Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

839 reviews

angelo_vossen's review against another edition

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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.

Content Warnings

sofiam19's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-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

Stunning prose, tough read. Really felt the author’s emotions come through his writing.

Content Warnings

katanai's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

this was so, so raw. raw in the way your skin feels after getting sun burnt - hot, with a reassurance that after the initial burn, even the brush of your own clothes is going to make your skin sting for a couple of days because of it's rawness. but, reading this was also like being swept up in a river where everything flows so gently until the current picks up and you remember that you're in a river and you've never really known how to float, but you can swim, but the cold is eating at your skin and how long can you go?

i already mentioned it but vuong's writing is so captivating and raw and there were several lines that made me cry, but the type of crying that builds up without you knowing and then suddenly you're crying silently. i think i've tapped too much, but this was so so raw without it being tryhard.

Content Warnings

tahinisaltsummer's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad medium-paced

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

4.25

intimate, violently sad, deeply moving. vuong has a wonderful prose, I loved the extended metaphors that structured the text.

Content Warnings

kerrence30's review

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.0

Beautifully written, like flowing water, perfectly scented but poisonous. The content is at times horrific and saddening, and the reading is emotional.

Content Warnings

mates's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

frozenheartv's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

5 stars
🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

“Because freedom, i am told, is nothing but the distance between the hunter and its prey” - Little Dog

🧠 My thoughts
I have read a book using the same stream-of-consciousness narrative technique and I just hated it. However, this book just completely changed my point of view of this technique. The technique fitted so well with the book that I couldn’t think of any other ones that would work better. It raised so much emotions in me from start to finish. Within less than 300 pages, the author managed to tell the story in detail without being wordy and that was impressive. A good book doesn’t have to be lengthy.

👍 What I like