Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
I took too long to read this (exactly and fully one year) and lost the thread along the way. As ever, Morrison's writing is powerfully lyrical and painterly.
The main narrative happens in fits, with long character portraits interspersed. Sometimes I'm able to ride that wave, but I struggled this time. It may also have something to do with the main character being a man rather than a woman as in the other Morrison I've read.
The main narrative happens in fits, with long character portraits interspersed. Sometimes I'm able to ride that wave, but I struggled this time. It may also have something to do with the main character being a man rather than a woman as in the other Morrison I've read.
So much happens in this book that I’m unsure how to summarize it but we follow Milkman Dead as he grows up and uncovers his family’s past. I was supposed to read this in high school but didn’t because I was going through a Mental Health Crisis
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was amazing! At first I thought it was confusing and it was you just have to keep going through it and everything falls into place. I enjoyed the feelings I had towards Milkman and how I was always shifting between liking him and not. The way Morrison portrays her characters as flawed and develops layers to their story is enthralling. This is a book I would highly recommend reading a second time after you know the plot then you can dive deeper into the layers and get something new out of it every single time!
“She was the third beer. Not the first one, which the throat receives with almost tearful gratitude; nor the second, that confirms and extends the pleasure of the first. But the third, the one you drink because it’s there, because it can’t hurt, and because what difference does it make?”
Is it possible to like (or even respect) a book where you cannot like nor respect it’s main character? That’s the question on the table, folks.
This book consists of a horrific main character who has never known or understood struggle in his life compared to the rest of his community, & is disrespectful of nearly every woman he’s ever come into contact with (yes, mother & sisters included).
It hurt to read parts of this (see quote above) and not in a good way. Because let’s be honest, there wasn’t enough in here actually condemning his actions.
Not to mention the book itself, was quite dull to read. The plot was unentertaining at best, obscure at worst and I’m sorry, but Toni Morrison is not a good enough writer to let character development drive her novels.
All in all, disappointed, disgusted, and will literally never recommend this to anyone. Seems we’ve fallen into the classic trap of “popular author is actually really bad (I’m looking at you Colleen Hoover) because an average reader might not recognize poor quality writing.”
Is it possible to like (or even respect) a book where you cannot like nor respect it’s main character? That’s the question on the table, folks.
This book consists of a horrific main character who has never known or understood struggle in his life compared to the rest of his community, & is disrespectful of nearly every woman he’s ever come into contact with (yes, mother & sisters included).
It hurt to read parts of this (see quote above) and not in a good way. Because let’s be honest, there wasn’t enough in here actually condemning his actions.
Not to mention the book itself, was quite dull to read. The plot was unentertaining at best, obscure at worst and I’m sorry, but Toni Morrison is not a good enough writer to let character development drive her novels.
All in all, disappointed, disgusted, and will literally never recommend this to anyone. Seems we’ve fallen into the classic trap of “popular author is actually really bad (I’m looking at you Colleen Hoover) because an average reader might not recognize poor quality writing.”
This has earned a spot as one of my new favorites! It read so differently than Beloved, and I thought that Morrison’s style choices were really interesting. In the foreword of my edition, she explains how those choices came out of having a male narrator and a hero’s journey plot. I have so many underlined passages that I can’t wait to look back on. Anyone who has slowly found out family stories/legends or grew up in a family of “remembering” will definitely connect with this.
dark
emotional
reflective
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
Morrison has a captivating writing style!