Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

20 reviews

___puddin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Humbling and harrowing. Utter acceptance at its most impactful. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Animal death, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Violence, War, Addiction, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia

blueberryhotel's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

gorgeous gorgeous book. it felt like reading a novel-length poem, which i loved. i think i could spend years picking apart each sentence and passage and weaving together all the meanings and symbolism and still not cover everything. so unique and captivating and heartbreaking - this book made me cry and i rarely cry while reading.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Addiction, Drug abuse, War, Abortion, Blood, and Death

Moderate: Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Bullying, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Car accident, Excrement, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Cancer, and Medical trauma

radfordmanor's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Infidelity, War, Vomit, Animal death, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Violence, Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical trauma

prism_'s review against another edition

emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Death, Addiction, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Terminal illness, War, and Suicide

ashleycmms's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Abortion, Addiction, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Cancer, Bullying, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Drug use

Moderate: Confinement

Ocean writing is fantastic, and I can’t believe I have taken this long to read some of their work. The way the story unfolds tells a beautiful story of tragedy and tenderness in the world. Out of this world.

minibean24's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Ocean’s use of prose and his command of the English language is unlike any other. Everything about this book shattered me and then built me up again. The only reason it is not 5 stars is at times it felt more pretentious than genuine, which pulled me out of the book. 

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Death of parent, Death, War, Xenophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Cancer, Alcoholism, and Child abuse

_kimb's review

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Blood, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content

ellislilylovestoread's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Cancer, Sexual content, Death, and Addiction

Moderate: Abortion, Domestic abuse, and Medical trauma

charlottes_library's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

truely a masterpiece. Every sentence is a work of art that i could go back and read again and again and still discover new layers of beauty. Vuong writes like a poet and brilliantly explores the complex generational trauma of being a child of the Vietnam war. He writes of his experience growing up as a immigrant in white rural America and the ostracization faced by him and his single mother and the depths of their shared relationship. He speaks of his mother tongue, his cancer ridden grandmother, his teenage job at a tobacco farm, poverty, addiction, isolation, heritage, belonging, tradition, loss, war, love. This is a coming of age story that cannot be missed. It is heart-wrenching and beautiful and disgusting and strong. If i could read any book again it would be this one. 100% recommended 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Colonisation, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Racism, Terminal illness, Violence, and Xenophobia

thevietvegan's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really struggled to read this not because it was written poorly, but because so many deep wounds Ocean described as a Vietnamese American were so real. His experience growing up in a family with deeply scarred people, with both physical and emotional abuse, with so much confusion and dealing with truths and hard realities that a child shouldn't have to face. It was a deeply powerful and transcendent read. The prose is beautiful, the poetry is poignant. The grief is palpable. It was a difficult book but an important read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Racism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Homophobia, Gun violence, Death, Death of parent, Bullying, and Addiction