Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

493 reviews

eedle_cacleberry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.0

Ocean Vuong’s writing may be challenging to follow and understand, but that reflects the nature of memories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Rape

sandysawmill's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death

kfryefield's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty

analia's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

The title alone is striking and hints at the weight of the book. Such a heavy, gorgeously written story. The author packs so much into each sentence, I found myself rereading things over and over, to fully digest each word and its implications. Sometimes this style of writing feels too over the top for me, but it was just the right amount. 
Trevor and Little Dog's relationship is written with such care, humor, sadness. Lan and Rose... their stories are haunting. I read this book as my grandmother's health began declining and it hit close to home. 
I listened to an interview with the author after reading the book and I think they do such a wonderful job of writing autobiographical fiction. It feels very real; I appreciate their sentiment of not wanting to write a memoir and profit off the trauma of their loved ones. Overall a quiet, beautiful, disturbing, memorable novel about the overwhelming sadness present in the poor queer Vietnamese American experience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual violence

sofiam19's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

Stunning prose, tough read. Really felt the author’s emotions come through his writing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, Racism, and War

loquaciousleon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective 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

5.0

A spiritual and emotional masterpiece.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Colonisation, War, and Classism

adverb17's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective sad 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

4.75

"Novel" is a weak word for this. This is a masterclass in poetic connection-making.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Moderate: Animal death, Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and War

theverycraftyvegan's review

reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

This book was difficult for me to get into and I felt dumb quite a few times for not being able to follow the writing style. I didn’t always understand what was happening, when, where, and with whom. I wonder if reading the physical copy would have been better for my brain. 

Little Dog’s narration jumps around through the years and generations of his family, sharing the hardships of their survival. Parts of the story are upsetting. Even though I am an emotional person I did not shed a single tear while listening to this book. Probably because I didn’t get into the story or characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

uisceerika's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

dani_reads123's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Sexual content

Moderate: Homophobia and Racism