A review by rieriereads
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective sad slow-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? Yes

4.0

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘵.

𝙾𝚗 𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑 𝚆𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝙱𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚏𝚕𝚢 𝙶𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚎𝚘𝚞𝚜 by Ocean Vuong left me with mixed emotions. There were lines so beautiful that I would pause for a second and reread them again. There were also some parts of the novel that left me with a good kind of empty feeling in my chest. It's hard to explain, but I felt full of mixed feelings—sadness, satisfaction, and amazement. Ocean Vuong is without a doubt a talented poet and novelist.
 
That being said, the writing felt so beautiful that it acted as a double-edged sword. Some parts of the novel did not work for me. Some paragraphs were intimate and perfect, but when they flowed to the next one, it felt totally different. Although it is still undeniably beautiful, I struggled and felt the story didn't flow as smoothly as I thought it would. (This is why it took so long for me to finish this.)
 
The novel centers around Little Dog writing a letter to his mom, who cannot read. As you read along, you see the raw and honest relationship he had with his mother and grandmother (Lan). You can also see how they struggled, their family history, the happy moments, and much more.
 
One of my favorite parts was Little Dog making Lan "young" again by getting rid of her white hair. His grandmother's reward in return would be telling stories. This little part felt so relatable and nostalgic. While reading, it makes me think of my own life, the stories of my own grandmother, and my family's history.
 
Over all, I loved the novel. There may be parts with which I struggled, but I understand why many enjoyed this and left great reviews. On Earth, We're Briefly Gorgeous was a wonderful reading journey. It's definitely a novel that I'd remember from time to time. And before reading this, I'd recommend first checking out the trigger warnings.

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My Rating System

5 🌟 - Life changing, a new favorite read
4 ⭐ - I loved it
3 ⭐ - I liked it 
2 ⭐ - It was okay
1 ⭐ - I hated it but decided to  not dnf