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fifi_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, and Abortion
jessedithgc's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Excrement, Grief, Car accident, Outing, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
whatvictoriaread's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Excrement, Grief, and War
a_alves00's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and War
natalie_davies's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
As a piece of literature it hangs together really well, it's just not always to my taste. There were universal ideas peppered throughout that tied me to the narrative; I loved the about language and art for instance, as well as the intrinsic theme of family, but the explicit nature of some scenes left me a bit cold... I'm not 100% why that is though.
It could be because of my own relative disinterest in sex scenes in literature, or because seeing certain anatomical words rubbing up amongst the rest of Vuong's eloquent and graceful language felt wrong. Either way I found myself losing track of the things I cared about in the middle portion of the book, which is mainly concerned with sexual discovery with a fellow immigrant and Tabacco picker, Trevor. It picked up again after this section, once the letters had become splinters rather than whole paragraphs, but it never quite thrilled me as it did in the first 30 pages.
Quick-ish note... Feel free to stop reading, I just need to ramble.
Is it because Vuong is very much subverting expectations of masculinity, having the courage to express his vulnerability, while Kaur is a of feminine expectations to ONLY dwell in these realms?
I'm not suggesting that the argument is this surface level, but it's a thought I had.... Maybe ignore this bit 🤷
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Excrement, and War
Moderate: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Grief, and Death of parent
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Pregnancy
bites_of_books's review against another edition
- 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
Little Dog is a young man who is writing a letter to his mother, telling her about many aspects of his life that he'd never told her before. We learn about his family's story in Vietnam as well as what happened as he grew up in the US. This is all told in snippets that jump back and forth between memories, almost like a structured and poetic stream of consciousness. While it was beautiful it was also violent and raw and simply overwhelming at times.
I so wish that the structure of the novel had been a bit more linear, adding that to the poetic writing made it quite difficult to fully appreciate everything that was going on in the novel. If anything, I think this is one novel that I'll get a lot more out of upon re-reading it.
I'd recommend it but definitely check the trigger warnings before reading, be patient, take your time, and keep an open mind for a novel that is blurring the lines between novel and poetry.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
lindseybarnett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
3.0
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and War
handful_of_frogs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Excrement, Grief, and Death of parent
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Dementia, Trafficking, Grief, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War