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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
Weirdly sexual. Should have predicted that by the title.
I give this book a 3. I hate to say it but I had higher expectations for this book. It was entertaining but it felt disjointed to me. IMO there were several, seemingly, related sub plots that could be linked but never truly got there. From learning about his conception, to learning about his parents' marraige, to his affair with Hagar, to learning about Guitar's outside activities, to searching for the gold, and subsequently learning about his folks. It was all sub plots that never really came together in the end, not without a lot of reaching for connections in the readers part. And with all that reaching doesn't mean anything in the end.
Milkman is supposed to have some coming of age journey but he ended the book with the same self-centeredness that he had the whole time. Learning more about his father's people did help him have a better understanding of that side of his family but he never really does become a better man at the end.
Speaking of the end, it was completely unexpected. For someone who was being hunted by his former best friend he sure didn't seem to care very much. Or even how that affected those around him. Well, I guess that was just his nonchalant attitude towards his own life but hoes to show how selfish he still was in the end.
And how any of this has anything to do with the man that jumped off the roof of the hospital is still a mystery to me even though I think it's supposed to somehow.
Would I recommend this book after all of that? Sure, why not.
Milkman is supposed to have some coming of age journey but he ended the book with the same self-centeredness that he had the whole time. Learning more about his father's people did help him have a better understanding of that side of his family but he never really does become a better man at the end.
Speaking of the end, it was completely unexpected. For someone who was being hunted by his former best friend he sure didn't seem to care very much. Or even how that affected those around him. Well, I guess that was just his nonchalant attitude towards his own life but hoes to show how selfish he still was in the end.
And how any of this has anything to do with the man that jumped off the roof of the hospital is still a mystery to me even though I think it's supposed to somehow.
Would I recommend this book after all of that? Sure, why not.
Really struggled to get into this and it wasn’t until about half way through that I started enjoying it. Not a bad book but not my favourite of Toni Morrison’s.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
aaaaah this book makes me so angry!!! he just leaves her there!!!! what the fuck!!!! also obviously morrison is one of the best writers of all time and this book is wonderfully crafted and perfect in every way
Beautiful prose, spellbinding characters, loads more interesting of a coming of age novel than Catcher in the Rye. So masterful.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Toni Morrison is a fantastic writer. Her language, her ideas, her command of symbolism et cetera et cetera is just hands-down whizz-bang wonderful. And I did enjoy Song of Solomon. There was just something that didn't quite connect with me. But still, some seriously interesting things in this book, particularly concerning Ruth and the doctor and the earlier sections of the book. It's really in part two that Morrison lost me; just too much too fast, I guess.
I am a tremendous Toni Morrison fan and have taught The Bluest Eye--with great success--many times. I am finally reading two of her most acclaimed novels, Song of Solomon and Sula. Solomon is a brilliant book. My background in African American folklore was a tremendous boon in understanding how intricately Morrison wove this story together--how fluidly she mixes sources as varied as the Bible and Hansel and Gretel and All God's Chillun' Have Wings without ever sacrificing character or plot. I'll be thinking about this one for some time.