Lapvona A Novel
Reviews
absolutely NO ONE is allowed to have a good time. this was gross and depraved and moshfegh’s writing never fails to amaze me.
This book has you in literal shock
While reading Lapvona, I was engrossed with the story and it’s development, however the morbid nature of it all put me off at times. In saying that, I should mention I have a rather weak tolerance for the macabre. All in all, I had a fun time reading, though I doubt it will be one i revisit.
Idk who I'm writing this for, it's mostly a wtf did I just read. Moshfegh's writing is applaudable and her skill in dealing with low-plot stories is what I love so much about her books. I can deal with a lot of overall grossness, but this book left me with such a pit in my stomach every time I put it down that I found myself reading it super quickly so I would save my future self from a long, drawn-out read of these scenes. I really wish she omitted more of the vile imagery, because it otherwise could've made a compelling read. Lots of these descriptions, like the overindulgence in descriptions of bodily fluid and different forms of "milk", the scene with the grapes, and the Freudian parent-child relationships were too much. It wasn't even the violence that dissuaded me, but just the complete sexuality in things that didn't need it. The grape scene will haunt me
This was a ride.
y'all won't get it like i did
literally huh
weird and disgusting. nice.
i genuinely don't know how to rate this.
this book was so disgusting, i physically cringed whenever i read something 'immoral' or things that doesn't normally happen. but at the same time i was really entertained (idk why).
yeah, this book proves how scary people can be with their faith
Listening to Ethel Cain while reading is an experience for sure…
2.5 rounded up. I’m not sure I’m smart enough to understand the meaning in this book. After finishing the last page just now, I can only think, “what in the fuck did I just read?”
To begin, this is one of Moshfegh’s best work that I have read. Her writing style: flawless. The plot: gripping. The main themes: intriguing. Lapvona, in my opinion, is a satirical take on religion. There is no way this book cannot be a joke of some kind. Before anyone thinks I did not believe this book had characters that were depraved and cruel, that’s not what I’m saying. Perhaps it is my sense of humor or something but I was amused and laughing at a lot of the things that were said and did in this book (obviously not the awful parts!). Something interesting I noticed was that all of the female characters within the novel felt very familiar in relation to the MCs in Eileen or MYORAR. They have horrible thoughts about other people, namely Lipseth and Agatha, but in a darkly humorous moshfegh-style. Everything that Lipseth and Agatha thought about Marek was incredibly spot on to how I was personally feeling about him…not sure what that says about me but I digress. I believe if you don’t like this book-you honestly missed the point. The villagers and other named characters throughout the novel did everything in the name of God-and they were horrible people. My favorite quotes: Perhaps God liked her best, she thought, because she asked for so little. God had not appeared to her in all that time. So she preferred to stay faithless than hold on to a fantasy. “I am an object in the room” she told herself. “That is all I am.” He knew not to flinch, as that would show disgust, and God would judge him.
I do like the cover though
i liked this one! moshfegh's writing always makes me feel like i'm just looking at an old painting for a really long time. it's not what i usually look for in books but it's so unique i tend to like her stuff. loved marek loved lispeth loved ina and that one couple who visited the estate on christmas. super bleak and tragic (i read somewhere that she wrote this during covid quarantine times so i get it) yet i couldn't put it down.
um
moshfegh’s worst by a mile. i appreciate the swing and don’t think she’s unsuited to write in an omniscient perspective but she’s definitely in her wheelhouse when she’s able to create intensely personal, subjective stories. when everything is objective, like it is here, it’s hard to get swept up in the twisted morality and idiosyncrasies of her best work
it was good at first but then something went wrong somehow
my stomach hurts
me aburrió jajaja, llegué como a la mitad del verano
this book genuinely made me religious
is this a metaphor or something?
extremely disgusting and harrowing .. loved it
Perhaps it is most miraculous when God exacts justice even when no human lifts a finger. Or perhaps it is simply fate. Funny, disgusting, strange, and disturbing at the same time. However, despite the book's obvious criticism of a religious cult, its plain portrayal of corrupt leaders, social divide, and exploitation, I still found it difficult to grasp its purpose. But perhaps it is the book's main message after all.
Highlights
Perhaps it is most miraculous when God exacts justice even when no human lifts a finger. Or perhaps it is simply fate. Everything seems reasonable in hindsight. Right or wrong, you will think what you need to think so that you can get by.
Didn't they know that the land was God itself, the sun and moon and rain, that it was all God? The life in their seeds of wheat, the manure from the cow, that was God. The priest had nothing to do with it.
"Forget him. He'll rot now. He'll feed the worms. Shall we pick some flowers on the way home?"
‘What about heaven, Ina? Don't you want to go?’
‘It doesn't matter,' she said. ‘I won't know anyone.'
Lispeth never complained of hunger or hardship. But Petra could see the bruise on her spirit, the little cuts of sadness.
His face was not something she had studied, but something that acted upon her. Like wine, it took hold of her mind and drew it into a golden light, the dawn of heaven, and her body tingled and relaxed. She felt more alive in these dreams, but woke up wishing that she, too, were dead.