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5erinnicole's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I preferred Ocean Vuong’s first poetry book! This one was still good, and several of the poems really spoke to me. It just felt a bit more disconnected compared to some of Ocean Vuong’s earlier work.
(Of course, with poetry, that could truly just be me)
(Of course, with poetry, that could truly just be me)
queeniem's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
ellacgoose1's review against another edition
5.0
this was so so incredibly beautiful; i was brought to tears
"i did it to hold my father, to free my dog. it's an old story, ma, anyone can tell it"
- american legend
"none of us are children long enough to love it"
- dear sara
"i did it to hold my father, to free my dog. it's an old story, ma, anyone can tell it"
- american legend
"none of us are children long enough to love it"
- dear sara
boooksforbreakfast's review against another edition
2.0
This wasn't my thing. I felt like I did not understood at least half of the poems.
louise_reads's review against another edition
4.0
3.75⭐️ // ARC provided by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"How can we know, in a house full of bread, that it's hunger, not people, that survives?"
Ocean Vuong's poetry is visceral and compelling - it unflinching pulls into the light the dark, complex nuances of grief, survival, love, and heartache. It feels raw, and yet at the same time so meticulously considered that you could imagine each sentence taking months to write, to feel.
Part of such thorough and honest self-exploration through words inevitably means that some poems will resonate more with readers than others - and I definitely found this to be true for me. Whilst I felt some lines and phrases so deeply that it was like holding up a mirror, and others were enlightening and fascinating to me as exploring a new perspective, there were a fair few in the collection that I either didn't understand, or wasn't meant to understand, which limited my enjoyment.
Regardless, though, Vuong's use of metaphor and the earnest, headlong way he confronts difficult emotions will stick with me for a long time.
"How can we know, in a house full of bread, that it's hunger, not people, that survives?"
Ocean Vuong's poetry is visceral and compelling - it unflinching pulls into the light the dark, complex nuances of grief, survival, love, and heartache. It feels raw, and yet at the same time so meticulously considered that you could imagine each sentence taking months to write, to feel.
Part of such thorough and honest self-exploration through words inevitably means that some poems will resonate more with readers than others - and I definitely found this to be true for me. Whilst I felt some lines and phrases so deeply that it was like holding up a mirror, and others were enlightening and fascinating to me as exploring a new perspective, there were a fair few in the collection that I either didn't understand, or wasn't meant to understand, which limited my enjoyment.
Regardless, though, Vuong's use of metaphor and the earnest, headlong way he confronts difficult emotions will stick with me for a long time.