Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

Cadáver exquisito by Agustina Bazterrica

550 reviews

graecus_'s review against another edition

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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. 

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cryptidenthusiast's review against another edition

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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. 

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hawkbloc's review against another edition

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This book is just gross for the sake of gross.

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anissawren's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0


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bookwormbarber's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-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? No

2.5

I don’t really know what to say about this book… I didn’t really like it, but I also can’t stop thinking about it. 

The entire first half of the book is world building, and this world is f*cked and let’s just say I’ve never been more happy to be a vegan while reading a book. 

The rest of the plot seemed really disjointed and rushed. I know there’s probably deep messages about humanity, loss, and grief, but the graphic cannibalism over shadowed that a bit, you know?

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zsnails99's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

3.25


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writingcaia's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Unforgettable.
I have no words. 
This book is so thought provocative. I’m disgusted and appalled. Can I understand the motivations, the conditioning, the falling of all that makes us human? I can’t but I can totally see it happening.
The parallel between the institutionalised cannibalism and our current meat industry is undeniable, but it goes further. 
It’s also a story of grief, of conforming, of madness and wrong decisions. And, the writing, the beautiful lyrical way of showing the worst, is amazing.

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rowanarat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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

4.5


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catsarecool43's review against another edition

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dark reflective 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

3.5

It's very interesting seeing the dehumanisation of this society, and how someone working in the main area causing this reacts to and thinks about his job. It was written relatively well, although the first 2 chapters definitely felt like they were trying to make up for the fact that it's not a very long book. I'd like to read something set during The Transition since that seems like it could be very interesting.

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kadbee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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