Lapvona
- Downloads：9844
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-29 04:19:39
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Ottessa Moshfegh
- ISBN：0593300262
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
In a village in a medieval fiefdom buffeted by natural disasters， a motherless shepherd boy finds himself the unlikely pivot in a power struggle that puts all manner of faith to a savage test， in a spellbinding novel that represents Ottessa Moshfegh's most exciting leap yet
Little Marek， the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd， never knew his mother; his father told him she died in childbirth。 One of life's few consolations for Marek is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife， Ina， who suckled him when he was a baby， as she did for many of the village's children。
Ina's gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a unique ability to communicate with the natural world。 Her gift often brings her the transmission of sacred knowledge on levels far beyond those available to other villagers， however religious they might be。 For some people， Ina's home in the woods outside the village is a place to fear and to avoid， a godless place。
Among their number is Father Barnabas， the town priest and lackey for the depraved lord and governor， Villiam， whose hilltop manor contains a secret embarrassment of riches。 The people's desperate need to believe that there are powers that be who have their best interests at heart is put to a cruel test by Villiam and the priest， especially in this year of record drought and famine。
But when fate brings Marek into violent proximity to the lord's family， new and occult forces upset the old order。 By year's end， the veil between blindness and sight， life and death， the natural world and the spirit world will prove to be very thin indeed。
Little Marek， the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd， never knew his mother; his father told him she died in childbirth。 One of life's few consolations for Marek is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife， Ina， who suckled him when he was a baby， as she did for many of the village's children。
Ina's gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a unique ability to communicate with the natural world。 Her gift often brings her the transmission of sacred knowledge on levels far beyond those available to other villagers， however religious they might be。 For some people， Ina's home in the woods outside the village is a place to fear and to avoid， a godless place。
Among their number is Father Barnabas， the town priest and lackey for the depraved lord and governor， Villiam， whose hilltop manor contains a secret embarrassment of riches。 The people's desperate need to believe that there are powers that be who have their best interests at heart is put to a cruel test by Villiam and the priest， especially in this year of record drought and famine。
But when fate brings Marek into violent proximity to the lord's family， new and occult forces upset the old order。 By year's end， the veil between blindness and sight， life and death， the natural world and the spirit world will prove to be very thin indeed。
Reviews
Rama
，
Not feeling it right now， I’ll replace it with a happier book
L
，
completely joyless
Megan
，
I didn't enjoy this but I also couldn't stop reading it。。。？ I didn't enjoy this but I also couldn't stop reading it。。。？ 。。。more
Stephanie
，
Ottessa， girl， how do you come up with stuff？？
Bob Hughes
，
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 surprisingl 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。 。。。more
Eryn C
，
Bizarre and wonderfully written， just as expected from this author。
Carly Benedict
，
Definitely not my favorite Moshfegh， but I commend her for trying something different。 I think I connect more to her stories with female leads so maybe since this had a male lead I didn’t enjoy it as much？ Needless to say， there was plenty of disturbing imagery that will stay with me for a while。 This was also a funny book， like actually laughed out loud haha funny， which surprised me because usually Moshfegh’s books don’t put off that kind of vibe。 So all in all， not my fave but I will still re Definitely not my favorite Moshfegh， but I commend her for trying something different。 I think I connect more to her stories with female leads so maybe since this had a male lead I didn’t enjoy it as much？ Needless to say， there was plenty of disturbing imagery that will stay with me for a while。 This was also a funny book， like actually laughed out loud haha funny， which surprised me because usually Moshfegh’s books don’t put off that kind of vibe。 So all in all， not my fave but I will still read anything Ottessa Moshfegh writes。 。。。more
Dale
，
Hmmm wtf
Anna
，
4。5
Steven
，
If Cormac McCarthy and Chaucer teamed up and achieved a kind of shared grace， this is the book they might have written。 It is mesmerizing， unflinching， and darkly funny。 There is nothing Moshfegh can't do。 We're lucky to have her work。 If Cormac McCarthy and Chaucer teamed up and achieved a kind of shared grace， this is the book they might have written。 It is mesmerizing， unflinching， and darkly funny。 There is nothing Moshfegh can't do。 We're lucky to have her work。 。。。more
Milena
，
Bilo mi je dosadno， ili sam možda samo oguglala na telesne tečnosti， moralne dileme， prepoznatljive srednjovekovne motive i šarenoliko nasilje。
Rae
，
moral gross doolally medieval eastenders。 it's giving goblin mode， it's giving sad girl summer moral gross doolally medieval eastenders。 it's giving goblin mode， it's giving sad girl summer 。。。more
Dana Cordelia
，
It's very rare that I will make grossed-out， disgusted noises， out loud while reading a book， and then continue to read。 But such is the literary genius of Ottessa Moshfegh。 The style of horror present in Lapvona is served by a tremendous general unease and discomfort。 And some of the descriptions herein are downright nauseating。 This is a very， very good book。Throughout， I kept thinking of a Bosch painting or other sweeping interpretation of hell。 There's enough imagery in Lapvona that it could It's very rare that I will make grossed-out， disgusted noises， out loud while reading a book， and then continue to read。 But such is the literary genius of Ottessa Moshfegh。 The style of horror present in Lapvona is served by a tremendous general unease and discomfort。 And some of the descriptions herein are downright nauseating。 This is a very， very good book。Throughout， I kept thinking of a Bosch painting or other sweeping interpretation of hell。 There's enough imagery in Lapvona that it could easily be an established tale in medieval folklore （although I didn't recognize this exact plot）。 The strangeness worked。 The image of Ina's eyes as she smoked with Grigor in her cottage was absolutely nightmarish and the best horror scene in the book。 I'm a gigantic fan of Ms。 Moshfegh and that doesn't appear to be changing anytime soon。 Her writing is not for the faint of heart （nor， in this case， for the weak of stomach） but holy cats can she spin。 。。。more
salem ˚୨୧⋆｡˚
，
i really， really， wanted to like this book because of it's interesting premise， but it just wasn't for me。 easily my least favorite of all her novels。 :（ i really， really， wanted to like this book because of it's interesting premise， but it just wasn't for me。 easily my least favorite of all her novels。 :（ 。。。more
Darri
，
pretty mid… not even that grotesque tbh
mia
，
otessa moshfegh is my religion lapvona has enlightened me
Jayme Willis
，
Ummm， wtf did I just read？ That pretty much sums up my entire reading experience of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh。 A disgusting， disturbing， grotesquely brilliant novel that I couldn’t put down once I got into it。 The storyline itself was a dizzying dream - I felt like I had been dropped into a medieval world with all the corruption， greed， guilt and barbaric darkness that you would expect - it had me clawing to find a way out but also so captivated that I had no choice but to watch the story unfo Ummm， wtf did I just read？ That pretty much sums up my entire reading experience of Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh。 A disgusting， disturbing， grotesquely brilliant novel that I couldn’t put down once I got into it。 The storyline itself was a dizzying dream - I felt like I had been dropped into a medieval world with all the corruption， greed， guilt and barbaric darkness that you would expect - it had me clawing to find a way out but also so captivated that I had no choice but to watch the story unfold。 Lapvona was a study on the rawness of humanity - its dysfunction， destruction， and innate self-serving tendancies。 While the fiction novel itself was set in the Middle Ages， the primitive nature of humanity that was displayed throughout the novel by no means ends there。 This gnarled fable splays out the ever prevelant indecency of human nature， and the ways in which the wealthy spoil in their riches while the poor endure misery and abssence of basic necessities。 Religion was a prominent topic within Lapvona， where its villagers were fooled into a imperceptive acceptance of their deprivation and starvation， where the town’s faith served as a menacing force against its people。 Lapvona investigates religions effects in this world of mania and frenzy， exploring the intricacies through its characters and their connection to faith， all the while leaving it up to the reading to contemplate whether the Lapvonians’ willingness to extreme suffering really does please their god and impact their placing in heaven。 Moshfegh seized all the revolting actions of the modern day and manipulated them into a fiction novel that takes place 1，000+ years ago， and the reveleance is eerie when you consider how little intuitive human nature has advanced。 This was a literary experiment， and in my opionion， hit the ball out of the park。 I have never read anything like it and don’t forsee reading anything remotely similar soon。 ~Moshfegh 4evr~ 4。5/5Thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Sophie Slusher
，
Like a 1。5 but rounding down… found myself wondering the point by page 100 and found myself wanting it to end already by page 200… she’s not doing what she thinks she’s doing
Jay
，
ok？
James
，
I had to think about this one for a few days。 I don’t usually write reviews， but I found myself compelled to comment on a unfavorable NPR review， and thought I may as well pop that comment in here: It was an easy read for such heavy subject matter， which I think is a testament to Moshfegh’s skill。 I used to share the reviewer’s distaste for art that seems to capture only the brutality of life， but I’ve come to appreciate the honesty over time。 There was nothing romantic about medieval serfdom， s I had to think about this one for a few days。 I don’t usually write reviews， but I found myself compelled to comment on a unfavorable NPR review， and thought I may as well pop that comment in here: It was an easy read for such heavy subject matter， which I think is a testament to Moshfegh’s skill。 I used to share the reviewer’s distaste for art that seems to capture only the brutality of life， but I’ve come to appreciate the honesty over time。 There was nothing romantic about medieval serfdom， so why should you expect sweetness and light in a story about medieval serfs？ What I took away was a story about women treated as chattel， occasionally persevering and thriving， but mostly not， and the depictions of rape and incest and all of their gory consequences are unfortunately still timely and relevant。 These consequences include the protagonist himself， who， given the hand that he was dealt， became exactly what he was supposed to be。 。。。more
Melissa Giardina
，
Gestopt。 Kon me helemaal niet boeien。 Jammer， want zo lang naar uitgekeken。
Patrick King
，
“The village reminded Ina too much of what she’d lost， and there was no herb that could heal her loneliness。 When she asked the birds what to do， they answered that they didn’t know anything about love， that love was a distinctly human defect which God had created to counterbalance the power of human greed。”“But eventually the dirt softened and the rain turned to mist， and then a fog hovered， as though God were covering His eyes while the villagers—profoundly changed by the horrors of drought an “The village reminded Ina too much of what she’d lost， and there was no herb that could heal her loneliness。 When she asked the birds what to do， they answered that they didn’t know anything about love， that love was a distinctly human defect which God had created to counterbalance the power of human greed。”“But eventually the dirt softened and the rain turned to mist， and then a fog hovered， as though God were covering His eyes while the villagers—profoundly changed by the horrors of drought and famine—shrugged off their sins， dismantled their camps， and moved back from the lake to their homes with their belongings…Finally the larger animals returned—bears and wolves， who paraded around at night with human bones in their mouths。 Nobody remarked on this。 The rains had washed the blood off their hands and refilled the streams。”This wasn’t the “typical” Otessa Moshfegh—yes， the characters were all their own unreliable narrators; yes， it was realist up to a point; yes， it was gruesome and bodily and human; yes， it was stark and unforgiving; yes， the writing was as always on point—but there was a difference here。 Maybe it was the completely removed setting of a “medieval fiefdom” or maybe it was the addition of a more overt kind of magic that gets injected into the story， but I found myself a bit adrift in a way I haven’t been with her writing before。 I enjoyed the book， really， but at the same time I really didn’t！ The cannibalism was a bit rough， the utter lack of redemptive quality was rough， but all the same I kept turning the pages， almost eager to find out what happened to the absolutely disgusting men of the book。In the end—and this is something I’ve seen echoed in various other reviews I’ve read to try to make sense of the reading experience—Ina， the immortal （？） witch （？？）， is the best and most intriguing character。 Her ability to be reborn and resurrected through her own means is fascinating。 I’m not entirely sure what her whole deal is， but I think it’s the heart of the book。Some of this novel’s obsessions: casual death， ravaging and senseless disease， rebirth and resurrection， a shielded and evil upper class， the transformative power of the female body， the various absences and presences of God， punishment and guilt， punishment and reward， and the banality of grief。 Some choice quotes:“Marek knew his father’s body was beautiful。 But he didn’t revere it。 He simply respected Jude’s physique as a part of nature， the way he found a vulture beautiful， or a cow。”“The priest had no sympathy for such stupid people。 And yet he didn’t see the hypocrisy of his disdain， as he was stupid， too。”“Villiam didn’t like to hold on to his portraits。 Pleasure and fun were not cumulative， he believed。 Everything had to be done again and again for it to have any worth。 All that mattered was the matter at hand。”“Marek’s face was， to Dibra， void of anything mysterious， like a mask over nothing。 A curtain covering a blank wall。” 。。。more
freya
，
I have no words
Meanderer
，
Moshfegh is one of my favourite authors。 This was a good book and the time spent reading it， worthwhile。 However， I found the accummulation of atrocities and obscenities and cruelties， both large and small， to be sometimes more than I could bear。 I understand that it is sometimes an author's task to act as a truth teller， to shine in the light in the darkness， but still， as a reader， I need to be honest about my critical response。 It was not an easy read by any means， and truth be told， I was gl Moshfegh is one of my favourite authors。 This was a good book and the time spent reading it， worthwhile。 However， I found the accummulation of atrocities and obscenities and cruelties， both large and small， to be sometimes more than I could bear。 I understand that it is sometimes an author's task to act as a truth teller， to shine in the light in the darkness， but still， as a reader， I need to be honest about my critical response。 It was not an easy read by any means， and truth be told， I was glad when finally I had reached its end。 。。。more
Sophie-Marie
，
4。5/5this woman is truly a genius for writing this book a unhinged dystopian masterpiece about villagers in a medieval town called lapvona。 the book follows several characters for a year and reveals the worst behavior and also the weirdest behavior people have to offer。
Oliver Shrouder
，
3。5！！This was an incredibly readable， visceral portrayal of medieval life and the horrors that come with it - the main issue would be the pacing which massively detracts from the experience of the novel， taking place over the course of a year makes the narrative necessary time-led rather than character-driven， and that leaves the ending feeling somewhat arbitrary。 That being said i really enjoyed these characters， and the tension that grows in the village is brilliant
AM
，
Intensely not a fan。
Van
，
Bruh。 Bruh。 My brother in christ what on EARTH was this and WHY was everyone sucking each other's titties for milk all the time。 Like I can't say I didn't like it as a book， because I did， but what on EARTH was this。 I have no words to describe this， I got it right when it came out because I had been looking forward to it and it was so much more than I bargained for in such a different way from what I expected。 The cannibalism。 The eyeballs。 The throwing people off cliffs。 The fact that everyone Bruh。 Bruh。 My brother in christ what on EARTH was this and WHY was everyone sucking each other's titties for milk all the time。 Like I can't say I didn't like it as a book， because I did， but what on EARTH was this。 I have no words to describe this， I got it right when it came out because I had been looking forward to it and it was so much more than I bargained for in such a different way from what I expected。 The cannibalism。 The eyeballs。 The throwing people off cliffs。 The fact that everyone is terrible and/or terribly naive or blind to other people and their suffering in a way that's very recognizable but also very disturbing。 The vague class warfare。 The grown children and men suckling on boobs for milk all the time。 What on earth， dude。 What the fuck， man。 One day I'll like。 I'll understand this。 I feel like I haven't unlocked the brain cells and life experience to understand what is going on here yet。 That doesn't mean it's bad because it isn't， it's a really good book in the sort of way where I want more people to read it so I might be able to one day fully comprehend what is happening， but oh my GOD。 。。。more
Deanio
，
Moshfegh is wild for this one。 Definitely a book that would be worth rereading to catch some foreshadowing。 I was horrified the entire time reading this， it was amazing。 A new favourite。
Sarah
，
it’s not the novel we want， but it feels like the one we deserve。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lapvona
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lapvona&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lapvona&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0