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booktrotter_bxl's review against another edition
4.0
Cause this bad boy is filled with sublime writing and poetry-like extracts. Before buying this book, I saw it marked as a "tiktok book", which made me a little cringe inside cause i know I don't like majority of the books recommended by tiktok.
But it exceeded my expectations and I liked this book.
Like I said, it was especially the writing which I liked: grown up, very poetic an breathtaking metaphors (table, monkey and monarch of butterflies...). BUT I didn't like the structure and the build up. It was at some point very chaotic to me, especially when Vuong suddenly shifts to poetry halfway the book. This is partly personal preference ofc. Glad I read this, though.
But it exceeded my expectations and I liked this book.
Like I said, it was especially the writing which I liked: grown up, very poetic an breathtaking metaphors (table, monkey and monarch of butterflies...). BUT I didn't like the structure and the build up. It was at some point very chaotic to me, especially when Vuong suddenly shifts to poetry halfway the book. This is partly personal preference ofc. Glad I read this, though.
loisrose's review against another edition
4.0
Was not what I was expecting but still liked it. You can tell that vuong is a poet through the style of writing - I had to put the book down a few times to take in the language and fangirl over it
salamisusan's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful book: a biography, a poem, a ballad of life.
Tragic, beautiful, putting words to feelings I've never been able to express.
Tragic, beautiful, putting words to feelings I've never been able to express.
lessa_riel's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
wither this book was too clever for me or it was bad. I didn’t enjoy or understand half of it . It was like a drunks ramblings and very boring.
kit_fox's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.75
snailreversed's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
what_myla_read's review against another edition
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
mariab27's review against another edition
4.0
Reading this is like sitting in the middle of the ocean (pun intended?), the world washed away. All around me are questions: What is love? How is love? Loving? When expressed through trauma? When sought as validation of ourselves? Where do our ancestors end and we begin? I'm still in a stupor.
emarkovitz's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
kosmoskatten's review against another edition
4.0
Never read much poetry before and the way Voung combine poetry with storytelling i wonderfull. Reading and then suddenly finding a sentence that really touch you is fantastic. I mean only the name of the book is beautifull poetry ”On earth we are briefly gorgeous”.