Reviews tagging 'Car accident'

Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong

18 reviews

draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

emotional sad fast-paced

5.0

I usually don't date non fiction/poetry, but I really loved this. I think I just related to some aspects of it, and a lot of lines really jumped out at me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and War

Moderate: Cancer and Racism

Minor: Homophobia and Car accident

ckingcolorado's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

I thought this might be too out-there for me, but I actually really enjoyed it. There is an unexpected, jumbled quality to many of the poems that made me chuckle, despite the heavy subject matters. There is a narrative woven into the seemingly unrelated lines. No one I have ever read uses words quite like Ocean Vuong. Striking, dark, hilarious, beautiful. Worth the read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Racism, Car accident, and War

Minor: Sexual content

nineinchnails's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

i don't usually read poetry so i think a lot of these went over my head. i didn't really connect to or understand much of the poems in the first half of this collection which was a little disappointing because i've heard such good things about vuong's work. there were more than a few poems in the second half that managed to grip me though. 

'Künstlerroman' was my favourite here. if i'm remembering correctly it was the longest poem, which might be why i managed to connect to it more. it was gutting and felt very raw. a shorter poem i really enjoyed was 'Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker'. i don't think i've ever had a list poem make me tear up like that. vuong is no doubt a talented poet but i think the formatting and structure of most of these poems just didn't work for me - that's not to say that they'll never work for me, but as it stands i don't read much poetry so i much preferred the longer poems in this collection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Terminal illness, Car accident, and War

Minor: Suicide and Police brutality

robinks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Similar to Night Sky with Exit Wounds, the run on sentences made some poems really hard for me to follow. Overall, however, I felt the impact of these poems, their imagery and select phrases.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, War, and Classism

Minor: Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Medical content, and Alcohol

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, and Antisemitism

winterisvague's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad

3.0

"Because everyone knows yellow pain, pressed into American letters, turns to gold.
Our sorrow Midas touched. Napalm with a rainbow afterglow."

There's something special about Ocean Vuong's writing. I felt the emotional undercurrents behind every carefully chosen word. However, this book falls short when it comes to accessibility and clarity. The poems often veer into abstract territory that can be quite challenging to decipher. While ambiguity and open interpretation can enhance the poetic experience, I believe it is crucial to strike a balance. Poetry should possess a certain level of accessibility that allows readers to grasp the underlying essence of the verses. There were verses that left me bewildered, preventing me from fully appreciating their depth, but that isn't necessarily the author's fault.

That said, one cannot deny the raw power of the emotions that emanate from every page of this collection. My favorite poem was 'The Amazon History of a Former Nail Salon Worker'. Just by listing down his mother's Amazon purchases before and after she was diagnosed with cancer, he was able to paint such a vivid story that exuded so much emotion. Here's what I wrote after I finished the poem: "I didn't know where this was going at first, but my heart dropped as soon as realization struck me. This tugged at my heartstrings and moved me in a way I didn't expect it to. I just need a moment to pause, breathe, and let the emotions settle before I move on to the next poem."

In conclusion, I loved this book despite the challenges I faced while reading. Ocean Vuong never fails to move me with his beautiful words.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent

Moderate: Racism, Suicide, and War

that_reader's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

khakipantsofsex's review against another edition

emotional reflective

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Car accident, and War

Minor: Animal death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, and Suicide

bashsbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

The hype around Ocean Vuong's poetry is well-earned. I recommend reading these poems aloud.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Car accident

fengxin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Car accident, Death of parent, and War

Moderate: Animal death