Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

838 reviews

catandherbooks's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Was worried I would like this book as much as everyone seems to but it was a lot better than I thought. Gorgeous writing and a cast of characters you can't help but to root for even when they aren't great people. 

A beautiful, tender take on a mother-son relationship and on how the things we don't tell shape us in so many ways. 

And the title?? I think it makes  sense once you've read the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Terminal illness

Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Blood, and Abortion

branson03's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? No

5.0

A lovely and eloquent read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, and War

megold12's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.5

I appreciate the lyricism of the writing and how Vuong contrasts it with visceral imagery of war, drugs, and sex - but it got too much for me at times. Just not what I like to read, but very good writing. I wish it was shorter - the beginning was very impactful and I wanted to recommend it to everyone but by the point I had about 3 hours left of the audiobook I was ready to be done.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, Xenophobia, and War

freshpageonthedesk's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

ameliasbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

More thoughts to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, War, and Deportation

Moderate: Gun violence and Car accident

modryzamek's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Alcohol, and War

jefferz's review against another edition

emotional inspiring slow-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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Xenophobia

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual content

Minor: Death and Racial slurs

boywonder's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, and Suicide

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Racism, and Violence

eedle_cacleberry's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Ocean Vuong’s writing may be challenging to follow and understand, but that reflects the nature of memories.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and War

Minor: Rape

angelo_vossen's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

„I am thinking of beauty again, how some things are hunted because we have deemed them beautiful. If, relative to the history of our planet, an individual life is so short, a blink of an eye, as they say, then to be gorgeous, even from the day you're born to the day you die, is to be gorgeous only briefly.“

"On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong is a stunning debut novel that blends poetic language with a raw and intimate narrative. The novel is framed as a letter from the protagonist, Little Dog, to his illiterate mother, capturing the complexities of their relationship and the broader tapestry of their lives as Vietnamese immigrants in America.

Vuong's prose is lyrical and evocative, drawing on his background as a poet to create vivid imagery and deep emotional resonance. The novel delves into themes of identity, trauma, and the search for belonging, exploring how personal and collective histories shape the characters' lives. The narrative oscillates between past and present, weaving Little Dog's coming-of-age story with reflections on his family's experiences during the Vietnam War.

One of the novel's strengths is its exploration of intergenerational trauma and the immigrant experience, shedding light on the challenges faced by those straddling two cultures. Little Dog's struggles with his sexuality, his bond with his mother, and the haunting memories of his family's past are portrayed with unflinching honesty. Vuong also delves into topics like homophobia as for example portrayed in the following quote and the effects of society‘s expectations and pressure:

„The large boy took out a key chain and started scraping the paint off my bike. It came off so easily, in rosy sparks. I sat there, watching the concrete fleck with bits of pink as he gashed the key against the bike's bones. I wanted to cry but did not yet know how to in English. So I did nothing.

That was the day I learned how dangerous a color can be. That a boy could be knocked off that shade and made to reckon his trespass. Even if color is nothing but what the light reveals, that ‚nothing’ has laws, and a boy on a pink bike must learn, above all else, the law of gravity.“

While the novel's non-linear structure and dense prose may be challenging for some readers (including myself), Vuong's ability to convey profound truths through his writing makes it a deeply rewarding read. "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" is a poignant and powerful meditation on love, loss, and the beauty and pain of life. It is a book that lingers in the mind long after the last page is turned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Violence, and Abortion

Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, Grief, Car accident, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Cancer and Outing