Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong

208 reviews

graniashea's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.0

I found this book a little hard to read, which is partly why it took me so long to finish for such a short book. 

I think the writing style isn't for me. When an author relies so heavily on multiple techniques that are very obviously used for such long passages, for me, it starts to feel a little disingenuous and showy. 

I think the pacing was also too slow for me, and I didn't feel like enough happened for me to really immerse myself in it. The moments of world-building dragged on too much in my opinion, and I just started to not really care about what was being described. 

However, the story focusing on the main character was enjoyable and I liked following his story. 

Overall, while I have a few issues with it, I did enjoy it overall and I'm glad I explored a different type of book than what I've been reading lately.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, War, Drug use, and Mental illness

chiaracerniglia's review

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Racial slurs, War, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Homophobia, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Death, Rape, Miscarriage, Bullying, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Racism

readbycarina's review

challenging dark reflective sad 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, War, Child abuse, Death, Addiction, Physical abuse, Homophobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Transphobia, Gun violence, Pregnancy, and Racism

Minor: Abortion and Abandonment

cloverpye's review

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, War, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Alcohol, Injury/injury detail, Alcoholism, Cancer, Hate crime, Classism, and Gun violence

adawada's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Sexual content, and War

Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Confinement, Racial slurs, Cursing, Addiction, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/injury detail

kitslibrary's review

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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

Minor: Mental illness

mmiirrpp's review

challenging emotional reflective sad

• 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

This is one of my favourite books of all time. Reading this book felt like I was being gripped by the shoulders and forced to look at my life up close through Ocean Vuong's poetic musings on his own. 

While this book did touch me deeply I would warn people, particularly survivors of abuse and POC, that this book can be painful to read at times and to check the content warnings left by other reviewers. I couldn't finish it the first time around, nor could the majority of my queer Asian friends that I recommended it to.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Grief, Racism, and Child abuse

Moderate: War, Transphobia, Outing, Colonisation, and Sexual assault

ardentlyelle's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Addiction, Drug use, War, Violence, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Blood, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Racism

alisonkolonick's review

emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Gaslighting, Death, and Addiction

broccoli_mmm's review

challenging emotional reflective

• 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

“To be an American boy, and then an American boy with a gun, is to move from one end of a cage to another”

“They say nothing lasts forever but they’re just scared it will last longer than they can love it”

Absolutely beautiful. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, War, and Child abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Colonisation, Racism, Classism, Homophobia, Violence, Mental illness, Grief, and Death