Scan barcode
alondere's review against another edition
5.0
The novel title of his second book can be found here
Graphic: Grief, Drug abuse, Racism, War, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Terminal illness, and Homophobia
Minor: Racial slurs and Violence
lynxpardinus's review
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual content, Death of parent, Racism, and War
Moderate: Police brutality, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Ableism and Racial slurs
tinyjude's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, War, and Xenophobia
vigil's review against another edition
4.5
my standouts are
telemachus
immigrant haibun
aubade with burning city
thanksgiving 2006
because it’s summer
on earth we’re briefly gorgeous
notebook fragments
someday i’ll love ocean vuong
devotion
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, War, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence and Homophobia
vans's review against another edition
4.0
One of his poem in this book has the same name as the novel. This book def adds depth to the story.
On its own too, its stands amazingly.
I'm a beginner when it comes to reading poems and understanding it, so reading the novel beforehand really helped give me aid in terms of understanding some of these poems.
They are so packed and heavy and beautiful.
The way this man talks about sex and sexuality and his experiences makes me.feel like they are my experiences. I feel thirsty.
The topics that were mentioned were dark but he has a way to make it sound so light and airy but still holding the weight and importance of emotions.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence and Drug abuse
gabbygarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
On nearly every page I went back and forth between loving and deeply disliking this book. At times I think it takes itself too seriously, especially in the first half (the second half is stronger, in my opinion). I did enjoy how the whole book felt like one long poem--the themes and verses often spilled into one another, complementing each other in thoughtful ways. However, some of the poems discussed too many things and could have been edited for clarity. They overflowed with so many images that it was hard to keep track of the main subjects. I also found myself frustrated with the way he wrote about women. I can't quite pinpoint why it made me so uncomfortable, but it did.
In his defense, Vuong is a master at crafting perfect lines--though they did not necessarily make whole poems great. Despite that, there are a lot of lines I will be coming back to for a long time, like:
Dear god, if you are a season, let it be the one I passed through / to get here ("Notebook Fragments" was excellent, one of my favorites from the collection)
and:
Know that I never chose/ which way the seasons turned. That it was always October/ in my throat/ & you: every leaf/ refusing to rust
and:
My son, tell them/ the body is a blade that sharpens/ by cutting
and:
Ocean. Ocean--/ get up. The most beautiful part of your body/ is where it's headed. & remember,/ loneliness is still time spent/ with the world.
and:
Red is only black remembering.
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Sexual content
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Drug abuse, Abandonment, Homophobia, Blood, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Racism