Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

371 reviews

roseblossom999's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Dementia, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment

carmenlavillaa's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

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

3.75

so super applicable to the immigrant experience and being othered and having yourself other yourself; just the style made the book for me hard to follow at points but it was structured like a faulkner book and it makes sense!  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, and Alcohol

maxthebeetlesheep's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

A stunning book that i knew i would rate 5 stars from the very first chapter. absolutely captivating and such an important read. if i could only choose one book to read this year, it would be this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Self harm, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy

nessreadsalot's review against another edition

challenging emotional 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

4.0

Written in the form of a letter from a Vietnamese son (Little Dog) to his mother who cannot read, this book is beautifully poetic.
Little Dog grew up with his mother and grandmother in America.  He brings us through the difficulties faced by the family as refugees with very little English. 
He details the constant abuse he suffered at the hands of his mother and also brings us through the story of the traumas faced by both his mother and grandmother which have influenced his life.
Little Dog also struggles with his mother's reaction to his sexuality and the joys and heartbreak he finds in his own relationship.

This was a heartbreaking and beautiful story and had me crying within minutes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Excrement

fluciferbeingabstract's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Mental illness

alinabkl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Sexual content, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War

chrisljm's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

Ocean Vuong writes so beautifully and so poetically. I felt I was able to enjoy this book because I saw it less as a novel and more as a poetic memoir in the form of vignettes, which he uses to narrate his experiences growing up as a child in the United States as a Vietnamese immigrant post-Vietnam war to a parent with PTSD. Vuong's writing is so vividly melancholic and haunting, and these feelings follow even during the soft vulnerability of his childhood and youth. There's so much introspection but also a stillness as if no matter how far time and space takes you, you will always be haunted by this current time, place, and feeling. 

I want to include one of my favorite quotes from the book: "I know you believe in reincarnation. I don’t know if I do but I hope it’s real. Because then maybe you’ll come back here next time around. Maybe you’ll be a girl and maybe your name will be Rose again, and you’ll have a room full of books with parents who will read you bedtime stories in a country not touched by war. Maybe then, in that life and in this future, you’ll find this book and you’ll know what happened to us. And you’ll remember me. Maybe." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War

Moderate: Racism, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail

kiandrareadsbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

arainey's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Dementia and Car accident

jayg's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War