Reviews

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

kat7890erina's review against another edition

3.0

A collection of moments narrated as a (confessional?) letter to the narrator's mother form the basis of this novel. The vignette style means that there is only a loose plot and there are also shifts between prose and poetry at times, though the language is quite beautiful throughout.

I loved reading about Trevor and the heartbreaking relationship that is built between he and Little Dog. I didn't feel the same depth of understanding and connection in the relationship between mother and son.

Moments of brilliance.

thoughtdaughter's review against another edition

emotional inspiring

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

yejiji's review against another edition

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

5.0

This book is pure poetry in every line. Every chapter guts you and touches you to your core. It is a difficult book to read, and one that I will need to reread again much slower, as it is hard to follow at times. I had to take breaths, as Vuong packs his words each with punches that you need to fully dissect.

lumleyisaac's review against another edition

4.0

A raw and heartbreaking look into the life of a family trying to make it in America. This is the first novel of a poet which is clear in the writing. Vuong discusses love, death, and family trauma in a beautiful way that very much bummed me out.

adocherty's review

Need to read instead of listen to understand 

thealyssa_ann's review against another edition

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

The most poetic novel I’ve ever read. It’s profoundly sad in a way that cuts right to your core and makes you a bit existential while also providing shining glimmers of hope in being in community with friends, family, and chosen family to make the struggles a bit more bearable. 

yegua_blanca's review against another edition

3.0

"How I tried to tell you but did not have the language you would understand. Do you understand? I was a gaping wound in the middle of America and you were inside me asking, Where are we, where are we baby?

Beautiful writing that demands to be read slowly. Vuong writes so carefully that each moment becomes charged and meaningful, something that creates a life and is bound to everything that came before it. The past here is ever-present, an unwritten unseen cycle. Through the voice of Little Dog, Vuong is probing in his exploration of trauma, war, race, sexuality, immigration, and language.

At times it felt like the author was so steeped in the beauty of the writing, the form of language, that it took away from the intimacy. Some fragments felt impenetrable. Maybe this was meant to mirror the gap in language between mother and son? The failings of the English language in conveying the life lived in between them? Either way, I was left wanting more moments of clarity. Some moments, too, felt strained, the musings fake-deep in a way that made me embarrassed for their inclusion in the pages. They felt out of place in a book that feels so deliberate.

jstaton's review against another edition

4.0

Still thinking about this one - I may have more to say after discussion at the book club.

curiouspeas's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

hemlockpine's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.5