Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica

2684 reviews

cara_anne's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Blood, Cannibalism, Gore, Pregnancy, and Violence

lucent_moon's review

4.5

A beautiful, and haunting dystopian novel. This book is well written from what I can tell, although I wish I was able to read the original, and not just the translation. 

I went into the book almost completely blind, and was completely on edge the whole read. Dark, cynical, and occasionally funny. Only thing keeping me from a full 5 stars are two specific scenes. I absolutely loved it, but I'm not sure I'll be rereading it anytime soon. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Trafficking, Classism, Confinement, Death, Gore, Body horror, Cannibalism, and Slavery

Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, and Pregnancy

Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death

katvanfos's review

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Classism, Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pandemic/Epidemic, Abortion, Body horror, Cannibalism, Confinement, and Gore

svetty_reads's review

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism and Violence

graecus_'s review

challenging dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

absolutely wild book which i enjoyed thoroughly. marcos is completely and utterly revolting. i did not see the end coming. i wouldn’t say that this is a “meat is murder” book, but rather a commentary on humanity and the extent to which dehumanization is possible and the extent to which atrocities become normalized. it definitely is gory and disgusting, but i would definitely recommend. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Torture, Animal cruelty, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Dementia

cerealspiller's review

dark medium-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

4.0

It was good. Although... the last chapter infuriated me. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism

Moderate: Animal cruelty

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

lizzisok's review

challenging dark tense 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Blood, Gore, Sexual assault, Medical content, Animal death, Excrement, Child death, Violence, Pregnancy, Cursing, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Death, Cannibalism, Rape, and Infidelity

cryptidenthusiast's review

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

Outside of just being gross to be gross, this book really isn’t much beyond shock value. I can’t quite tell if there’s supposed to be a message about “human greed and lack of empathy” (which is a moot point considering actual studies done proving otherwise) or everything else that felt shoehorned in. 

Is it commentary about ‘meat=murder’? How quickly people are willing to change their morals and follow whatever laws are in place if it means their own life isn’t disrupted? We jump from the processing plants, to actual human experimentation and that’s just brushed over? It felt like the author was trying to make too many points in a 200 page book, which just hurt the overall plot. 

Marcos is an exhausting character to follow through the narrative. There’s NOTHING to him beyond being numb, emotionally detached, and contradictory. Despite being no better than the people around him, he carries himself with an air of being the smartest man in the room. 

The sudden sexual assault chapter also felt completely unnecessary, and did nothing to move the plot along or actually provide anything outside of more disdain for Marcos.

 

The ‘plot twist’ wasn’t really a shock, and the ending felt like it was just tacked on to leave you uncomfortable. 

As for the writing itself, it felt extremely chopping and disconnected. A lot of sentences just put together with no real flow. It looks like the book was originally in Spanish though, so this is more of a point against the English translation than the author. 

Not really something I’d recommend, and it was definitely overhyped online. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Death, Grief, Murder, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Dementia

chocchip's review

challenging dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism and Violence

Moderate: Rape

dagaezoomer19's review

dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Easily the most disturbing, grotesque, inhumane book I've ever read. However, it's good social commentary on our views of overpopulation, and a good reminder not to forget each others humanity. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cannibalism

Moderate: Rape, Pedophilia, and Body horror