Reviews tagging 'Grief'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

358 reviews

vici_loves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• 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, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, and Mass/school shootings

alisazhup's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Blood, and Grief

dytiscusfriend's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book broke my heart open. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a gift. This book is abundant and generous and personal and painful and achingly relevant. Ocean Vuong contextualizes so much and offers a poem composed of agony, delight, clarity, and connection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Dementia, and Grief

Moderate: Vomit

isadorawonder's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Grief

Minor: Cancer

hettyreads's review against another edition

reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Racism, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and Excrement

scherezade's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

In some ways, this book is greater than the sum of its parts. Parts of the book dragged or were simply so intensely lyrical and abstract, I got a bit lost, but so much of the prose is so stunning and moving, it takes your breath away. I think this is a book worth rereading at various stages of your life. I'm glad to have read of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, and Grief

v171's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

 This was a quick read, but incredibly insightful and thought provoking. I was expecting a heartfelt recollection of memories of the author's mother, but there was so much more. I was surprised at the thick, almost tangible nostalgia the author conveyed through their descriptions of their adolescence in Hartford. But I found the story shined brightest during the parts about the author's complex relationship with his family.

With that being said, there were moments where the narrative felt weak and fractured. I found myself skimming through the parts that were more monologuing than insightful. Overall, a good read that I would recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, and Grief

translove's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

wow. the first time I read this book, it wrecked me. the second time, it wrecked me even more.

it's so raw and beautiful in its realness. it makes me think and feel. I think about love and family; war and my whiteness; language and connections; life, in general. I feel devastated and seen. I feel like the only thing holding me together is a flimsy belief that I didn't lose too much, but it's such a frail thing, this belief, that it crumbles between my fingers like the sand castles I built and then tore down when I was little. this novel feels like a punch in the gut and at the same time the air moving back into my lungs afterwards. it hurts and heals and that is the kind of art I always crave. thank you, Ocean Vuong.

"Days I feel like a human being, while other days I feel more like a sound. I touch the world not as myself but as an echo of who I was. Can you hear me yet? Can you read me?"

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, and Domestic abuse