From the Bookshelf of Around the World in 80 Books

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
by
Start date
June 15, 2020
Finish date
July 15, 2020
Discussion
Group Reads Discussions
Why we're reading this
June selection for migration theme.

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Group Discussions About This Book

This topic has been closed to new comments. * Links to Group Read Discussions
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What Members Thought

Travellinckx
Jul 01, 2022 rated it it was amazing
Some parts are well weaved, some are loosely scattered like half-remembered half-forgotten episodes.
It is a confession-like story, some in a letter form and some are just jumpy raw story about a boy who recollect the memory of his mother and grandmother and how their life as Vietnam refugees stranded in America, while at the same time gather his courage to unfold about his sexuality and his identity as a gay.

This is one of the best books I've read in 2022
...more
Amy Nash Parker
Feb 26, 2023 rated it it was ok
Had such high hopes for this book based off trusted recommendations and the author blurbs on the cover. The first part beautiful and haunting and lyrical and a glimpse into a world different. The matriarchal mental health, escaping war-torn Vietnam, teenage gay love story among opiate addiction farmland, coming of age as a first generation immigrant.

But I couldn’t cope with the style of the novel: the unrelenting word-salad that weaves through the non-linear story. It felt as if the author had
...more
Grainne
May 09, 2020 rated it it was amazing
Maybe the best book I’ve ever read.
Katie
Dec 06, 2019 rated it liked it
Shelves: male-author, lgbtqia
I wanted to like this but just couldn't get into it. The author is poet, and this book is really well written. There were a number of sentences and paragraphs that really took my breath away they were so beautiful, but I found the story and character development lacking and I never felt invested in the book. ...more
Ching-In
Dec 23, 2019 added it
Shelves: fiction
EmJay
Dec 25, 2019 marked it as to-read
Sara
Mar 17, 2021 rated it really liked it
Tania
Dec 30, 2019 marked it as to-read
Ann
Jan 05, 2020 marked it as to-read
Jocelyn
Jan 19, 2020 marked it as to-read
Johan
Jan 21, 2020 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Katy
Jan 30, 2020 marked it as to-read
Glynn
Mar 29, 2020 rated it really liked it
Tiffany
Aug 29, 2025 rated it liked it
Gaelyn
Sep 15, 2020 marked it as to-read
Vicky
Jun 14, 2021 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Scott
Aug 14, 2021 marked it as to-read
J
Sep 10, 2021 marked it as to-read
Jana
Dec 01, 2021 marked it as couldn-t-finish
Jody Rowan
Jan 02, 2022 marked it as to-read
Rashmi
Jan 17, 2022 marked it as to-read
Pam
Mar 31, 2022 rated it really liked it
Kate
Oct 03, 2022 rated it it was amazing
Heather
Dec 03, 2022 rated it liked it
Lori
Aug 29, 2023 marked it as to-read
Jillian
Dec 13, 2023 marked it as to-read
Prashant
Jan 11, 2024 marked it as to-read
Jo
Jun 03, 2025 marked it as to-read