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Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Animal by Lisa Taddeo

117 reviews

carojust's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is the perfection I needed -- what "The Guest," "Fruit of the Dead," "My Year of Rest and Relaxation," "Eileen" and "Boy Parts" couldn't deliver, what "Rouge" came close to. 

The destructive pretty girl plot has been overdone and exhausted, insultingly predictable, but Lisa Taddeo shows that it can be thrilling, done with power, nuance and poignancy. The pacing of this book needs to be studied, it's art.

You start with the idea that this book is about a vile woman, and then you see it's really about vile men, and as you shakily come closer to the truth, you realize this has always been about mothers and daughters. This is a love story to women, to see our pain and our strength, to realize how much of our self-hatred is from women hatred, to understand that the minute we are born, we are bloody prey, we are subjugated and destroyed, and we are connected more than we know. 
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keku_25'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? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I dont even know where to start. This book is for sure a ride. IF anyone wants to read this please look up the trigger warnings, it deals with alot of heavy stuff
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yanaorwhatever's review against another edition

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

3.5

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chrishham's review against another edition

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

5.0

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clementine_lips's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • 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

It took me a while to get into the book because I wasn’t reading it at the right time for me. I’d read The Guest by Emma Cline and Bunny by Mona Awad right before this one and all 3 have the same type of character: a young(ish) woman who is or was abused and becomes a rag doll for men as a consequence. They don’t seem to have desires other than survival until the book is relatively advanced, which is when I started enjoying all 3. I thought it was written very well, with a lot of gut punching observations. Would recommend if you’re in the right state of mind - in a positive place in life. 
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kaylac4's review against another edition

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dark fast-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

3.5

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liltinylatke's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

This is one of the most phenomenal pieces of writing I’ve read in a while. I search endlessly for the perfect book, the perfect style of writing, and I found both in this novel. The story is deeply concerning and strange. Experiencing Joan’s life of pain and trauma alongside her felt arduous. I can see similarities between Lisa Taddeo and Ottessa Moshfegh — the way they write their flawed characters with such specific characteristics and thoughts that are absolutely bizarre to the reader but perfectly normal to the character. Their descriptions of people and the things around them are so specific and entirely unrelatable. This is a hard story to get through, and I can’t wait to read all of Taddeo’s work.
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hannaheperry's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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citybound13's review against another edition

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challenging 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

2.5

This was the hardest to read book I’ve ever encountered and I’ve read some very gruesome and scary books. Be kind to yourself while reading this.
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ktwoolen'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? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved this story but as a mother I was so triggered and disturbed by so much of the dialog and imagery. Truly a heartbreaking read for me. A lot of reviews said it’s about how being in your 30s can make you want to kill- but to me it was about how parent trauma and send you on a spiral of self degradation, and how being treated like you’re disposable by everyone that’s ever come into your life can make you want to kill. 
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