Reviews tagging 'Grief'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

358 reviews

brassnbooks's review against another edition

hopeful informative 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

4.0

Solid four star book that combines the deep past with a more recent past and perhaps a present

The formatting of the book is what makes it most enjoyable as it's broken in three parts and especially in the third where it gets almost or exactly poetry like is beautiful

All the people in the story have such a depth to them that you wonder where the story is leading the entire time

And as it is a letter to the mother also pulls me in

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, and Sexual content

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Grief, Abortion, and War

that_reader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny reflective sad 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? N/A

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, and Suicide

Minor: Bullying, Cancer, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and War

notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Abortion, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Colonisation

Minor: Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Transphobia, and Deportation

gabriella_'s review against another edition

challenging 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

4.0

His prose is beautiful and reads like poetry, it is recommended to read this before Night Sky with Exit Wounds, it adds so much more context to that read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Classism

jelliestars's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Alcohol, and War

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Gun violence, Transphobia, and Car accident

mmwiseheart's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

I had mixed feelings about this one. I struggle to read books that are stream of consciousness or jump back and forth through time, so I had to take it slowly. There was a lot of sadness on this book, but it also had some hope. I did find a lot that really resonates with me. It covers a variety of topics, physical abuse, drug addiction, family dynamics, Vietnamese culture, trauma, grief, just to name some of them. Because if this, I think anyone can find something in it that they can identify with and take some meaning from it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Violence

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, War, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Hate crime, Blood, Excrement, Car accident, Death of parent, and Abandonment

heuteschongekurtet's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism

purplehulk713's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

That was remarkable. Effortlessly elegant and profound, Ocean Vuong is an author’s poet. Little Dog redeems himself in his reflection, it seems, recalling the beauty of Lan, Rose, and Trevor, and how that both outweighed and encompassed their horrors and wars. And it does him too. Running towards the cliff is a choice for him because he lets himself fly instead of falling off the edge. Vuong’s voice along this journey was one of the most evocative and cathartic I have ever encountered. I adored his poetic use of etymology and data to express the trauma and truth of his characters. His critique of the United States is completely on point. Vuong truly understands how language informs us just as much as we inform it. This is evident in the Hoa Nguyen quote that ends the novel:

The past tense of sing is not singed.

This book is so raw and penetrating—I recommend listening to it and reading it at the same time. But I think the real question is—will you embrace your brief beauty?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and War

miyothecat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Abortion, Alcohol, and War

Moderate: Racism

mischorda's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, and Abortion