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nerdalert219's review against another edition
DNF at 25% because my PTSD was triggered.
frostnn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mbates222's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
mafemoreno's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
jehnya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
nellvin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I tried reading this a few years ago and really struggled to keep up with it. Things were shifting so swiftly, even within one sentence. There was a denseness and mystery that I couldn’t get through.
Returning to it, something felt unlocked, and maybe what changed was as simple as approaching it more like poetry than as the type of fiction that is meant to be immediately understood. That’s what I love about poetry and find disappointing in a lot of (contemporary American) prose: limited use of the vessel of language simply to convey information. Not a word is wasted in Beloved. The density of one sentence is jewel-like: it could take hours to unpack, examine, appreciate. The struggle I experienced last time (and still experienced to some degree this time) is a necessary part of the process. To sit with, reflect, be haunted by the story, the world. Difficult, complex stories require language that can convey the layers. It must be a slow, thorough process to work. Which it (clearly) does.
Returning to it, something felt unlocked, and maybe what changed was as simple as approaching it more like poetry than as the type of fiction that is meant to be immediately understood. That’s what I love about poetry and find disappointing in a lot of (contemporary American) prose: limited use of the vessel of language simply to convey information. Not a word is wasted in Beloved. The density of one sentence is jewel-like: it could take hours to unpack, examine, appreciate. The struggle I experienced last time (and still experienced to some degree this time) is a necessary part of the process. To sit with, reflect, be haunted by the story, the world. Difficult, complex stories require language that can convey the layers. It must be a slow, thorough process to work. Which it (clearly) does.
yrion's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
heartsfromjaney's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Murder, and Slavery
Moderate: Racism and Racial slurs
georgiats's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
alconn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
5.0
One of the most important books I’ve ever read. Morrison is incredible: rich, challenging and difficult, you have to read Beloved