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Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

128 reviews

dadsngrads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-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

4.5


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angebrown's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-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

0.5

I don't really know what to say. Ok firstly, read ALL the trigger warnings before you even consider picking this book up. It was a compelling read and there is no doubt that Taddeo is a talented writer, but I just, I remain deeply disturbed by this narrative. I am aware that art is meant to make you feel uncomfortable and question your understanding of the world, but a lot of the events in this book felt gratuitous. I'm not sure that it left me with any questions or deeper thoughts about human beings and how we treat each other. It just left me with a queasy feeling. It's the Damien Hirst exhibition of the literary world.

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bigmac_beth20's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I did not care about the main character. I feel like nothing really happened apart from a lot of sex and explanations of Joan's childhood trauma. 

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branca's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

2.5


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dramaqueentears's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

cw: graphic sexual assault, murder, graphic sex scenes, death of parents

I finished this book a few hours ago and can’t stop thinking about it. It’s about love, rage, infidelity, revenge, and murder. I’m just blown away.

It begins with a 36 year old woman named Joan leaving New York City to move to Topanga Canyon after the sudden suicide of her married lover. She’s on the hunt to find a yoga instructor named Alice. When you begin, you don’t know how Joan knows Alice or why she’s desperate to connect with her. Joan is telling this story to someone but you don’t find out who it is until the end. 

What makes this so incredible to me is how complicated Joan is. You can empathize with her because of the horrible experiences she recounts, but she’s also just seriously messed up. She struggles with the guilt of causing her married lover’s suicide. She grieves over a married man that she loved more than him. It’s just a mess but I highlighted a lot of passages. I think everything came full circle and honestly, it pairs perfectly with Two Women. I wasn’t expecting much of Lisa Taddeo’s first fictional work but they really go hand in hand in terms of the theme.

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emelymarie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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chihiro's review against another edition

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

4.25


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cianarae's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked this book but there were a few nitpicky things I didn’t love. The slow burn at the beginning just left me kinda confused. I also thought that her response to her childhood trauma was just a little bit too … on the nose … overall, super cool dark story about power, abuse, and rage.

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bookcrone's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging 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

4.5


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ingmund's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad 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

3.5


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