Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong

12 reviews

taysa_gzd's review

emotional

5.0

I mean i knew his writing was impactful but damn, it is strange to read someone who experience life so similarly to me yet so unique. I admire the openess of the author and the masterfull way to manipulate language. 

I'll admit i dont understand all the poems, some are a bit obscure, and i felt like on some pages the formating was unnecessary, but i greatly enjoyed reading this collection! 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and War

jem_carstairs's review

emotional reflective sad

4.5

I’m not going to pretend I understood as much as half of the poetry in this book. But there were some lines that actually left me speechless. It was all beautiful. Even the parts I didn’t quite get.

I think my favourites were probably Trojan and Thanksgiving 2006. Anaphora as a Coping Mechanism and On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous were also up there 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Homophobia

siebensommer's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad

4.25

some nights you are the lighthouse / some nights the sea / what this means is that I don't know / desire other than the need / to be shattered & rebuilt / the mind forgetting / the body's crime of living

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent and War

Minor: Mental illness

kianga_black's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Xenophobia, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Racism, Child abuse, Death, Religious bigotry, and War

mako_todo's review against another edition

emotional hopeful relaxing medium-paced

3.0

my mother said i could be anything I wanted, but I chose to live.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent

moviemagus's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Ocean Vuong's poetry digs into your flesh. It is like acid mixed with the smell of spring flowers. Hurts like breathing underwater.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Abandonment, Grief, Physical abuse, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, and War

Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

skyealexandra's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Only Ocean Vuong could make a poem about jacking off so breathtakingly beautiful. He is an utter genius and I am enamoured with everything he creates. I would read his grocery lists if given the chance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, War, Death of parent, and Sexual content

caitlink's review against another edition

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

Minor: Death of parent

bweeb's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

3.5

Emotional & beautifully written.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence

sarasbooks's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring reflective sad

3.5

i truly admire Vuong's writing, it's so personal and intimate. 

fun fact: After learning the definition of the word ocean - the most massive classified body of water, such as the Pacific Ocean, which connects the United States and Vietnam - his mother renamed him Ocean.

Vuong spent the first two years of his life in a refugee camp and he never knew his father. And this sense of emptiness is felt throughout these poems, where he imagines reasons why he wasn't a part of his life. He even imagines meeting with him at various times.
He really uses language in a beautiful and powerful way. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War and Death of parent