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morgob's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this more than On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous I think. It's been a few years since I read that first book, so I can't quite remember. I do remember giving it a rather childish review, though, because it made me sad. This was less put together than the previous book, perhaps on purpose. The poems didn't flow well together as a whole, I don't think. Only a couple of them really stood out to me, and those knocked it out of the park. I suppose I expected this to be a lot more about his mother's death and his dealing with it. Maybe it is and I just didn't pick up on it. That was my expectations going into it, though; since he talked so much about his mother in the first book I just expected there to be more about her. The last two poems were perhaps my favorites. They really made the collection what it is. Part of me wants to go back and reread the first book to see if my thoughts have changed since then, and since reading this book as well.
puro_satx's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Like all of Vuong's work this is another phenomenal collection. "Dear Rose" and "Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker" were emotional gut punches that I'm grateful to have experienced. I will forever read whatever Vuong publishes and can't wait for what's next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
tquinton's review against another edition
4.0
I preferred the other collection but this was great too. Vuong navigates grief, sexuality and finding his place in the world, there were so many lines that were just beautiful
pagesbyheidi's review against another edition
5.0
“i’ve plagiarised my life to give you the best of me and these words.”
i already knew how much i adored vuong’s works- i have previously read ‘night sky with exit wounds’ and ‘on earth we’re briefly gorgeous’, but i think this anthology takes the cake.
such beautiful, beautiful, beautiful writing. his words are full of history, emotion, pain, beauty, life, death and reading these poems was such a wonderful experience.
throughout, i picked out multiple quotes that stood out to me, so i will just share them below:
- “i thought the fall would kill me but it only made me real.”
- “i was made to die but i’m here to stay.”
- “i want to take care of our planet because i need a beautiful graveyard.”
- “i’m not a writer but a faucet underwater.”
- “you can be nothing and still breathing.”
the way he writes about death and his history is so incredibly heartwrenching yet beautiful- a complete juxtaposition. yet he brings these emotions within me, even when i’m almost falling asleep into the book. (which is why i took an extra day to read this. i was tired that day.)
vuong is one of the greatest (and one of my favourite) authors of our time, and i am so grateful to exist within a world where he writes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
i already knew how much i adored vuong’s works- i have previously read ‘night sky with exit wounds’ and ‘on earth we’re briefly gorgeous’, but i think this anthology takes the cake.
such beautiful, beautiful, beautiful writing. his words are full of history, emotion, pain, beauty, life, death and reading these poems was such a wonderful experience.
throughout, i picked out multiple quotes that stood out to me, so i will just share them below:
- “i thought the fall would kill me but it only made me real.”
- “i was made to die but i’m here to stay.”
- “i want to take care of our planet because i need a beautiful graveyard.”
- “i’m not a writer but a faucet underwater.”
- “you can be nothing and still breathing.”
the way he writes about death and his history is so incredibly heartwrenching yet beautiful- a complete juxtaposition. yet he brings these emotions within me, even when i’m almost falling asleep into the book. (which is why i took an extra day to read this. i was tired that day.)
vuong is one of the greatest (and one of my favourite) authors of our time, and i am so grateful to exist within a world where he writes.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
isabelle_beanstra's review against another edition
5.0
I feel empty. This book articulated itself so well.