Reviews with content warning for Violence - Lyhyt maallinen loistomme

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Lyhyt maallinen loistomme by Ocean Vuong

348 reviews

crispycritter's review against another edition

I kept seeing these beautiful quotes from OEWBG come up on the Tumblr-esque side of instagram, but unfortunately there’s no real narrative structure holding the occasional beautiful thought together.

I generally love 1st person stream of consciousness books with meandering or borderline non-existent plots. I don’t mind purple or highly lyrical prose. This book is basically a walking trigger warning, but even that didn’t make me put it down- because I thought the violence and horror were handled well.

This book just did not work for me. Poetry isn’t really my jam and this just felt like it should have been a collection of poems. I didn’t feel like there was much reason or justification for it being a “novel.” I dunno, perhaps auto fiction is just not for me and that’s the issue. It feels awful to say, given the heavy subject matter of this book, but it was boring. Boring and dark. And that’s not what I enjoy reading. Respectfully DNFing.

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diyaann_reads's review against another edition

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dark 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

4.25

This book was difficult to read. It's intense, real, and painful. Vuong is clearly a gifted storyteller and so many of Little Dog's ruminations are now permanently seared into my mind. This is the type of book I wished I was studying formally - it needs to be re-read, pondered and discussed. The language is gorgeous and there is an abundance of meaning to contemplate. The reason I haven't given a 5 star rating is not because this isn't phenomenal literature, but because some of the reflections went over my head (perhaps begging a second read?).

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mahamsiddiqui's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book just ripped my heart open. I felt the things I thought I would not feel again. Beautifully written, devastatingly sad.

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zoekyriacou's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

Really beautiful book and would highly recommend for poetry lovers in particular, unfortunately the poetic register is something I am not usually a fan of. So heartbreaking and thought provoking.

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sammykat's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book will stay with me for a long time.
In parts beautiful, in parts funny, in parts harrowing. The storytelling is done through letters containing memories, stories and vignettes from the protagonist and his family. The imagery is gorgeous, with each thing described in detailed metaphors invoking real life, emotions, time periods.
Although some parts are upsetting, the book is also uplifting and hopeful. It speaks of better futures.

The LGBT+ elements were beautifully done, sensitive and believable. Similarly, the drugs, pain and deaths were not just plot points to move the story on, but integral elements of the world Vaugn is building for us.

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