On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
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- Create Date：2022-04-26 05:53:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ocean Vuong
- ISBN：0525562028
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read。 Written when the speaker， Little Dog， is in his late twenties， the letter unearths a family's history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known， all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation。 At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son， it is also a brutally honest exploration of race， class， and masculinity。 Asking questions central to our American moment， immersed as we are in addiction， violence， and trauma， but undergirded by compassion and tenderness， On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one's own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard。
With stunning urgency and grace， Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds， and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are。 The question of how to survive， and how to make of it a kind of joy， powers the most important debut novel of many years。
With stunning urgency and grace， Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds， and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are。 The question of how to survive， and how to make of it a kind of joy， powers the most important debut novel of many years。
Reviews
Justin Ngam
，
A book written by a poet so containing of beauty in the written language， to share their brief glimpses of memory through a vietnamese american immigrant lense。 Vuong's first novel really shows his background in poetry as scenes are described in such detail through careful choice in words as he skillfully paints scenes。 This is the nest part of the book in my opinion， as you experience the memories Vuong has experienced as if they are your own， as if you only need close your eyes to imagine livi A book written by a poet so containing of beauty in the written language， to share their brief glimpses of memory through a vietnamese american immigrant lense。 Vuong's first novel really shows his background in poetry as scenes are described in such detail through careful choice in words as he skillfully paints scenes。 This is the nest part of the book in my opinion， as you experience the memories Vuong has experienced as if they are your own， as if you only need close your eyes to imagine living it。Although this made me find the novel very beautiful， the lack of cohesive story that made reading the book across multiple session difficult and hard to get back into it's flow， disrupted my enjoyment。 You will feel the themes Vuong tackles e。g。 homophobia， xenophobia， disconnection from your homeland， the struggles of having those close to you hurt by addiction。 And I do mean feel as your heart will beat to the stories Vuong tells。 I would recommend this book for lovers of poetry， elagant use of langauge， and those intereated in the experience of a queer， adolescent， rural vietnamese-american immigrant experience。 。。。more
Rhea Thielbar
，
very poetic。 not quite a page turner but has rly insightful moments of reflection that i appreciated
yomara naomi
，
Cuanta ternura y honestidad， qué belleza de libro ❤️
smarandul
，
i would never in my life rate an Ocean Vuong book less than 5 stars
Marisol M。
，
This is the first work by Ocean Vuong that I read。 I was shopping at target and came across this title and was immediately intrigued。 Now having read it I can say I was immediately captivated by the openness and vulnerability found within these pages。 Ocean Vuong has such a beautiful writing style and I found myself pausing often to reflect and think upon his words。 This novel is Ocean Vuong’s story and it is written in an epistolary format which made reading his story all the more intimate。 Oce This is the first work by Ocean Vuong that I read。 I was shopping at target and came across this title and was immediately intrigued。 Now having read it I can say I was immediately captivated by the openness and vulnerability found within these pages。 Ocean Vuong has such a beautiful writing style and I found myself pausing often to reflect and think upon his words。 This novel is Ocean Vuong’s story and it is written in an epistolary format which made reading his story all the more intimate。 Ocean Vuong has quickly become a new favorite writer/author and I’m curious and excited to read more from him。 。。。more
Andrya
，
Humbling， compelling， emotive and stunning。Vuong’s Acknowledgements at the back contained the following which， for me， summed up my experience of On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous。 “To Yusef Komunyakaa， thank you for showing me how to break the line and see the world more clearly at its brutal and inky joints。”I nearly stopped reading a few times as the pain and torment that surfaces regularly was hard to bear。 But I felt compelled to read on， to feel the stories woven around Little Dog’s family， Humbling， compelling， emotive and stunning。Vuong’s Acknowledgements at the back contained the following which， for me， summed up my experience of On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous。 “To Yusef Komunyakaa， thank you for showing me how to break the line and see the world more clearly at its brutal and inky joints。”I nearly stopped reading a few times as the pain and torment that surfaces regularly was hard to bear。 But I felt compelled to read on， to feel the stories woven around Little Dog’s family， life， experience and understanding。The beauty of Vuong’s language and how he links threads of comprehension， or presence， together is exceptional。 。。。more
Basiaslomian
，
1st half - 5/5 ⭐2nd half- 2/5 🌟
Valliya Rennell
，
3。5 stars This is hands down the most beautifully written book I have ever read。 Ocean Vuong is a poet and this is his first novel filled with a story and prose cover to cover。 If you ever want to convince someone that writing is art， please look no further than this book。 His craftsmanship of sentences was beautifully raw。 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is written as a letter from a Vientamese-American boy known to us as Little Dog， for that is his nickname， to his mother。 There is some plot， 3。5 stars This is hands down the most beautifully written book I have ever read。 Ocean Vuong is a poet and this is his first novel filled with a story and prose cover to cover。 If you ever want to convince someone that writing is art， please look no further than this book。 His craftsmanship of sentences was beautifully raw。 On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is written as a letter from a Vientamese-American boy known to us as Little Dog， for that is his nickname， to his mother。 There is some plot， but it is hard to pinpoint which plot is the main plot。 I think it would be more apt to describe this as a series of interweaving vignettes。 These include his grandmother's childhood， his growing up and exploring his sexuality， drug abuse， the Vietnamese war， etc。; motifs of various animals （butterflies， monkeys， etc） act as the thread that connects them together。 It is incredibly touching and thought provoking。 “I am writing you from inside a body that used to be yours。 Which is to say， I am writing as a son。” In some ways aspects of the narration is almost reminiscent of Virginia Woolf's narration where her protagonists convey their story in a stream of consciousness。 Little Dog's narration is very purposeful， artistic， and tied together— especially towards the end—， but other than that an aspect that characterises this book is out there are little musings interjected into the narrative。 These even taken out of context are very impactful。 For example， there's the conversation surrounding the words we use to describe accomplishment and how more often than not they are the words of violence （"you crushed that！"; "that song tore my heart out"; "you beat them"）; there's the talk of the importance of names and how naming things is a manner of conveying your love for them （with how "Little Dogs" are despicable in his mother's culture but she named him that to protect him from the evil spirits who would never want to steal/harm a despicable creature）; how the eye is the loneliest creature。 All the little themes and motifs come together in the end in a way that made me gasp。 This book is breathtaking。 “Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence - but that violence， having passed through the fruit， failed to spoil it。” It is really hard for me to talk about this book because it is almost like "no plot， just volumes"， but instead it's more like "no plot， just theme"。 And I don't want to give it away， because the way Vuong unravels Little Dog's story is beautiful。 This is a book everyone has to experience for themselves。 If you like vignettes， if you want to learn more about queerness in a world where you are already percieved as "other"， about grief in a medical familial setting and self-inflicted loving setting， about culture and inheritance， read this。 。。。more
michelle
，
i liked this book a lot- it read like poetry but i felt it wasn't overly convoluted or hard to understand。 although i do see where people are coming from when they compare the book to molecular gastronamy， i found it quite enjoyable regardless :） i liked this book a lot- it read like poetry but i felt it wasn't overly convoluted or hard to understand。 although i do see where people are coming from when they compare the book to molecular gastronamy， i found it quite enjoyable regardless :） 。。。more
Cynthia Nomanee
，
This is a book to be appreciated more than it is to be liked。 You have to feel this book， not read it。I wish I felt this but for all its raw emotions， it was hard to get past the overdone lyricism。 Yes， it was gorgeous， but was it anything else？
Kari Cureton
，
Beautifully written， gorgeous prose， however， I sometimes found myself lost in his words and then in the story。 I think it was meant to be that way actually。
Liva
，
Iesāku un nepabeigšu， vismaz ne šoreiz。 Kaut kā mani "nepaķēra" tā īpatnējā vjetnamiskā gaisotne。 Varbūt vienkārši bija grāmatai jādod iespēja， lasot tālāk， bet šobrīd es to nespēju un negribu。 50 lappuses bija gana。 Iesāku un nepabeigšu， vismaz ne šoreiz。 Kaut kā mani "nepaķēra" tā īpatnējā vjetnamiskā gaisotne。 Varbūt vienkārši bija grāmatai jādod iespēja， lasot tālāk， bet šobrīd es to nespēju un negribu。 50 lappuses bija gana。 。。。more
Dave Minehan
，
This is easily the most beautiful book I've ever read。 Vuong is a poet first and foremost and it shows。 The reverence that he gives to words and language and letters is core to the narrator （especially the power of English within an ESL context）， but it's also core to the experience of reading this book as a piece of art。 Vuong has a mastery of shifting metaphors and textural word selection that really sticks to you if you let it。 As a piece about The American Experience it's intersectional with This is easily the most beautiful book I've ever read。 Vuong is a poet first and foremost and it shows。 The reverence that he gives to words and language and letters is core to the narrator （especially the power of English within an ESL context）， but it's also core to the experience of reading this book as a piece of art。 Vuong has a mastery of shifting metaphors and textural word selection that really sticks to you if you let it。 As a piece about The American Experience it's intersectional without moralising or condescending， and painful without begging sympathy。 And of course its sad; a lot of the most beautiful things are。 It's about immigration and bigotry and opiates and death and dying。 It buries you in beautiful sadness。 But it's also sometimes laugh out loud funny in a way that reminds you that you've been holding your breath for whole chapters。 Very very beautiful。 5/5。 。。。more
Natalie
，
Almost impossible to rate。 The fragmented style is haunting and tender， and at times I found it overwhelming and the vulnerability jarring in the worst of ways。 It's also some of the best prose I've ever read。 If read purely as a letter， it is a masterpiece。 Almost impossible to rate。 The fragmented style is haunting and tender， and at times I found it overwhelming and the vulnerability jarring in the worst of ways。 It's also some of the best prose I've ever read。 If read purely as a letter， it is a masterpiece。 。。。more
nia
，
the gritty topics read like poetry in the most beautiful way
Kamal Ziadah
，
I just finished Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous，" and now I'm completely in love with him。 It's a cliché to describe someone as being able to paint pictures with words， but he actually has painted a life with this book。 I can't remember a novel I've enjoyed reading more。 I wanted it never to end。 I just finished Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous，" and now I'm completely in love with him。 It's a cliché to describe someone as being able to paint pictures with words， but he actually has painted a life with this book。 I can't remember a novel I've enjoyed reading more。 I wanted it never to end。 。。。more
Abbi Bachman
，
the metaphors and descriptions were so new and brilliant。 the whole book brings a new perspective， both in the story and the language。i loved the poetry of it， from small moments in Little Dog’s life to an overarching metaphor that would complete itself at the end of a chapter。 it was accessible too， beautiful writing that the reader can connect to and feel the emotions of Little Dog’s story。
Grace
，
The plot may have been forgettable but Vuong's writing made up for it。 I can't describe how amazing his writing is so here are some of my fav quotes。。。 - “In Vietnamese， the word for missing someone and remembering them is the same: nhớ。 Sometimes， when you ask me over the phone， Có nhớ mẹ không？ I flinch， thinking you meant， Do you remember me？I miss you more than I remember you。”- “Too much joy， I swear， is lost in our desperation to keep it。”- “Remember: The rules， like streets， can only take The plot may have been forgettable but Vuong's writing made up for it。 I can't describe how amazing his writing is so here are some of my fav quotes。。。 - “In Vietnamese， the word for missing someone and remembering them is the same: nhớ。 Sometimes， when you ask me over the phone， Có nhớ mẹ không？ I flinch， thinking you meant， Do you remember me？I miss you more than I remember you。”- “Too much joy， I swear， is lost in our desperation to keep it。”- “Remember: The rules， like streets， can only take you to known places。”- “All freedom is relative—you know too well—and sometimes it’s no freedom at all， but simply the cage widening far away from you， the bars abstracted with distance but still there， as when they “free” wild animals into nature preserves only to contain them yet again by larger borders。 But I took it anyway， that widening。 Because sometimes not seeing the bars is enough” 。。。more
Allie
，
what a stunning read
Sinead
，
wowee
Iida Saarikorpi
，
Painful。 So painful。 I really tried not to cry but this book brought up something in me。 So beautifully witten; poetic， dark and beautiful。 Really loved this book。
Janele K
，
This is the most beautiful writing I've ever come across in a book。 Because of that I feel as though one read does not do it justice， so I will have to come back and definitely read through it again。 Ocean Vuong tells a heartbreaking story in such an articulated yet elegant way， it makes me want to read more of Vuong's work。 This is the most beautiful writing I've ever come across in a book。 Because of that I feel as though one read does not do it justice， so I will have to come back and definitely read through it again。 Ocean Vuong tells a heartbreaking story in such an articulated yet elegant way， it makes me want to read more of Vuong's work。 。。。more
Sawn Medrano
，
Very descriptive writing takes you to the places he has lived and immerses you into all the feelings。 I gave it only 3 stars as I wasn't warned about the gay sex found about halfway through。 I almost stopped reading as this is not for me， but since I had already invested in half the book， I finished。 Parts are really sad， but then parts give inspiration to get through the hard times too。 Great read I imagine if you are gay， as you can relate better than i did。 Very descriptive writing takes you to the places he has lived and immerses you into all the feelings。 I gave it only 3 stars as I wasn't warned about the gay sex found about halfway through。 I almost stopped reading as this is not for me， but since I had already invested in half the book， I finished。 Parts are really sad， but then parts give inspiration to get through the hard times too。 Great read I imagine if you are gay， as you can relate better than i did。 。。。more
Lauren Bachman
，
3。75/5 starsBeautiful prose in many places， but a story I couldn't connect to。 I can appreciate it as a story of love， resilience， sacrifice， and difficulty， yet without that full understanding I feel I can't appreciate it fully。 As I said before though， wonderful writing throughout。 3。75/5 starsBeautiful prose in many places， but a story I couldn't connect to。 I can appreciate it as a story of love， resilience， sacrifice， and difficulty， yet without that full understanding I feel I can't appreciate it fully。 As I said before though， wonderful writing throughout。 。。。more
Nikki
，
What I love most about On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is that it so beautifully explores and comments on the pervasiveness and effects of conflict and violence without perpetuating it within its narrative。 In result， I think some may think this has no "plot" and indeed， I wouldn't say this is plot-driven- but that's by design-- and wow， was it breathtaking。 At times， I forgot this was a fictional novel as every character felt so tangibly real。 Vuong purposefully deviates from a plot point-drive What I love most about On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is that it so beautifully explores and comments on the pervasiveness and effects of conflict and violence without perpetuating it within its narrative。 In result， I think some may think this has no "plot" and indeed， I wouldn't say this is plot-driven- but that's by design-- and wow， was it breathtaking。 At times， I forgot this was a fictional novel as every character felt so tangibly real。 Vuong purposefully deviates from a plot point-driven structure to reflect on how the combination of little moments- the brief feelings that you remember， even when the specific actions and words are forgotten- are what is realistic。 I was on the verge of tears nearly the entire read。 。。。more
Lauren Dolby
，
Truly beautiful- thought provoking， an education insight of the emotional and mental impacts of the Vietnam war alongside immersive passages on teenage pain。 （4。5 stars）
Samantha
，
A beautiful lyrical novel， just not my cup of tea
katie
，
earth shattering and a comfort at the same time
Justine
，
“When it comes to words， you possess fewer than the coins you saved from your nail salon tips in the milk gallon under the kitchen cabinet。”
Benjamin
，