Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Lyhyt maallinen loistomme by Ocean Vuong

286 reviews

lalu's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was very different from what I usually read. It was beautiful, confusing, challenging, desperate, touching, and intimate. Easy to read despite the extraordinary prose. 
But I have to say I don't envy students who have to analyse and interpret the hell out of this book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, War, Violence, Sexual content, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Terminal illness, Racism, Gun violence, Death, Abortion, Mental illness, Cancer, Car accident, and Grief

notapollosdaphne's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Grief, Racism, Bullying, and Dementia

Moderate: Racism, Drug abuse, Homophobia, and Addiction

shayh's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Homophobia, War, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Grief, Cancer, Bullying, Abortion, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Animal cruelty, and Car accident

greenan26's review against another edition

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? It's complicated

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Homophobia, Sexual content, Biphobia, Racism, Grief, Mental illness, Classism, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death

Moderate: War and Xenophobia

cepbreed's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.5

I honestly expected so much more from this book. I was told it would be earth-shattering and remarkable but upon reading the last page I didn't have any strong feelings. That isn't to say I didn't like it at all or feel strong emotions during certain parts, but the novelty wore off. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous was obviously written by a poet. The prose has a poetic quality and so does the organization. Paragraphs and chapters are arranged in such a way that sometimes appears random and is in need of clarification, which in poetry you can get away with but in a novel it became tiresome as I was getting to the end. Vagueness in poetry is almost necessary, but a novel is a much less flexible medium. I think a part of the reason this quality was so glaring to me is because I just read Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks, another novel by a poet, but one that is much more successful. I enjoyed reading about Little Dog from his perspective and the concept of writing to his mother was intriguing. My heart strings were continually tugged and the intimacy of Vuong's writing made Little Dog feel like a friend. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, War, Grief, Homophobia, Racism, Cancer, Death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Gun violence, Drug use, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, and Drug abuse

Minor: Alcohol, Classism, and Colonisation

whimpix's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Death, Grief, Alcoholism, and Addiction

Moderate: Excrement, Sexual violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, War, and Homophobia

elliotlea's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Xenophobia, War, Homophobia, Classism, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Racism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Cursing, and Child abuse

sadiaa's review against another edition

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Grief, Death, Mental illness, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Addiction, Child abuse, Classism, Xenophobia, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

grcompain's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Vuong’s story is as deep and captivating as his writing style. This was a beautiful and heartbreaking story that keeps you down allowing you to come up for only brief and humorous pockets of air. This story was real and vivid. The writing was very poetic and the imagery provided, drops the reader right into the scene in the best and worst ways. I personally disliked the amount of the gruesome and gory details (animal abuse and body horror) which of course added emotional value but also distracted from the rest of the page. I found my mind stuck on horrible images long after turning the page. This book is beautiful and fearlessly describes the gorgeous, and the terrible. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Blood, Excrement, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , War, Abortion, Medical content, Miscarriage, and Racism

lucyatoz's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is Ocean Vuong's debut novel, however it reads more like poetry or prose albeit one that runs to 242 pages. A long letter from son, Little Dog, to his mother with a really moving account of the family's relocation from war torn Vietnam in the mid 1970's ending up in the  US state of Connecticut.  Little Dog is trying to figure out who he is as a half Vietnamese and half American person, having a difficult childhood, experiencing discrimination and prejudice for the way he looks and discovering and exploring his sexuality as a gay man and grieving the death of his grandmother.  

I appreciated the intertwining of the life stories of grandmother, mother and son and the wonderful writing style of the author although at times it does makes a story harder to follow. It is a beautiful first novel which tackles some difficult themes with grace, that is deeply moving whilst also being incredibly hard hitting.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Excrement

Minor: Cursing