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Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

110 reviews

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

this made me simultaneously hopeful about life and despair my existence

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

con nhớ mẹ không? I miss you more than I remember you.

i expected to read a story solely about little dog's relationship with his mom and his grandmother, but was kind of sad to find out that it wasnt the main focus of this book. though i still enjoyed it (the story is written in such beautiful prose), i wanted to read more about his familial relationships and ties to vietnam (i felt like a lot of parts that included his mom got glossed over a bit too often). regardless, there are parts that i still find myself tearing up to when i read it. ocean vuong writes with a sorrow so deep and eminent its hard to tear yourself away. 

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Poetic and raw, it's honestly beyond words for me

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad 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

while the plot was good and the writing was lush and poetic, i did not realize there were such graphic depictions of sex and abuse. I do not think anyone really talks about this and it was a little startling. please check the trigger warnings!!!!

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

This book is incredibly written and beautifully heartbreaking. I'm unable to truly express the meanings and significance of this book, because I'm not smart enough to, and I will definitely read this again when I'm older and smarter. 
I can't express how beautiful the writing was, Ocean Vuong is an extraordinary writer and I'll definitely be reading his poetry.

I haven't given this a rating because I have too many conflicting thoughts/opinions about this book, but it was amazing.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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edgaranjapoe's profile picture

edgaranjapoe's review

1.75
emotional reflective sad slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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dark reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I wanted to like this book but I really didn’t. The first part was the best in my opinion, and I did appreciate the book’s exploration of war, immigration, parents, and queerness. Overall, I didn’t understand the sometimes overly metaphoric tangents, even though I wanted to understand what they were getting at, I didn’t. They didn’t flow well with the rest of the book and seemed like an author’s attempt to work in certain points without actually having to tie it into the story. As the book went on, graphic descriptions turned gruesome and torturous to read. I’m not one to shy away from reality or portrayals of it, but it was too much for me at times, and most of the time it didn’t seem to add to the point of the book. It was obviously written by a talented poet, but I wouldn’t recommend it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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