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sodafer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
made me cry on an airplane
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and War
averagereadin's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: War
archiveofrasa's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
I adored this. I love love love the writing in this; everyone who said his writing is gorgeous is absolutely right. some of the way he phrases things is like... man what the fuck. the reason I consider this inspiring is just because of the way he words things, it gets me writing again. I love any book that does that.
I liked the route it took with the sexuality storyline. I think with these books of this type I expect a chain of boys the main character has been with but it's just one guy that has had a major impact on Little Dog and I appreciate that a lot. and of course, his relationship with his mother, oh God. I don't have anything to say, I just really love this.
I liked the route it took with the sexuality storyline. I think with these books of this type I expect a chain of boys the main character has been with but it's just one guy that has had a major impact on Little Dog and I appreciate that a lot. and of course, his relationship with his mother, oh God. I don't have anything to say, I just really love this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and War
Minor: Cancer and Racism
annatan's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, and War
Moderate: Death and Domestic abuse
literarypenguin's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Ocean Vuong's literary background in poetry certainly shines through in On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous! Even though he claims that this books is more fiction than autobiography, you can't help but make the connections between the main character and the author. You can see little glimpses of his life possibly referencing moments in Ocean's life as a Vietnamese immigrant in America.
The writing is beautiful, raw, and enchanting as the story is told as a letter being sent by the son to his illiterate often distant mother. The young man recounts moments in his youth, from the close bond he formed with his grandmother who suffered from mental illness, to his first love with another boy, to him realizing his identity and where he fit in this new country his mother and him now called home. It brought forth the experiences of an immigrant trying to navigate in a country that has people who don't want people like them or have systems that are made to work against them trying to make life harder for them. His mother had to work hard with very little pay and a fifth grade education after her schoolhouse was bombed during the war. How the young man had to face racism from other children and homophobia when he came to understand his sexuality.
The first half of the novel read like a series of poems and really sounded like a son writing a letter to his mother. As the book went on it did lose some of the poetry aspect but it was still so beautiful and haunting at times. This book was a great read and I was surprised by how wonderful this book was. I very much enjoyed this book and am interested in reading more of Ocean Vuong's works!
The writing is beautiful, raw, and enchanting as the story is told as a letter being sent by the son to his illiterate often distant mother. The young man recounts moments in his youth, from the close bond he formed with his grandmother who suffered from mental illness, to his first love with another boy, to him realizing his identity and where he fit in this new country his mother and him now called home. It brought forth the experiences of an immigrant trying to navigate in a country that has people who don't want people like them or have systems that are made to work against them trying to make life harder for them. His mother had to work hard with very little pay and a fifth grade education after her schoolhouse was bombed during the war. How the young man had to face racism from other children and homophobia when he came to understand his sexuality.
The first half of the novel read like a series of poems and really sounded like a son writing a letter to his mother. As the book went on it did lose some of the poetry aspect but it was still so beautiful and haunting at times. This book was a great read and I was surprised by how wonderful this book was. I very much enjoyed this book and am interested in reading more of Ocean Vuong's works!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Drug abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Homophobia
applesodaperson's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.5
This book felt like a more sad version of Fight Night by Miriam Toews.
Read from the Provo library.
Read from the Provo library.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War
Minor: Homophobia
peggymay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, and War
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, and War
ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Well, I read this hoping to cry, and I got what I was looking for, so that's good.
What I Loved:
- Let me begin by saying that this may possibly be the most beautifully-written book I've read in my entire life. It was so, so lyrical, which makes sense because Vuong is a poet, but dang. It's perfect.
- The story was just... transcended? Transcended what exactly, I don't know. Maybe reality. It was a heartbreaking mixture of memories and flashbacks, examinations of the speaker, Little Dog's, life, or that of his grandmother, stories of college and high school and kindergarten, notes on love and death and joy and grief. It felt, at times, surreal. I loved it.
- I teared up about a million times while reading this. (Well, it was really only three, but still. Many times.) This story is, at its core, deeply sad. The comparisons between people and animals, love and hate, life and death really make this book feel real. The way that Vuong connects the deaths of cows, butterflies, monkeys, and buffalo to the story line so seamlessly is quite impressive, and also incredibly moving.
- The ending really hit me. Not just the last few sentences, which is usually what gets me crying, but the entire last fifty or so pages, when Lan dies, Paul's reaction to it(honestly heartbreaking), and the very last page all got me to tear up a little. (Although I must be very dehydrated or something, because the tears just never fell, but I had all the other symptoms of crying.)
- Mother and monster. The words seem to juxtapose each other, antonyms, polar opposites. But 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' shows that, in some cases, they are one and the same.
What I Didn't Love:
- The plot was sometimes a little bit hard to follow due to how surreal, non-linear, layered it was, but reading it was an entire experience, so that's just a minor complaint.
- Sometimes the writing was a little too flowery, which made it feel slow in some bits, but it was otherwise a very fast-paced book. Again, poets don't usually write such long and continuous pieces, so I really applaud this for being ninety percent perfect.
Final Thoughts:
- This book reminded me of two others I've read this summer: 'Diary of a Film' and 'My Government Means to Kill Me,' the former for the similar writing style and the latter for the discussion of race, culture, classism, and masculinity.
- The entire thing was so insanely quotable, but I'll leave you with my favorite:
"There is so much I wanted to tell you, Ma. I was once foolish enough to believe that knowledge would clarify, but sometimes things are so gauzed behind layers of syntax and semantics, behind days and hours, names forgotten, salvaged, and shed, that simply knowing the wound exists does nothing to reveal it." [Page 62]
4.75/5 stars.
What I Loved:
- Let me begin by saying that this may possibly be the most beautifully-written book I've read in my entire life. It was so, so lyrical, which makes sense because Vuong is a poet, but dang. It's perfect.
- The story was just... transcended? Transcended what exactly, I don't know. Maybe reality. It was a heartbreaking mixture of memories and flashbacks, examinations of the speaker, Little Dog's, life, or that of his grandmother, stories of college and high school and kindergarten, notes on love and death and joy and grief. It felt, at times, surreal. I loved it.
- I teared up about a million times while reading this. (Well, it was really only three, but still. Many times.) This story is, at its core, deeply sad. The comparisons between people and animals, love and hate, life and death really make this book feel real. The way that Vuong connects the deaths of cows, butterflies, monkeys, and buffalo to the story line so seamlessly is quite impressive, and also incredibly moving.
- The ending really hit me. Not just the last few sentences, which is usually what gets me crying, but the entire last fifty or so pages,
- Mother and monster. The words seem to juxtapose each other, antonyms, polar opposites. But 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous' shows that, in some cases, they are one and the same.
What I Didn't Love:
- The plot was sometimes a little bit hard to follow due to how surreal, non-linear, layered it was, but reading it was an entire experience, so that's just a minor complaint.
- Sometimes the writing was a little too flowery, which made it feel slow in some bits, but it was otherwise a very fast-paced book. Again, poets don't usually write such long and continuous pieces, so I really applaud this for being ninety percent perfect.
Final Thoughts:
- This book reminded me of two others I've read this summer: 'Diary of a Film' and 'My Government Means to Kill Me,' the former for the similar writing style and the latter for the discussion of race, culture, classism, and masculinity.
- The entire thing was so insanely quotable, but I'll leave you with my favorite:
"There is so much I wanted to tell you, Ma. I was once foolish enough to believe that knowledge would clarify, but sometimes things are so gauzed behind layers of syntax and semantics, behind days and hours, names forgotten, salvaged, and shed, that simply knowing the wound exists does nothing to reveal it." [Page 62]
4.75/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, and War
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Sexual harassment
yummosocks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Grief, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Medical content
Minor: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Pregnancy
sibilla's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
man laikam biežāk būs spontāni jāiet uz bibliotēku nenormālīgi lietainās dienās.
Man šķita, ka šeit stāsts būs par mātes-dēla attiecībām, par ģimeni un tamlīdzīgi. Es nekļūdījos, tur par tām tiek runāts visu laiku, taču tajā ir tik daudz kas vairāk. es nebiju gaidījusi, ka tiks tik daudz runāts par rasismu, par narkotikām un pat par seksualitāti. un ja godīgi, labi ka tā, jo galvenais varonis uz visu šo lūkojās nevis ar "šis ir slikti, briesmīgas lietas pasaulē, pasaule ir briesmīga" bet gan ar tādu apziņu, ka ir jādzīvo tālāk. Dzīvē ir jāatrod skaistais, un tas jāatceras.
Man šķita, ka šeit stāsts būs par mātes-dēla attiecībām, par ģimeni un tamlīdzīgi. Es nekļūdījos, tur par tām tiek runāts visu laiku, taču tajā ir tik daudz kas vairāk. es nebiju gaidījusi, ka tiks tik daudz runāts par rasismu, par narkotikām un pat par seksualitāti. un ja godīgi, labi ka tā, jo galvenais varonis uz visu šo lūkojās nevis ar "šis ir slikti, briesmīgas lietas pasaulē, pasaule ir briesmīga" bet gan ar tādu apziņu, ka ir jādzīvo tālāk. Dzīvē ir jāatrod skaistais, un tas jāatceras.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Drug use
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism