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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
At least a 4.5. Not 5 yet because it hasn’t all settled yet. But, damn. Toni Morrison is so fucking good. I literally cannot describe it.
Pretty obviously phenomenal but wow that ending. I’ve been thinking about it for months later. Toni Morrison is an unparalleled talent.
I regret some of my earlier assumptions and judgments about authors and books. I'm grateful, though, that I can recognize my immaturity and revisit titles when I realize I was too hasty. It can make for emotional epiphanies (that may sound hyperbolic, but there are some titles I was so opposed to at first, wondering at their pull with others, but through some life events, I decided to revisit them and was struck at how my opinion had drastically changed and I now understood and appreciated them in ways I couldn't before, and that experience is one I hold dear).
Such is how I approached Toni Morrison. I read a couple of her titles in college courses, and I felt like I was missing something. That's been a lifetime ago, and I've been wanting to revisit her with new eyes. Song of Solomon was upheld by a friend as one of her favorites, so when I learned Literacy Partners was re-airing an event where numerous authors read aloud the book, I registered and dedicated a weekend to sequestering myself to listen and follow along in my own volume as I knit and let Morrison's words wash over me.
It's humbling and beautiful to have to acknowledge my prideful declarations from before. Song of Solomon was a captivating family saga and Morrison is adept at crafting a complex story. She brought to life the stories of Macon Dead, Guitar, Hagar, Milkman, and others. There is longing, regret, perspective, and love.
I hope to revisit previous titles of Morrison's, those I'd read before, to experience them anew.
Such is how I approached Toni Morrison. I read a couple of her titles in college courses, and I felt like I was missing something. That's been a lifetime ago, and I've been wanting to revisit her with new eyes. Song of Solomon was upheld by a friend as one of her favorites, so when I learned Literacy Partners was re-airing an event where numerous authors read aloud the book, I registered and dedicated a weekend to sequestering myself to listen and follow along in my own volume as I knit and let Morrison's words wash over me.
It's humbling and beautiful to have to acknowledge my prideful declarations from before. Song of Solomon was a captivating family saga and Morrison is adept at crafting a complex story. She brought to life the stories of Macon Dead, Guitar, Hagar, Milkman, and others. There is longing, regret, perspective, and love.
I hope to revisit previous titles of Morrison's, those I'd read before, to experience them anew.
I wish I'd read it in a book club... I think many of the themes and small details probably went right over my head. The stories start to weave together and "click" toward the last third of the book. Rich text!
3.5 Stars. I was a little disappointed with Song of Solomon. Beloved blew me away, but this book left me wanting more. Morrison is an incredible storyteller, and can create beautiful and memorable scenes. I think the vision of the little girls with the red petals blowing around in the wind will stay with me for a long time. I wish the rest of the book was filled with such powerful images. Every once and a while, Morrison created intense scenes and emotions, but the book was filled with so much back story, some of the important moments were lost in the details.
I highly recommend this to everybody!!!! I fell in love with Toni Morrison! Cannot wait to read more of her work!!
challenging
emotional
inspiring
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
First Morrison for me, initial read-through. Will be re-reading later in the year in a book club. Loved how real the characters became for me, while introducing me to a world outside my experience. Looking forward to a second, deeper dive.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced