Love how much it stands out from the books that populate the contemporary landscape but overall found it difficult to connect to any of the characters or story. It's entertaining, sure, but sometimes I crave more.

This wasn't for me. I could appreciate the writing, but it was hard going, ultra-violent and seemed more intended to shock than to illuminate or entertain.

This was not the book for me. It is incredibly well written and I love horror and mysteries and even history.
This was weird and gave you an unpleasant feeling to read. I couldn’t get on board with the obsession with adult breast feeding. The characters are all quite vile and unlikable and infuriating which I think is the point but didn’t make a nice read. My dislike was almost guttural which I shows it’s well written but I didn’t enjoy it.
Forced myself to the end but it didn’t improve.
Read through netgalley for an honest review

Big kiss to NetGalley, Ottessa Moshfegh and Random House UK for the e-arc of Lapvona. (Disclaimer i have not read any of Moshfegh's other books so went in very blind to this one)

First things first this book is insane. It is a medieval, (literally) shit-filled, gore-ish, grim-ish, religious, second coming of Christ, cannibal book. Moshfegh looks at you going ew gross this is weird and is like "time to dial it up some more". The characters never learn they are forever hopeless and lost but is that not humanity? She writes with a total honesty about the horribility (not a real word but we move) about this community. The corruption of the church and the state but also of every day people.

If you liked Midsommar / Horrible Histories (but like the grimmer bits) then this is the book for you ! Full of poop jokes and body horror it should probably be filed under body gore. An intense, slightly horrifying but good read genuinely cannot make up my mind to how I feel about this book,

I didn't really enjoy this book. It is set in the fiictional Lqpvona, where Jude lives with his disabled son Marek. When Marek kills the son of Villiam, the local lord, he is taken in to replace the murdered prince.
There are many characters and they all felt like caricatures... There's Ina, the midwife/wet nurse with magical powers, the lord, the abusive father, the nun.... They did not have much depth to them and at times it felt like the whole plot and characters was a parody of the Middle Ages. It was bleak but not in a particular profund way.

Oh, what I would give to spend a day in Ottessa Moshfegh’s head! After reading Eileen and Death in Her Hands, I thought there was nothing she could write that would shock me, but then along came Lapvona.

It is a veritable feast of the grotesque, macabre, abject and absurd; it is about human instinct and impulses, the indulgence of desires and transgressing moral and natural boundaries. There are meditations on spirituality and witchcraft, nature and its effect on human life and consciousness, as well as questions regarding religion and the justifications people make in its name; some of the characters partake in ascetic practices such as flagellation which they believe absolve them of their often depraved behaviour.

Issues of class, power, greed and corruption are explored as the wealthy Lord diverts resources away from the poor, leaving them to starve and die of thirst during an horrific drought. Despite being set hundreds of years ago, this doesn't feel completely irrelevant to issues we're still discussing today. There are also interesting, and disturbing, reflections on familial dynamics and obligations and the misogyny inherent in social systems; honestly, this novel covers so many topics in such a visceral and shocking way, I felt like I needed to take a minute to digest it and then write an essay to unpick it all!

Moshfegh's writing is shrewd and engaging and somehow manages to be humourous in places, in spite of the bleak, unsettling nature of the story. The narrative is split into sections representing seasons of the year, of which summer is particularly harrowing, and there is a cast of extremely unlikeable characters. It is a dark and bizarre tale, but I would genuinely expect nothing less from Moshfegh who is quickly becoming one of my favourite contemporary authors. Excited, but also slightly terrified, to see what she does next!

Well, this is a curious book, to be sure – quirky, original, inventive, bleak and troubling - and not for the faint-hearted. Set in a version of the Middle Ages, in a village peopled by almost realistic people acting in almost realistic ways but where the environment, although recognisable, is just slightly off kilter. A fable, an allegory, a fairy tale, a social commentary on our own world – yes, all these and more. Familiar yet unfamiliar. Although brutal and cruel at times, there are so many resonances with our own world that it all becomes very disturbing indeed and lingers long in the mind after finishing it. I’m not normally drawn to fantasy but such is the power and skill of Moshfegh’s writing that I was instantly drawn into this strange world and was carried along with the narrative. Book groups are going to have a ball with this one.

I love Ottessa Moshfegh and the way she writes. I am familiar with her rawness and Lapvona was one of my most anticipated books. Perhaps I have picked this at a wrong time or perhaps this is just not a book for me. Every time I read it, I have to stop reading because of some revolting passage. I might try it again because I really like the writer. But as of now, this book isn't working for me.

Otessa Moshfegh’s latest novel is a departure from her previous work in many ways, but still the dark, edgy, smart, ludicrous story we’d expect from her. Set in a a fictional, fantastical medieval fiefdom, Lapvona isn’t particularly plot heavy. It’s more of an abstract journey through a year of thirteen year old Marek’s life as he grapples with religion, being an outsider and a desperate need to be loved.

We also meet the other inhabitants of Lapvona - a shepherd, a Lord, a witch and a priest to name a few - each one delusional and brutal in their own ways.

Lapvona is gloomy, folksy, weird, dark and filled with dread - overall, a horrible little book in the best possible way. I loved it and couldn’t put it down 🐑

Having loved 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation', I was very keen to check this out.

Moshfegh is a joy of a writer- a constant tide of sarcasm and wit waiting to bite, and this book always felt like it was having the last word and the last laugh.

Although I found the book uneven (the end half didn't fully carry me along like the first half had), this book was so wonderfully silly and serious in equal measure, and although the setting and subject matter seems like a huge left turn, it was surprisingly poignant in its portrayal of some quite beautiful relationships.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. There are no words for Lapvona. It has all the making of a cult classic and more. To try to describe this novel would not do it justice, but suffice it to say this has tragedy, corruption, religion, nature, breastfeeding…all set in a medieval fiefdom. The characters are brilliantly rendered here: flawed but deeply, strikingly memorable. There are deep truths here about the human condition and the nature of suffering and brutality, and this is by no means an easy read, but it is the challenge that makes it so worth. I defy you not to let this novel leave a deep imprint on you. I will undoubtedly be buying a physical copy to add to my shelves.

Without a doubt, Moshfegh has done it again. Nobody writes quite like she does!

Ottessa Moshfegh definitely has a mind that I would like to look into. This was great - I had so much fun: this was super dark and super wild, I genuinely wasn’t expecting this book to go in the directions that it did. I was initially worried that I’d be spooked out but, this was the perfect blend of weird and creepy. 10/10.

I have enjoyed Ottessa Moshfegh's previous work so requested this one but didn't really get on with it. I would still read more from her in the future though. And anyone who likes something a bit different could well get a lot from this one.

I know that you're never going to get a run-of-the-mill plot from Ottessa Moshfegh - that's her charm and appeal to me. I have read and really enjoyed her previous books, but Lapvona wasn't for me, sadly.

Historical fiction with graphic, gory and often quite disturbing situations and descriptions, all set in a depressing set of circumstances. I could see the themes it was exploring but can't say I left it with a sense of pondering or wild enjoyment - even in a sort of shocked way. Perhaps just too heavy a read for me right now.

"'What about heaven, Ina? Don't you want to go?' 'It doesn't matter,' she said. 'I won't know anyone'".

TW: rape, cannibalism.

Lapvona explores the everyday life of Lapvonians, starkly contrasting the debauchery and greed of the royal family with the peasants who live hand to mouth and are left to struggle, relying on their fellow citizens to support them. Unsurprisingly, this results in the grave mistreatment of lone females, children of the greatly religious and the elderly.

This is my first Moshfegh, which makes me wonder if my enjoyment was a result of not experiencing her greater works, compared to the quality of the story. I've seen the mixed reviews, but I err more on the side of enjoyment and somewhat bemusement by how dark and gross her writing is.

The tale is morbid, bleak, and explored the possibilities that could happens when you leave society to fend for itself. Basically, think a rewind in time, or that time Roe vs Wade was repealed. I was living for the old Testament biblical vibes. Dark, unforgiving interpretations of religion always fuel the storyline and Lapvona was no exception.

"Would it be unkind to wonder what would happen to Jacob's shoes? Would they be buried along with him? If Marek could wear them to hell, his feet would be protected from the flames, at least".

There's a somewhat dark, sense of foreboding throughout that is never completely realised, as gross themes are explored too consistently for anything to build up and a bomb to drop. I enjoyed being in a constant state of shock and disgust, but I wouldn't have hated a greater finale, or a greater look into Ina.

It was amazing, but it could have been something more.

This is definitely a ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ situation.

Moshfegh is a very mixed bag author for me, having rated one of her books 3.5 stars, one 5 stars and DNF’ing one, this is unfortunately my second DNF of hers.

Firstly I just couldn’t get into the time period or setting which again is absolutely a me issue because historical fiction isn’t a favourite genre of mine, but I also just got tired very quickly of the shock value. I love a disturbing, gross book as much as the next gal but Moshfegh’s writing does sometimes feel like she’s just trying to out-do herself and her previous gross characters.

I’d definitely consider giving this another go in the future and know so many of my friends really loved it, but it’s just not meant to be right now 💔

"Perhaps hell is a tiny place."

After reading this novel, I'm inclined to agree.

Moshfegh recounts a year in Lapvona - an impoverished medieval town whose citizens answer only to God and base carnal instinct. Ranging from sadomasochistic devotee to prophetic midwife, the citizens vary wildly, united only by a distinct and ubiquitous depravity. Such degeneracy infects even the governor, a man infantile and inhumane in equal measure. Steeped in complacency, he watches avidly from his manor as his denizens scarcely cling to survival.

Defenceless to assailing bandits the Lapvonian residents grow fearful, and as unease festers the Church beckons. In Lapvona, each act is one of reverence, and as the unsuspecting citizens bow in veneration, they do so not to God, but to a charlatan and a traitor.

What is a prayer to a false God? And when the divine exact their vengeance, who is it that's abandoned - God, or man?

As engrossing as it is grotesque, Lapvona is the car crash you cannot turn away from.

A wide array of characters, each as repugnant as the next, engenders a distinct hopelessness - a sense that malevolence is not merely pervasive in humanity, but innate. The concept that humankind and malice are inextricable permeate the novel so thoroughly that any instance of respite is profoundly jarring. Particularly disquieting is the apparent ceaseless opportunity for cruelty and the indifference with which it is executed.

Initially, this crassness is compelling, refreshing even. It allows the reader to sate their morbid fascinations whilst remaining detached - it's freeing. But you can only read so many sexual taboos and gratuitous acts of sadism before the shock is dulled to a vague acknowledgement and, eventually, to fatigue.

My greatest frustration with Lapvona is the absence of valuable commentary - on class, on religion, on free will - on anything. The narrative is overflowing with moral dilemmas, both personal and societal, yet Moshfegh manages to evade all opportunities to establish meaning. I don't doubt this is intentional - after all, the detached perspective complements the narrative. However, without defined purpose, a book as inordinately repulsive as Lapvona is quickly reduced solely to it's capacity for shock-factor, and I expected more.

In summary, I found Lapvona to be genuinely captivating throughout, powerfully evocative on occasion, but ultimately lack-lustre and largely forgettable.

So, if you're looking for mindless indulgence in the morbid and vulgar, Lapvona is your dream come true - but if you expect an exploration of morality beyond the surface-level, you may find yourself disappointed.

Lapvona is pretty strong stuff, featuring such subject matters as starvation, cannibalism, rape, murder and adult breastfeeding. I’d recommend a strong stomach and a deep breath before diving in!

It’s a fairy tale setting in a medieval-ish village with an unpleasant selfish overlord and everyone is having a horrible time. It’s gruesome and gory, yet thought-provoking and very readable.

I really found this a slog to get through. Every time I thought that there might be a twist it was just more of the same faux medieval misery. I also stupidly read that review comparing Lapvona to Shrek halfway through reading and so that’s all I could think of for the rest. Moshfegh is such a mixed bag for me: I loved My Year of Rest and Relaxation; I quite liked Eileen; and Death in Her Hands was ok. Lapvona is my least favourite so far. It’s farcical, it’s disgusting, but mostly I just found it boring.

I thought Lapvona was a great book. The book took a while to get into as it’s not broken into chapters but long sections each with a specific season as a heading (i.e. Winter). There are pauses though, paragraph breaks where you can set the book aside to think about the crazy, dark and fascinating characters and village you’ve just read about. I couldn’t stop reading Lapvona every time I picked it up. I loved this book.