Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Heimweh nach einer anderen Welt by Ottessa Moshfegh

13 reviews

vickyoyarzun's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

"Nostalgia de otro mundo" es una recopilación de catorce relatos que marca mi primer encuentro con la escritura de Ottessa Moshfegh. Buscaba comprender su tono como autora y puedo afirmar que posee un estilo distintivo. Su humor, en ocasiones, es intensamente negro, y sus personajes carecen de filtros, encajando perfectamente en la categoría de narradores poco fiables ("unreliable narrator", como se conoce popularmente). Moshfegh sitúa a estos personajes en situaciones cotidianas, resaltando el contraste entre individuos "normales" y aquellos con una moralidad compleja y excentricidades notables, que los hacen parecer más libres que el común de las personas, con esta pizca de rebeldía característico.

Temas recurrentes en sus relatos incluyen la comida, la figura materna, la presencia de extranjeros y el contraste entre clases sociales. Según una reseña en The New York Times (en donde creo que están todos los cuentos de este libro separados por si quieren leer alguno en particular), Moshfegh se centra en personajes marginados y aislados, explorando sus intentos fallidos de conexión. 

Mis cuentos favoritos de la colección son: "The Weirdos", "The Beach Boy", "Dancing in the Moonlight" y "A Better Place". Este último, en particular, me impactó profundamente; es un relato excepcional.

Es notable cómo la autora opta por dejar las historias en su clímax, con finales abiertos. Este enfoque contemporáneo puede no ser del agrado de todos; he leído críticas al respecto. Si prefieren conclusiones más cerradas, quizás este libro no sea de su agrado. Me dejó con ganas de leer alguna de sus novelas en el futuro!
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readahrita's review against another edition

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

2.75

Extremely uncomfortable. Incredibly interesting. I will never read this again though. 
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easybakeoven's review against another edition

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

4.0

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yogomagpie'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

3.0

Not my favorite read of the year but it held my attention until the last page. I love Moshfegh’s writing, even when becomes so disgusting. This is a collection of stories about people who carry some amount of misery, all of whom have flaws. I strongly disliked most of the characters, but I couldn’t put the book down.
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devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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vivica's review against another edition

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

3.0

I wanted to give this book 2 stars, but the very last story broke my heart to pieces, and it's for these emotions that I give this book 3 stars. However it if far from perfect - the author writes like a man who read a little bit too much of Bukowski's prose and let it get into his head. To say the least.
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cherithh's review against another edition

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

3.0

This is the second Moshfegh book I've read. I've noticed a pattern when I read her books. I'm not necessarily in love with the novel, the plot(s), the characters, etc., but her books leave me wanting to read more. I'm even more excited to read another Moshfegh book than I was when I finished my first Moshfegh book, My Year of Rest and Relaxation. I think the writing is strong, but I didn't love any of the stories; none of them were standouts. They were all pretty okay. I will say there's something about the fact that Moshfegh can get me to read about these characters I don't like at all that I respect. I don't know if I want to give the other ones a try because she's such a popular author or because of pure interest. Either way, I think l will give another one of her books a read. Reminded me a lot of My Year of Rest and Relaxation. If I had to pick which ones I enjoyed the most: "A Dark and Winding Road" and "Slumming (probably my "favorite")."
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kia_y_k's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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

3.0

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c_serpent's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

 The voice is interesting.

There's too much sex in this book for me to pretend to have enjoyed it.

It felt like a collection of short stories I would have been forced to read in a college lit class, and I would come up with something to say in class, and maybe pretend to like a single story, but actually I would have hated it, and I would draw things in the margin of my notebook while the girl I sat next to talked about the sex in the book, and I would be uncomfortable.

Then I would write a three-paragraph comparative essay on three of the stories in the book and what the common theme was in these stories(displacement) and how the author achieved this (by placing every single character in some kind of a fugue state, and using first person to force you into their perspective, and then having the characters do things that are amoral, like not telling a girl she's having a baby or a miscarriage, or lying to random people, or sex with somebody that they have no business even interacting with).

And then I would get an A on the paper, and I would sell the book to Half Price Books and spend the money on a Snickers bar to get me through L203: Intro to Family Law.

One star has been awarded because of the interesting literary voice. Another has been awarded because I could see one of my favorite professors assigning this book, and I loved her, and I hope she's well.

Total score: 2/5 stars 
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_jennaalbright_'s review against another edition

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

3.5

Moshfegh writes the grossest, most unappealing characters but I’m not complaining. I love crawling inside of her weirdo head via her writing.

*** As someone who tends to not LOVE short stories, this collection was very fun and engaging. It will most definitely make you very uncomfortable. ***
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