Reviews tagging 'Death'

Time Is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

62 reviews

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

3.0

time is a mother is a reflective book of poems on grief, identity, time, and violence, w/ my fav being the brilliant "not even." the poems are raw, intermittently punctured w/ unusual imagery and turns of phrase tinged with death and the body, startling in their honesty and originality, though they can be a lil confusing at times.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, Violence, Death, and Racism

Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, War, and Sexual content

millamagia's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Homophobia

aiona's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Gun violence, Grief, Death, War, and Colonisation

sgrizzle's review against another edition

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

skudiklier's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

God this was incredible. Ocean Vuong is such an amazing poet and I'm so glad I get to read his work. I don't even know where to start--this collection is just so so good. I wrote down so many lines and notes. I read a library copy but I absolutely want to own this book so I can read it again any time. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence

Moderate: War, Racism, and Suicide

Minor: Murder

lowbrowhighart's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual violence, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Sexual assault, Cancer, Mental illness, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, War, Xenophobia, and Police brutality

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

auger's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

I am the first to say that modern poetry can be disappointing to say the least. Vuong avoided everything that makes modern poetry cringy. He is quite criptic and the way his scentences start as one thing and end up as another is remarkable and very kawakami. Love it and will reread it many times over.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, Suicide, Self harm, Sexual content, Death, Cancer, Death of parent, Addiction, Racism, Police brutality, Mental illness, Blood, and War

jayisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.0

Hmm, I don’t think this collection hit me as hard as his previous one, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, but maybe it’s because Time Is a Mother was different in tone and approach. It felt as though there was a kind of shift that occurred, where Night Sky with Exit Wounds focused a bit more on the grief and trauma he inherited, while Time Is a Mother focused more inwardly and related to his own grief and memory. Furthermore, this collection really highlights the significance of losing his mother, which is a new and crucial theme to consider. These poems felt a bit more experimental, almost as though Vuong was trying to figure out what other affective approaches existed.

The collection was a little polarizing for me. The poems I didn’t care for, I really didn’t care for, but the poems that really struck me were absolutely provocative and/or breathtaking. My two favorites were “Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker” and “Künstlerroman,” and I felt that the latter especially demonstrated Vuong’s poetic talent. It had stunning imagery and was packed with so much emotion. It was easily the best poem from this collection that I would say is the must-read.

Some favorites: “Beautiful Short Loser,” “Rise & Shine,” “The Last Prom Queen in Antarctica,” “Dear T,” “Not Even,” “Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker,” “Künstlerroman,” and “Almost Human” 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Cancer

Minor: Racism, War, and Suicide

joensign's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual content

ashleycmms's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, War, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Cancer