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Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

139 reviews

honeybees_library's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

The book was disturbing. The entire time reading I felt ehh/blah about the book in general. I don’t know what other descriptors to use. Some parts were more interesting than others, but for the majority of the book, I just felt like I was basically just trying to get through it and finish. I was not excited to read it on the days I did pick it up and read.
I felt like it was so slow in the sense that I felt like I had read SO much, then at the end of my reading session for the day/night, I realized I would only knock out like 10% more of the book. Since pretty early on in the book I had been saying in my head “when is this going to end, or get interesting enough to where I actually actively want to read it to see what happens?!” 
The character/narrator of Joan and her experiences were sometimes relatable, but she was also extremely unlikable. I hated her character at times and her actions. I understand having childhood trauma and going through traumatic experiences, but just some of the things she did, or thought about, were very disturbing. I felt like I was reading trauma porn at times throughout the book. I personally would not recommend this book.
I also was just not a fan of the writing itself. There are certain words that the author feels the need to repeat what seems like a hundred times. I also found the writing to be confusing to the point where I was asking myself “what’s the point she’s trying to get across?” I felt like I was reading a diary/journal of random occurrences and the narrator’s thoughts all thrown together in a way that didn’t make sense. 
If anyone does decide to read, be warned there are graphic scenes of sex, rape, murder, miscarriage, and suicide.

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lily_kruse's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


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boywithtoothache's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious 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

5.0


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marinalikeaboatyard's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

A difficult but incredibly engrossing read. Taddeo brilliantly shows the generational trauma that women experience and the difficulty of breaking that cycle. The characters are incredibly complex and more anti-hero-esque than anything, but you still root for the main character. 

I’ve noticed this trend lately of so many authors using the structure of switching between past and present until it all catches up, and I wasn’t sure I could do it again. I will say, that structure - imho - doesn’t *always* serve the novel well, as it kind of holds up the plot at points in favor of exposition. I think maybe it should just have been better spaced out or cut down a bit. HOWEVER, in the second half, it really accelerates and you absolutely can’t wait to find out what exactly happened and how it’s going to play out. There’s a bit of ambiguity in the end, but you ultimately feel that the cycle has been broken in some way, and that the main character has made peace with past and is ready to begin again. 

Major content trigger warnings - some very challenging passages that some readers may find triggering. 

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n0e11e0000's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


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virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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

4.0

This was a solid four stars. It was good, exploring female rage and some of the subtle was women as abused.

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ienbdri's review against another edition

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dark tense 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

1.0


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charvermont's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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

4.5


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dakotahreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense 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

4.0


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greyyy's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense 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

3.75


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