilize the food, to grow the hay to feed the animals. Villiam, Dibra, and Marek ate their own shit at every meal. And so did the priest. And maybe he was eating Villiam‘s shit directly out of his arse, she wondered. Who knew what the two men did at night alone? They certainly weren‘t praying."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Her eyes—which were green and young looking, as though she‘d plucked them from a little girl—glistened in the light from the fire."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Klim looked very thin, thinner than Jude. His knees were like fists, his feet like huge scraps of tree bark."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Villiam had told Marek that life was for enjoyment and that he would now have to be broken of his boorishness. This was hard for Marek, as he was so addicted to suffering."
Mood.

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Villiam‘s tongue was wide and thin, more like a bit of cloth than a muscle."

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Bertha_Mason
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

"Marek had been born in February. Of course, he and his father never marked the occasion as the day of his birth, but the day of Agata‘s death."

review
TalesandTexts
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

Lapvona is an interesting novel. Just like the characters in the book, readers too wade in the grey waters of morality. Many trigger warnings here.

The first 70% of the book definitely hooks you. The last 30% feels draggy. Still, it is a good listen.

This book felt like a commentary on the evil that all of us have hidden in our psyche. It also felt like a commentary on the status of religion today and how corrupt religion has become over time.

15 likes1 stack add1 comment
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KT1432
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Panpan

I love satirical pieces on class, religion, sexism, and power, but I‘m not sure if that‘s what this was. It was almost too ridiculous. The childish lord with no ambition who played disgusting “games” with the servants, the priest who simply pretended to be religious, the townspeople too oblivious to make a connection between their famine and the manor‘s bounty. Cannibalism wasn‘t even the most disturbing part! I‘ll read Moshfegh again though.

KT1432 #Pop23: A book I meant to read last year. (edited) 14mo
17 likes1 comment
blurb
claudiuo
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh

Last couple weeks I finished both spins and a roll100 pick:
- Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson (#Roll100 pick#2): a great start of a new series for me;
- The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay (Jan #BookSpin): another good entry in the Forward series;
- Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh (Jan #DoubleSpin): so-so pick: good writing but with a lot of scenes not quite necessary in the context of the book, IMO.

@TheAromaOfBooks @PuddleJumper

PuddleJumper Great job! 14mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 14mo
13 likes2 comments
review
AshleyHoss820
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

I dunno. I‘ll give Moshfegh another go, I just felt a bit meh. I think it‘s an interesting commentary on organized religion, the corruption of power, & the pitfalls of capitalism. I think it was just slightly out of reach of being a solid pick, for me. I can see why it caught a lot of buzz, so I won‘t dim that candle. I‘d give you a trigger warning, but…it‘s the whole thing. This was my December double #bookspin! I completed all 24 books for 2022!

AshleyHoss820 📸: Country Life Magazine @TheAromaofBooks I am so grateful for this challenge! It really helped me clear a lot of books off my TBR! Here‘s to 2023! 1y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fantastic year!!! 1y
38 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Readergrrl
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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@Avanders Thank you so much for my #JolabokaflodSwap gift! I love it! I opened it up this morning because I just couldn‘t wait, but I‘ll be reading it in bed tonight! I didn‘t wait to dig into the chocolate though 😋 Thank you, thank you!!

Avanders Yay!! Happy Jólabókaflód!! ❄️?? 1y
59 likes1 comment
review
Pinta
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

Medieval fiefdom. 13-yr-old Marek kills the son of the lord & is forced to take his place in the manor. Twisted fable. Deformation. Purity. Isolation. Manor vs. village. A little song & dance. Deprivation & cannibalism. Adaptation & survival. Blinded horses. Talking birds. Phony faith. God‘s punishment. Grotesquerie, disgust. Meandering plot. P 156 “No pity or compassion would she ever feel. Not for Marek, or for anyone.” 2022

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erzascarletbookgasm
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

I can see why this book has polarising reactions. I‘m still deciding if I like it. It‘s disturbing and ugly with gross descriptions; the characters are disgusting and awful; yet I find the book intriguing and enthralling. Perhaps the story is an allegory; a critique; perhaps it‘s written merely to shock; but it‘s undeniably Moshfegh‘s bold work. Plenty of trigger warnings.. if you can stomach them, and if you‘re a Moshfegh fan, I highly recommend.

batsy Nice review, Jessie! I hope to brave this one soon. 1y
squirrelbrain Great review! I‘m reading this next year @batsy for the ‘weird‘ prompt on #booked2023. 1y
TrishB Great review 👍🏻 1y
See All 8 Comments
merelybookish Great review. Sounds like not the book for me. 😬 1y
CarolynM Great review🙂 I read Eileen, that was enough Ottessa Moshfegh for me🤢 1y
erzascarletbookgasm Thanks. I‘ll put the trigger warning below if anyone wants to know @batsy @squirrelbrain @TrishB @merelybookish @CarolynM 1y
erzascarletbookgasm Some trigger warnings I recall - religious exploitation, self-harm, cannibalism, rape, incest, paedophilia, animal cruelty, body parts and body fluids descriptions (yuck)… 1y
batsy @squirrelbrain Cool! I don't know that I might be able to do the whole year of the challenge but I'll check it out to see :) 1y
73 likes8 comments
review
AlizaApp
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

Another weird one from Moshfegh - this is not a complaint. In a small village, the bastard son of the local shepherd becomes wrapped up in a wealthy landowner‘s scheme.

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erzascarletbookgasm
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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“Blood was the wine of the spirit, was it not?”

Barely 50 pages into the latest Ottessa Moshfegh‘s novel, there‘s murder, brutality, and grossness abound. ?

The cover of the novel shows a religious painting by Spanish Francisco de Zurbarán - Agnus Dei (Lamb of God).

vlwelser I want to tell you to enjoy this but that word seems inadequate. 1y
CarolynM There was enough grossness in Eileen to put me off this writer for life🥴🤢 1y
batsy I look forward to your review! It seems super gross so I'm waiting till I have the stomach for it 😆 1y
47 likes1 stack add3 comments
blurb
DHill
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Just started. Read by the author and I like it so far.

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BeeMagical
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
Bailedbailed

Only got about an hour in and can tell this is not for me.

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JackOBotts
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
Mehso-so

So-so with 3 ⭐️. A strange, grotesque trip…

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ImperfectCJ
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pretty sure this is a typo. That little "e" makes a big difference.

vlwelser 😂 2y
Megabooks 🤣🤣 2y
35 likes2 comments
review
ImperfectCJ
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

I didn't get into this one as much as I have Moshfegh's other books. With this one, it feels like there's symbolism just outside my reach, and without the symbolism, I can't quite connect with the story. I do think there's something here about people working hard for the wrong things or getting away with not working at all, people ignoring truths that are inconvenient or painful to acknowledge, mistaking the profane for the divine and vice versa.

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KarenUK
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

I usually love this author but this one was just not for me. Unsurprisingly the writing is great, and the novel well structured….but I just didn‘t connect. The medieval setting, the truly awful characters, lots of religion, the endless icky details of human depravity. Just nope.

36 likes3 stack adds
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vlwelser
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

I don't know how to explain this. It's almost like the most gruesome fairy tale ever. But without the fairies. Or magic. And it's kind of a commentary on religion. And there's rape and incest and cannibalism and murder and other things you probably shouldn't do IRL. So you've been warned. It's really well written and I like the author. But it's mega dark. The um dead lamb on the cover might be a sign.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Alfoster Yikes! It‘s hard to imagine all those in one book! But I‘ll definitely check it out!😱😝 2y
vlwelser @Alfoster it's impressive. Because it's not that long. 2y
JamieArc I mean, how can one resist after that review? 😂😂 2y
See All 6 Comments
Megabooks Great review! I loved this! 2y
batsy Haha! Nice review. 🐑 2y
TheAromaofBooks Mostly cracking up because I'm reading your review and then look back up at the cover, which says the author also wrote “My Year of Rest & Relaxation“... contrast much?? 😂 2y
43 likes1 stack add6 comments
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anniebannanie
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
Pickpick

This just confirms I would never survive in Medieval times.

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keithlafo
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

A deconstruction of faith, told through an almost misanthropic lens, coupled with a sour, biting wit. It‘s almost ridiculous, the story of what happens to Marek and Jude, but through that ridiculousness it‘s easy to see the mirror Moshfegh is holding up to our current day-and-age, warts and all.

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itsyvetperez
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

WTF did I just read? 😳😂

“What about heaven, Ina? Don‘t you want to go?‘ ‘It doesn‘t matter,‘ she said. ‘I won‘t know anyone.”

- 4⭐️

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rachelsbrittain
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Hoping for some better reading this week after being in a bit of a slump the last couple weeks.

36 likes1 stack add
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AbstractMonica
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
Mehso-so

Mixed feelings about this one. Ultimately, a lord takes advantage of his villagers. Because of their piety, this becomes a classic case of the rich get richer while the poor get poorer. I loved the vivid imagery the author set throughout the entire novel. It was a fast read with many surprising turn of events. I very much disliked Lord Villiam. Halfway through, I kept envisioning Lord Farquaad whenever the perspective revolved around Villiam 😭

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AbstractMonica
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Started this one last night…

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Addison_Reads
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

I feel uncomfortable admitting that I "liked" this book because it is hands down the grossest book I've ever read, and I read horror! ?

This author has a unique writing style and I always get drawn into her stories. The way the characters are written, the depravity, the use of religion and wealth, all made my skin crawl but I couldn't stop reading.

I'm already thinking about a reread in the future because I just can't get it out of my head.

BarbaraBB Intriguing! Moshfegh is such an awesome author. 2y
39 likes1 stack add1 comment
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perfectlywinged
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

The grossest Moshfegh book yet but I loved the medieval setting and how she structured this book!

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HatefulGrablin
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

Definitely not for everyone, but I loved it. Each character was fascinating in their own way, even the ones on the periphery. I will definitely be reading this one again.

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sarahbarnes
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

Moshfegh takes unlikeable characters to a new level in this story. Bleak, sometimes darkly funny but often horrifying, this book was a low pick for me due to Moshfegh‘s sheer writing talent, but wow, there is little to walk away with other than deep cynicism.

merelybookish Easy pass. 2y
sarahbarnes @merelybookish yes, I think you can safely skip it. It‘s too bad because I had been really looking forward to it. 2y
Megabooks I think I‘m the only person who has loved it so far. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️ 2y
See All 6 Comments
sarahbarnes @Megabooks I didn‘t hate it, but didn‘t love it either. Death in her Hands is still my favorite book of hers that I‘ve read. 2y
Megabooks My Year of Rest and Relaxation is mine. She‘s just such an interesting author!! 2y
sarahbarnes @Megabooks agreed! She has true talent. 2y
36 likes1 stack add6 comments
blurb
ImperfectCJ
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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At the San Diego Museum of Art today, I saw this painting and said, "Lapvona!" Maybe I can make more progress on the book this weekend while I don't have classes to teach.

Blerdgal_Fenix It‘s the not today look for me 😂 2y
Megabooks Wow! How cool! 2y
54 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Lindy
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Mehso-so

Not recommended except for those readers with a strong stomach. Not sure what the message is… possibly humans are all depraved + religion is a farce. Moshfegh has strong writing skills & dark wit, so I‘m not giving this a pan, but be prepared for a horror fable celebrating the grotesque, & to wade through filth such as starving peasants who eat mud, excrement & human flesh while their insane feudal lord feasts on every delicacy.

sarahbarnes Yep. I just finished this one last night and feel similarly. I think it‘s a low pick for me because of her sheer writing prowess, but I agree with your sentiments. 2y
TrishB Great review. Not top of my list then! 2y
Lindy @sarahbarnes I wonder if I was expecting it all to add up into something meaningful… and I don‘t get the meaning … except perhaps existential despair. Does it fit more comfortably within/adjacent to the canon of Jewish literature, rather than Western novels? It‘s a bookclub pick for a local bookstore. I look forward to hearing what the other members have to say about it. 2y
Lindy @TrishB Yeah, from what I know of your tastes, you can safely give this one a miss. 2y
sarahbarnes It‘s a great question. I also expected some revelation at the end. Maybe it is just existential despair? Or the corruptible tendencies of us all? I‘d be interested to hear what your book club thinks. 2y
42 likes5 comments
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Lindy
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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He sipped his ale delicately and grinned. He liked the flavour of ale. It tasted like his own sweat, like something rotten and private.

Prairiegirl_reading That‘s fairly gross 🤢 2y
Lindy @Prairiegirl_reading “Gross” is a one-word summation of the entire novel 😐 2y
Reggie Lol, I don‘t know whether to read this one or not. I remember reading her other book Eileen and how the main character talks about enjoying popping the pimples on her exboyfriend‘s back. She can be really gross. 2y
Lindy @Reggie It might work for you, the horror and the humour. Moshfegh certainly has a way with prose—it‘s mostly thanks to her writing that I didn‘t bail on this novel, despite all the gross content. 2y
30 likes1 stack add4 comments
review
britt_brooke
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Through a few seasons in the medieval village Lapvona, an unappreciated boy called Marek comes of age. He‘s not quite likable, but that‘s Moshfegh‘s way. She never disappoints with her sharp, concisely detailed storytelling and ability to create horrible, yet believable, very human characters. Is it historically accurate? I don‘t know and I don‘t care. It‘s fiction, y‘all. A tale of much depravity penned for our bizarre enjoyment.

Cinfhen Great review!! @Megabooks LOVED this one! So now that I have 2 hot reviews I‘ll be moving this up my TBR - thanks 😊 2y
Cathythoughts Great review, stacked 👍🏻 2y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen @Cathythoughts Thanks - hope y‘all enjoy!! 2y
Megabooks I did in fact love this @Cinfhen ! I saw you bought it. Enjoy! 2y
91 likes4 stack adds4 comments
review
bookish_wookish
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Pickpick

I blew through this book in two sittings! If you are squimish though this one isnt for you. The best way to explain this story is that it explores religion, insanity and greed and the fine line between them. Theres so much happening at once in this story and its all woven so well! I dont want to give a single thing away!

vivastory I read online there's a part where a character has to smoke out of a pipe that may have formerly been someone's forearm 😬 2y
bookish_wookish Yes! But its how they got the forearm! 😉@vivastory 2y
45 likes2 comments
blurb
bookish_wookish
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Ive really been looking foward to this one!

47 likes1 stack add
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Soubhiville
Lapvona: A Novel | Ottessa Moshfegh
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Bailedbailed

Ok, I can‘t finish this one. Too much brutality and depravity for me, thanks. ALL the trigger warnings.

I was seriously disliking most of the characters, but hung on until about halfway. At that point I realized I didn‘t *have to finish.

Don‘t get me wrong- excellent writing. It‘s the subject matter I‘m turning away from.

I‘ll put the thing that finished it for me in the comments as a spoiler, if you‘re interested.

Soubhiville The rape from the man‘s point of view… the way his mind is twisting what he does into his perception of love and nature. There is so much before this that bothered me. But this one was it, enough. Found my limit. 2y
jimfields3 Thanks for the warnings! I was looking at this just this evening, and now I‘m glad I put it down. 2y
Megabooks Sorry it didn‘t work for you. ☹️☹️ 2y
DivineDiana Yes, thank you for the warning! 2y
66 likes4 comments