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katmystery's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
4.0
Beautiful, emotive wording and imagery. This deserves study; I want to take my favorite pieces apart and make sure I'm gleaning everything from it that I can.
tohfu's review against another edition
2.0
this affirmed that im not a poetry girlie i fear but still liked a few poems
dinasamimi's review against another edition
3.0
I prefer this to Time is a Mother, but Vuong is definitely not my bag. Beautiful but too esoteric, almost forced for me.
kirkspockreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Gun violence
michellechien930's review against another edition
4.0
I'm definitely not any sort of poetry expert or even a seasoned reader of modern poetry, I just want to read all of Ocean Vuong's writing. Modern poetry walks on a thin line, the line between art on paper and a self-assured Instagram post. I think Ocean Vuong's poetry is the pinnacle of modern poetry, very deeply intimate to himself, themes of his sexuality, Vietnamese heritage and generational trauma. "Night Sky with Exit Wounds" is well-acclaimed, and one of Vuong's best works for a reason, its prose flows well and pours into the heart. Some quotes for the road!
“How sweet. That rain. How something that lives only to fall can be nothing but sweet.”
“& remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world.”
“Stars. Or rather, the drains of heaven – waiting. Little holes. Little centuries opening just enough for us to slip through.”
“Some nights you are the lighthouse / some nights the sea / what this means is that I don't know / desire other than the need / to be shattered & rebuilt”
“How sweet. That rain. How something that lives only to fall can be nothing but sweet.”
“& remember, / loneliness is still time spent / with the world.”
“Stars. Or rather, the drains of heaven – waiting. Little holes. Little centuries opening just enough for us to slip through.”
“Some nights you are the lighthouse / some nights the sea / what this means is that I don't know / desire other than the need / to be shattered & rebuilt”
proofofruin's review against another edition
5.0
he did it again!!! he hurt me so bad! i love him so much!
wreathediris's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
need to read ocean vuong's grocery list asap
kasss's review against another edition
3.0
Poetry is funny. When it doesn't speak to me, I secretly feel unqualified to rate or review it. I can see that Vuong's poems are objectively beautiful, and the overarching theme was poignant, and yet. There were two poems however that stood out to me and that I loved: Seventh Circle of Earth and Torso of Air.
A few phrases kept popping up in different poems and for some reason that particular repetition annoyed me, as if the author couldn't quite let go of a beloved expression...
A few phrases kept popping up in different poems and for some reason that particular repetition annoyed me, as if the author couldn't quite let go of a beloved expression...