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azrael's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.75
ak_literarybuzz's review against another edition
5.0
This book hit close to home for me!! I'm all about journaling and finding solace in poetry, and let's be real, self-doubt is a universal experience, isn't it? Well, this book gets it.
In the midst of my current reading struggles, this one just stood out. It's become the latest addition to my almost-finished list—a rare feat lately.If you know me with my recent reading struggle, you know it well.
The title, "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous," captures the heartbreakingly gorgeous coming-of-age path following suffering. The hard lyrical language drew me in, creating an emotional connection with the intense subject matter here, where i know most of you might disagree as well.
The narrator crafts a heartfelt letter to a mother who can't read English. The pages reveal a tale of trauma—bullying as a Vietnamese immigrant, the struggles of being gay, and relentless attacks from a mother haunted by a complex past in Vietnam. It's a beautifully captured, heart-wrenching narrative that grips you from the first.
Ocean Vuong masterfully tackles the thin line of individuals trapped between worlds, diving into the healing process without surrendering individuality. The author masteres the art by putting his personal anguish, joy, and self-discovery into the story, bringing memories and experiences to life.
"You know a novel is good when you forget it's fiction." This novel reminded me of this proverb. As with Briefly Gorgeous, there is a sense of rightness in its view on the world today, the conflict circumstances we are in now, and the self-validation challenges we confront, whether be it on a personal or communal basis.
In the midst of my current reading struggles, this one just stood out. It's become the latest addition to my almost-finished list—a rare feat lately.If you know me with my recent reading struggle, you know it well.
The title, "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous," captures the heartbreakingly gorgeous coming-of-age path following suffering. The hard lyrical language drew me in, creating an emotional connection with the intense subject matter here, where i know most of you might disagree as well.
The narrator crafts a heartfelt letter to a mother who can't read English. The pages reveal a tale of trauma—bullying as a Vietnamese immigrant, the struggles of being gay, and relentless attacks from a mother haunted by a complex past in Vietnam. It's a beautifully captured, heart-wrenching narrative that grips you from the first.
Ocean Vuong masterfully tackles the thin line of individuals trapped between worlds, diving into the healing process without surrendering individuality. The author masteres the art by putting his personal anguish, joy, and self-discovery into the story, bringing memories and experiences to life.
"You know a novel is good when you forget it's fiction." This novel reminded me of this proverb. As with Briefly Gorgeous, there is a sense of rightness in its view on the world today, the conflict circumstances we are in now, and the self-validation challenges we confront, whether be it on a personal or communal basis.
wikhalisah's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
meepster's review against another edition
I read it when I was 14 and could not understand or relate to his experience when it comes to SEXuality. Beautifully written though
vdaank's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful but dark. He mixes love with pain in an incredibly honest and truthful way. There isn’t really a plot more so a collection of short blurbs.
He was able to put into words so many things I know but didn’t know how to express.
He was able to put into words so many things I know but didn’t know how to express.
neenstahs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hmmmm, i have many thoughts. i had very high expectations for this book. everyone talks about it with such high praise and it seemed like something i was going to love without question. and i did love parts of it. but for some parts, i was just lost.
this book was written in poetic prose. or just poetry in prose format. for some of the book, i would think to myself "man, maybe i should start reading poetry because this is really beautiful." but then other parts of the book made me say "see, this is why i don't think i should get into poetry. because i have no idea what this means or what the author is trying to convey."
roxanne gay rated this a 3 and her review really resonates with me:
"The prose in this novel is sublime. The way he writes is just… exquisite. He writes the body so well. He writes about the complicated relationship between a mother and son with real tenderness, with compelling honesty. He writes sex better than almost anyone out there. There are so many lines that gutted me or exhilarated me or stunned me. I wanted to sit with each line and just feel it as deeply as I could. The intimacy of the novel as a letter between a son and mother was poignant. That said, I just didn’t fall in love with this book. The prose was, perhaps, too beautiful, too resonant, without enough story behind it. That is a personal preference, the desire for story. As I got deeper into the novel, I kept wanting a clearer sense of where the story was going, I wanted to feel like there was more substance to hold all that style. I do still recommend this novel because I've never read anything like it."
i thought the book shined when he was telling a more linear story. even if that story only lasted a couple pages. but in some parts, he just jumped around too much. he was throwing lines out there like "there's a reason slaughter and laughter are so similar" (or whatever that line was, i can't remember) and they're just so random and i have no idea what he's talking about and then i start to feel dumb. and it's not like other books don't also do that to me sometimes, but this made me feel like that too frequently.
for example, i'll compare this book to the night circus and shark heart. those books were both written incredibly poetically. less so than OEWBG, but still. all 3 of the books in question would decimate me with a single sentence. and in night circus and shark heart, there would be times when i'd say to myself "eh, i don't really know what you mean there". but then we'd move on, and it would be fine. and it wouldn't make me feel like that on every other page. unfortunately, OEWBG kind of did.
i wanted a more focused narrative with the poetic prose (like shark heart and night circus). i wanted to better understand what the hell was going on. he mentions he's bipolar once, but then never really talks about it again? in too many places/anecdotes/vignettes, there were just too many blanks i had to fill in myself as the reader. i think that's a powerful tool in writing (having reader fill in the blanks) when used sparingly, but it was done too much here.
THAT BEING SAID, there were many parts of this book that were a raging, blazing, amazing 5 stars. when he talks about his mother working in the nail salon? the scene where his grandmother dies? the beginnings of his relationship with trevor? the story about his grandmother trying to flee the village paralleled with the men eating the monkey brain? when he tells his mother he's gay and she dumps on him that she was forced to have an abortion? i mean all INCREDIBLY poignant. but that just made the parts that i didn't love more frustrating.
i would still recommend this book. and i will keep it in my collection because some parts were so good and i do want to go back to it at some point. but for now, i'm going to go find a more linearly oriented and plot heavy book to disappear in.
this book was written in poetic prose. or just poetry in prose format. for some of the book, i would think to myself "man, maybe i should start reading poetry because this is really beautiful." but then other parts of the book made me say "see, this is why i don't think i should get into poetry. because i have no idea what this means or what the author is trying to convey."
roxanne gay rated this a 3 and her review really resonates with me:
"The prose in this novel is sublime. The way he writes is just… exquisite. He writes the body so well. He writes about the complicated relationship between a mother and son with real tenderness, with compelling honesty. He writes sex better than almost anyone out there. There are so many lines that gutted me or exhilarated me or stunned me. I wanted to sit with each line and just feel it as deeply as I could. The intimacy of the novel as a letter between a son and mother was poignant. That said, I just didn’t fall in love with this book. The prose was, perhaps, too beautiful, too resonant, without enough story behind it. That is a personal preference, the desire for story. As I got deeper into the novel, I kept wanting a clearer sense of where the story was going, I wanted to feel like there was more substance to hold all that style. I do still recommend this novel because I've never read anything like it."
i thought the book shined when he was telling a more linear story. even if that story only lasted a couple pages. but in some parts, he just jumped around too much. he was throwing lines out there like "there's a reason slaughter and laughter are so similar" (or whatever that line was, i can't remember) and they're just so random and i have no idea what he's talking about and then i start to feel dumb. and it's not like other books don't also do that to me sometimes, but this made me feel like that too frequently.
for example, i'll compare this book to the night circus and shark heart. those books were both written incredibly poetically. less so than OEWBG, but still. all 3 of the books in question would decimate me with a single sentence. and in night circus and shark heart, there would be times when i'd say to myself "eh, i don't really know what you mean there". but then we'd move on, and it would be fine. and it wouldn't make me feel like that on every other page. unfortunately, OEWBG kind of did.
i wanted a more focused narrative with the poetic prose (like shark heart and night circus). i wanted to better understand what the hell was going on. he mentions he's bipolar once, but then never really talks about it again? in too many places/anecdotes/vignettes, there were just too many blanks i had to fill in myself as the reader. i think that's a powerful tool in writing (having reader fill in the blanks) when used sparingly, but it was done too much here.
THAT BEING SAID, there were many parts of this book that were a raging, blazing, amazing 5 stars. when he talks about his mother working in the nail salon? the scene where his grandmother dies? the beginnings of his relationship with trevor? the story about his grandmother trying to flee the village paralleled with the men eating the monkey brain? when he tells his mother he's gay and she dumps on him that she was forced to have an abortion? i mean all INCREDIBLY poignant. but that just made the parts that i didn't love more frustrating.
i would still recommend this book. and i will keep it in my collection because some parts were so good and i do want to go back to it at some point. but for now, i'm going to go find a more linearly oriented and plot heavy book to disappear in.
kat_ellison's review against another edition
4.0
beautiful haunting poetic. an ode to something greater, something more, a claim to a past that persists and the persistence of a past that remains beautiful
bookgrrrlsclub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
truly a classic, heartbreaking
bookworm__3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0