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martapsalvado's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Well, it was definitely sad and indeed challenging to read, but the beauty of the writing, while it was there, seemed forced. As for the emotions, it didn't really give me many.
Vuong writes in a very lyrical way, and while that is not necessarily a bad thing, I thought it was too much more often that not. Some metaphors, comparisons and substituions of one perfectly suitable word or expression for a more "poetic" one were totally unnecessary. On other note, some descriptions were so unnecessarily graphic, almost forcefully graphic (which reminds me to warn potential readers to check the trigger warnings).
Also, I found myself infinitely waiting for the plot to develop, the characters to develop and... it just never happened (?) The characters lacked depth, at least from my point of view.
The good:
• The cover is gorgeous;
• The title is stunning;
• I liked the idea of writing a story in the form of a letter to the main character's mother (with the twist that the mother can't read);
• The writing was indeed beautiful in some parts;
• It covered some really relevant topics.
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Addiction, Cancer, Death, Dementia, Homophobia, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Domestic abuse, War, Blood, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Minor: Car accident and Medical content
mrdeadman's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Medical content, Mental illness, and Cursing
b0ygenius's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
[revisit, 3/22/22] this book stuck with me a lot more than i thought it would. revisited the second part today and yeah it still hit just as hard. absolutely gutting. perfectly captures the feeling of first love and secret relationships, especially ones where you’re young and naive and taken advantage of. the story with trevor reminds me so much of my first relationship so it just hits So hard for me. the poem at the end is just incredible too probably my favorite from vuong. so many incredible quotes from this section but “you who crawled from the wreck of summer like sons leaving their mothers’ bodies” always knocks me out. i have to physically put down the book after i read that. incredible
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, War, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Moderate: Abortion
anyname's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, and Abortion
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death, Drug use, and War
Minor: Cancer, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Vomit
alyssadavis's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The children, the veal, they stand very still because tenderness depends on
how little the world touches you. To stay tender, the weight of your
life cannot lean on your bones.
Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Death of parent, Dementia, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, War, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
brennach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Alcohol, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Racism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, and War
laurabarrett's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Violence, and Xenophobia
starlit_pathways's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Racism, Homophobia, Grief, Drug use, Drug abuse, War, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Vomit, Medical content, and Abortion
ashleycmms's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: War, Abortion, Addiction, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Cancer, Bullying, Blood, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Drug use
Moderate: Confinement
Ocean writing is fantastic, and I can’t believe I have taken this long to read some of their work. The way the story unfolds tells a beautiful story of tragedy and tenderness in the world. Out of this world._kimb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Genocide, Grief, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Colonisation, Blood, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Medical content