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Reviews tagging 'Grief'
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous - Di Semesta Ini Kita Pernah Gemilang by Ocean Vuong
355 reviews
kadbee's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, and War
emrosch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, and War
sxndaze's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and War
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Vomit
bookishlucy's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, and War
Minor: Bullying and Cancer
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
‘only the future revisits the past.’
‘"Everything good is somewhere else”’
‘To destroy a people, then, is to set them back in time.’
‘You once told me that memory is a choice. But if you were god, you'd know it's a flood.’
‘I remember it all because how can you forget anything about the day you first found yourself beautiful?’
‘We were exchanging truths, I realized, which is to say, we were cutting one another.’
‘Let me tie my shadow to your feet and call it friendship’
‘Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence but that violence, having passed through the fruit, failed to spoil it.’
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and War
everesto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, and War
aksmith92's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Much of the novel is about Little Dog's relationship with his mother, Rose, and her mother, Lan. There is an intricate discussion about their familial affairs and what it took the women to survive for Little Dog to be writing this letter. Then it's also a pseudo-love story about Little Dog and Trevor, a boy he works with on a tobacco farm during the summers. There is a little bit of grief, love, and hardship throughout this novel, and you can feel Ocean Vuong's poetic side coming out as he describes Little Dog's complicated life. Honestly, it's a story about nothing, yet about everything for someone like Little Dog. It intertwines addiction, violence, and a plethora of trauma into a novel that shares the story of a son and his mother.
What I loved: This book was a bit haunting AND lovely - somehow both, sometimes simultaneously (but not always). Vuong was a storyteller here. There were fantastic quotes and metaphors, and Vuong knew how to share philosophical thoughts and ideas. It was a sad story and one that encompasses survival. It takes a talented writer to make this type of art, and Vuong no doubt delivered a tremendous literary and contemporary fiction book. Honestly, at times, this felt SO real, to the point that it reminded me of a memoir (maybe that also had to do with a second person). Either way, you were submerged in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous and felt all the feels.
What could have made it five stars: The common literary fiction conundrum - the intense effort to be overly profound. I felt this only initially, but Vuong seemed to try so hard. On page 4 or around there, one quote said something like, "We held nothing in our hands but our hands." And while I understood that it was likely that they were holding each other's hands, it just made me roll my eyes.
My only other qualm was the structure. I know what Vuong was doing, and Vuong knew what Vuong was doing, as mentioned in the novel a couple of times in the letter - Little Dog knew his writing was a bit all over the place. However, it took a lot of work to immerse myself in the story because of the back-and-forth timelines, especially between paragraphs with no apparent cadence. Part II had more narrative style than the others; otherwise, linking story pieces took a lot of work. It made it hard to connect with the plot itself.
Regardless, this book was undeniably moving, genuine, and wholehearted. The impactful pieces of the story, like the aftermath of war, an opioid crisis and addiction, and sexuality, were incredibly well done, and I think this book is an essential read. The structure makes it a bit challenging for a novel, but the storytelling is ultimately worth that brief confusion.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
Moderate: Car accident and Classism
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, and Transphobia
Rape is not discussed as a rape, but it is assumed.grace_madeleine's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Violence, Grief, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Bullying
alexandra296's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
There’s very little plot, largely a reflection on self and family, relationships, trauma etc. The lack of a strong plot through-line didn’t affect my enjoyment, especially because the writing is such expertly crafted poetry.
We follow Little Dog and his mother and grandmother who are immigrants to the US, which were compelling characters and also explore his relationship with Trevor. The characters are all complicated people and the dynamics between them and the narrator were definitely interesting.
Gorgeous imagery and structure, great use of motifs & juxtaposing 2 ideas that seem unrelated but are making a statement. The way people in Little Dog’s life are portrayed is at once tender & with deep pain. The language is beautiful though, so captivating. A very sad, melancholy type story but it’s so beautiful. Very reflective but brutal in parts. Definitely worth reading though, as long as you’re not looking for a distinct plot.
Only negative is I feel the tone got kinda almost TOO sad towards the third part and it felt a little tonally separate from the rest of the work to me in some areas. I guess with any body of work some parts work better than others though.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia
kimisaboss123's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction and Drug abuse
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Grief, and War
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Car accident, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis