Reviews tagging 'Excrement'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Di Semesta Ini Kita Pernah Gemilang by Ocean Vuong

162 reviews

bookish_skies's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Racism, Drug abuse, Excrement, War, Cancer, and Toxic relationship

raiju's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death, and Colonisation

nicnevin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Poetic and raw, it's honestly beyond words for me

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Classism, Death, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Vomit, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Xenophobia

kaimetcalfe's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Violence, War, Addiction, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Car accident

Minor: Excrement and Medical content

sorcha's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cancer, Child abuse, Addiction, Abortion, and Death

Moderate: Cancer, Homophobia, Vomit, Car accident, Grief, Xenophobia, and Physical abuse

Minor: Pregnancy, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Blood, and Bullying

nightfell's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

This book is incredibly written and beautifully heartbreaking. I'm unable to truly express the meanings and significance of this book, because I'm not smart enough to, and I will definitely read this again when I'm older and smarter. 
I can't express how beautiful the writing was, Ocean Vuong is an extraordinary writer and I'll definitely be reading his poetry.

I haven't given this a rating because I have too many conflicting thoughts/opinions about this book, but it was amazing.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, War, Drug abuse, Racism, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Drug use, and Homophobia

Minor: Excrement

aliciae08's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

This was one of those books that I’d always heard great things about, and although I agree that Ocean Vuong’s writting was beautiful. He can draw you in and make you feel thing that are all at once love, hate, annoyance and understanding.  What a gift.  

At the same time I felt really complicated feelings around Little Dog, his relationship to his family, his relationship to Trevor and his relationship with himself.  There were times I was confused as Vuong brought us back to the past and forward to the present with no story fully complete.  However, if this is a letter to L.D.’s mother, then she’d know some of the stories so they wouldn’t need to be fully complete.  It was still sometimes a little frustrating. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Colonisation, Drug use, Homophobia, Bullying, War, and Grief

Moderate: Excrement, Xenophobia, Abandonment, Abortion, and Physical abuse

mxlodique's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Probably my favourite book I've read so far.
It's not at all a "regular" book, meaning that it's much more focused on the characters rather than on telling a common story with a plot. It jumps from flashback to flashback quite abruptly I'd say, which at first might be unsettling.
It tells a variety of stories: from the war in Vietnam, to domestic abuse, to living as an immigrant in an unknown country, to sexuality and sex, to drug abuse and death.
I personally loved it.
For my foreign readers/non native english speakers: If you're not really fluent in English this book might be a bit challenging, I'd say I'm a B2 and at times I found it difficult to understand. I'd suggest reading it in your native language if you're not confident in English, it's truly a beautiful novel.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, War, Death, Abortion, Addiction, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Child abuse

Moderate: Excrement

niaaaaa's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Blood, Animal death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Excrement, Hate crime, Classism, Bullying, Gun violence, Violence, Toxic relationship, Car accident, War, Chronic illness, Vomit, and Homophobia

thecatconstellation's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is absolutely beautifully written and absolutely heart wrenching.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Addiction, Cancer, Dementia, Excrement, Violence, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Racism, Colonisation, Medical content, War, and Xenophobia