Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

9 reviews

nineinchnails's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

i don't usually read poetry so i think a lot of these went over my head. i didn't really connect to or understand much of the poems in the first half of this collection which was a little disappointing because i've heard such good things about vuong's work. there were more than a few poems in the second half that managed to grip me though. 

'Künstlerroman' was my favourite here. if i'm remembering correctly it was the longest poem, which might be why i managed to connect to it more. it was gutting and felt very raw. a shorter poem i really enjoyed was 'Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker'. i don't think i've ever had a list poem make me tear up like that. vuong is no doubt a talented poet but i think the formatting and structure of most of these poems just didn't work for me - that's not to say that they'll never work for me, but as it stands i don't read much poetry so i much preferred the longer poems in this collection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, War, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Racism

Minor: Suicide and Police brutality

issyd23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

4.0

Beautiful, moving, heartbreaking: ‘Time is a motherfucker’. 

Highlights include: Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker. 

‘In my language, the one I recall now only by closing my eyes, the word for love is Yêu.

And the word for weakness is Yếu.’ 4⏳

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, Racism, Violence, Cancer, War, Classism, Death of parent, Homophobia, Medical content, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Death

that_reader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, Alcohol, Death of parent, Car accident, War, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Racism

moonpeach's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, War, Terminal illness, and Suicide

suchsweetsorrow89's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

ending the year with an ocean vuong bang. having read his last two books, i was curious about what he would do with his latest book— especially considering his mother's death and the staple that she had not just in his life and development into himself, but especially into his writing. in some ways, his mother was his work, she was his poetry. i think what this collection did exceptionally well was honor her and honor that staple that she had. while speaking on his sexuality, identity, and american politics, this collection became new in that it talked about his role as a writer and an artist. i would struggle calling this book poetry because it really reads like an ode: an ode to his mother, an ode to everyone who held a staple in his life, and an ode to his poetry, the persona that he crafted to make something great (and in this sense it also extends to the readers and the consumers). my only advice to people before going into this book is that reading his past texts are essential, since he makes many allusions to his past and his work. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Sexual content

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

This is the first work of poetry I have read and I don’t know if anything will ever live up to this. Vuong’s works are lyrical and flowing and amazing. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Bullying, Alcohol, Car accident, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Biphobia, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicide

alainareading's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

4.25

ocean vuong has done it again! this is a piercing collection of poetry. the connection made between survival as a creative act resonates with me so so deeply. i finished time is a mother a month ago but i’m still thinking about it. thank you, ocean vuong, for your beautiful, profound words! 🖤

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and War

charlottesoph's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Car accident, Murder, Terminal illness, and War

Minor: Hate crime

sgrizzle's review

sad

4.0

Beautiful and deeply sad, like to the bones sad

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Racism, Cancer, Drug use, Death, Suicide, Genocide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, and War