Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

62 reviews

novella42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

I can still hear Vuong's gentle, relentless voice when I read quotes or pages from the hardcopy I finally picked up. Sometimes I read a little to remind the writer part of my brain how lyrical words work, and what kind of writer I want to be.

His author-read audiobook performance of this powerful book was nothing short of magnificent. 

A queer Vietnamese American man writes a letter to his mother, a survivor of the Vietnam War, who cannot read. His love for her, and hers for him, is ferocious and beautiful beyond words. Vuong is a poet, but strangely, I find his novel more compelling than his poetry. Tons of content warnings, to the degree I don't know when I will ever feel mentally resilient enough in my own C-PTSD to re-read it in its entirety, but if you're in the mood for a good cry, I can't think of anything more cathartic.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Chronic illness, Blood, Homophobia, Car accident, Misogyny, War, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Self harm, Addiction, Sexual content, Animal death, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Grief, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Cancer, Abortion, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racial slurs, Excrement, Cursing, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Gore, Pregnancy, Dementia, Suicide, Sexual assault, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Classism, Child death, Rape, Abandonment, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Deportation, Body horror, Sexism, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Torture, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Mass/school shootings, Adult/minor relationship, War, Confinement, Fatphobia, Religious bigotry, and Murder

ptitirodactyle's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Racism, Sexual content, War, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Violence

Moderate: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Infertility, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Dementia, Drug use, Homophobia, Cancer, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Cursing, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Excrement, and Mass/school shootings

eve_o's review against another edition

challenging 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Sexual content, Racism, Alcohol, Animal death, Death, Homophobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Drug use, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Confinement

Minor: Car accident and Excrement

mariopartygod's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.5

I loved the metaphors in this book and I hope they'll stick with me for a long time.

The monarchs traveling for winter, but only their children return. And the buffalos not having a choice but to run off the cliff, as nature and their family prescribes.

I loved how vulnerable the author was, and how they seemed to remember that the most in other people.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Death, Racism, Addiction, Bullying, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, and Xenophobia

Minor: Mental illness, Excrement, Cursing, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, and Miscarriage

antoniaodernein's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Grief, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Animal death, Cancer, Death of parent, Child death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, and Terminal illness

Minor: War and Miscarriage

mjones14's review

challenging emotional 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

4.25

I did really enjoy this book, but I believe it is more of a writer's book than a reader's book. In every way possible, this is what aspire to write like, but as a result it is not the easiest to read. 

I'm in love with the story. There wasn't a moment that I didn't feel sad in some type of way. Whilst it isn't a crying type of sad, it was enough to make me nostalgic for my own heritage and choices.

All in all, I'm confused by my reaction to this book, but I know its something special. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Gun violence, Homophobia, Cancer, Violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Animal death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Genocide, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Genocide, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Terminal illness

lexipassno's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.5

heartbreaking

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Grief, and Transphobia

neni's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

This is a tricky book to rate. The format is quite interesting and unique, the story being broken up into little sections or "scenes", like little windows into the character's lives. While this sometimes made the narrative confusing and hard to follow, it was very effective in making the reader feel progressively more immersed into the character's lives, almost like watching a movie or a showreel of moments that on their own mean nothing, but together make a full, human picture. The writing itself was incredible and, I think, perfect for the type of story the author was trying to convey. The style was beautiful in its flowery descriptions and moving with its raw imagery. I didn't have a greater time reading this book because, while beautiful,  it's also incredibly sad and depressing, so in order to preserve my sanity I kept myself from being as emotionally invested as usual. That, in itself, is proof of the quality of the book, since the story and its characters felt like real people. Overall, a great piece of fiction, I think useful for everyone to read at some point in their lives. Just be mindful of the dark subjects and  trigger warnings.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Xenophobia, War, Violence, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Racism, Racial slurs, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Excrement, Drug use, Abortion, Bullying, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Cancer, Child abuse, Colonisation, Death, and Car accident

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

I don’t really read poetry but I have now put Vuong’s works on hold at the library. The writing of this is incredibly lyrical almost dreamlike (or nightmare?). 
I also don’t annotate books but I want a physical copy of this book to annotate because there are so many wonderful lines and quotes and more

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Vomit, Abandonment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Animal death

sometimes_samantha_reads's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Medical content, Racial slurs, Abortion, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, War, and Xenophobia