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umibozus's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Incest, Sexual assault, Racism, Racial slurs, Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Rape
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Infidelity
rsagarin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Death of parent, Incest, Misogyny, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Classism, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Violence
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Incest, Pregnancy, Body horror, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Classism, Grief, Violence, Bullying, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Sexual content
soyb3an's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Racial slurs, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Child death, Pregnancy, Body shaming, and Sexual violence
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The loved one is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover’s inward eye.
I think the quote above speaks for itself. There is no wonder that Toni Morrison is so beloved amongst both book readers and those who do not tend to read quite as often. This book is so moving, striking and shocking. Being Morrison's debut novel, I get the sense that she has not yet come into herself as a writer, but the writing is gorgeous nonetheless and accomplishes exactly what the author sets off to achieve from the start (according to the author's note). For the time in which it is written, this book and its narrative are exceptionally innovative, the language is exciting and memorable, and the characters are multidimensional and complex.
Overall, I am disappointed that I did not read this sooner. Morrison is an absolute treasure!
Graphic: Excrement, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexism, Sexual content, Racism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Addiction, Mental illness, Classism, Religious bigotry, Drug use, Child abuse, Bullying, Misogyny, Incest, Miscarriage, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, and Hate crime
jana_abw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Such a sad story written so beautifully.
I’ve never read a book with such poetic sentences.
This book did feel a little disjointed at times but I think on a re-read would make much more sense.
#2 book club read
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Alcohol, Classism, Racism, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Incest, Pregnancy, Rape, and Sexual content
Minor: Abandonment
cheuksin's review against another edition
5.0
Some parts invoked a similar level of discomfort as when I read Lolita
Other parts more like the colour purple
Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved. The lover alone possesses his gift of love. The loved one is shorn, neutralized, frozen in the glare of the lover’s inward eye.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, and Incest
Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment
Minor: Child death, Infidelity, and Death of parent
kemrick19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Racism, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, and Racial slurs
a1exander's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Incest, Rape, Alcoholism, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Death, Classism, Miscarriage, Bullying, Animal death, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Sexual content
penofpossibilities's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Incest, Racial slurs, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual content, Rape, Colonisation, Confinement, Infidelity, Misogyny, Violence, Sexual violence, Addiction, Bullying, Death, Pedophilia, Alcoholism, Animal death, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Slavery
Minor: Gun violence and Miscarriage