Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Brevemente risplendiamo sulla terra by Ocean Vuong, Claudia Durastanti

203 reviews

eve_o's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment

Minor: Excrement and Car accident

mariopartygod's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I loved the metaphors in this book and I hope they'll stick with me for a long time.

The monarchs traveling for winter, but only their children return. And the buffalos not having a choice but to run off the cliff, as nature and their family prescribes.

I loved how vulnerable the author was, and how they seemed to remember that the most in other people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Racism, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

Minor: Chronic illness, Cursing, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Excrement

aprilinao's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-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? No

5.0

This book is so beautifully written, and as a queer person raised in a Viet immigrant family, it was a very emotional read. I would love to read it again and again. I hosted a book club through my campus library on this book, and it was difficult to narrow down discussion questions: A high number of lines are filled with meaning, and the book is told in unconventional manners. We could have made the meeting so much longer and would have loved every second of it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and War

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

lucille_c's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Pregnancy, and War

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Medical content, Car accident, and Abortion

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis

antoniaodernein's review against another edition

challenging 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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Minor: Miscarriage and War

biab00's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

All this time I told myself we were born from war—but I was wrong, Ma. We were born from beauty.
Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence—but that violence, having passed throught the fruit, failed to spoil it.

I don't think I have the words right now to explain how much I loved this book. But I just want to thank my bestie for recommending me this to me. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

dan_g110's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Addiction and Toxic relationship

Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and War

bill369's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.25

I've seen many recommendations for this book.

I like grandma Lana. I imagine her as a super pragmatic and kind woman. She had it so hard yet didn't lose her humanity. Praiseworthy.

A homosexual Vietnamese-American writes a letter to his illiterate mother trying to make sense of their bond. Vietnamese war and many issues related to it are included. Good book and theme, but still it didn't make that big of an impression on me.

Page 60, memory.
 

Mami. Kdysi jsi mi řekla, že paměť je volba. Kdybys ale byla bůh, věděla bys, že paměť je povodeň.

 

The end was mediocre.

I could get around without reading this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Abortion

Minor: Cursing, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Car accident, and War

mjones14's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.25

I did really enjoy this book, but I believe it is more of a writer's book than a reader's book. In every way possible, this is what aspire to write like, but as a result it is not the easiest to read. 

I'm in love with the story. There wasn't a moment that I didn't feel sad in some type of way. Whilst it isn't a crying type of sad, it was enough to make me nostalgic for my own heritage and choices.

All in all, I'm confused by my reaction to this book, but I know its something special. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Violence, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Genocide, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

sashagalkina's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Homophobia, Racism, and Abortion

Minor: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Alcohol