Reviews tagging 'War'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

812 reviews

anna_whitehead11's review against another edition

challenging emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

3.75

Beautiful, lyrical prose - at times slipping into poetry - as the narrator, ‘Little Dog’, writes a letter to his illiterate mother, telling his coming-of-age-story as he figures out what it means to grow up as a Vietnamese immigrant in Hartford, Connecticut - and explores his homosexuality. At times difficult to read as it discusses (occasionally quite graphically) the violence and trauma of the Vietnam War, and its lasting intergenerational impact, but overall sensitive and revealing.

An important read to understand the Vietnamese immigrant experience in modern America - which raises interesting points of comparison to Cecile Pin’s Wandering Souls, in turn set in Britain. It very occasionally feels too rhetorical and creative-writing-student-y - perhaps heightened by the one-sided nature of the letter, which we know his mother will not be able to read - but this doesn’t detract from the overall force of the work.

Content Warnings

tellatrix's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

3.5

𝐎𝐧 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐖𝐞'𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐲 𝐆𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬

𝙾𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗 𝚅𝚞𝚘𝚗𝚐

Disclaimer: I’m unable to write reviews without including spoilers, so please read this expecting some.

This is a book I know I’ll need to reread at least two more times to fully grasp all the layers of meaning and messages the author is trying to convey. While I understood the main plot, the metaphors, poetry, and deeper themes often felt elusive. The connections between scenes and ideas required careful attention, and sometimes I got lost in the beautiful, yet intricate, web of words.

Maybe after reading more books, learning new words, or gaining more life experience, I’ll be able to fully understand what Ocean Vuong was trying to say. Right now, I can’t. If someone asked me what this book was about, I don’t think I could give a clear, straightforward answer.

If I said this book was about a Vietnamese family carrying the violence and trauma of war within them—something that shaped them, tormented them, and yet also made them beautiful—would that make sense? Probably not, and even if it did, it wouldn’t come close to capturing the complexity of the story.

This is a book you have to experience for yourself. Even then, you might not find all the answers on your first read—just like me. But I know I’ll revisit it. Each time, I hope to uncover new layers, new words to explain what this book means.

For me, though, this book wasn’t as sad as some might say. I found it more hopeful. Others may disagree, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of hope running through it. Hope for what? I’m not sure. Maybe it wasn’t hope tied to action or outcomes—just hope as a feeling, a quiet presence.

I’ll end this review with a quote that stayed with me the most from my reading: