Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

71 reviews

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.25

The language in this book is so wonderful. Each word tumbles into the next—a pace that I occasionally wanted to slam the brakes on due to the perverse and horrific things the words depicted. But the words tumbled on, slipping and sliding and settling in my brain. It’s odd, because they seemed comfortable at first, but quickly became restless as Morrison’s words stayed in my brain long after I’d put down the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Classism, and Sexual content

Minor: Excrement, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Abandonment

vanesst's review against another edition

challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Classism, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Abandonment, Excrement, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Addiction, Alcohol, and Child death

aleksanski's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Incest, Dysphoria, Sexual assault, Rape, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Death, Abandonment, Bullying, Abortion, Death of parent, and Miscarriage

Minor: Mental illness and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

esther_5's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Abandonment, Misogyny, and Miscarriage

gkgkgk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Grief, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Addiction, Pedophilia, Rape, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Hate crime, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

glutenfreemaggie's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

:(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Incest, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, and Adult/minor relationship

marywahlmeierbracciano's review

challenging sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Toni Morrison was a visionary.  This, her first novel, was my first foray into her work, and I found it approachable, yet deep with meaning.  It borrows its structure from a children’s “Dick and Jane” story, which Toni reads like a haunting incantation.  Her narration of the entire book is flawless and stunning, like the text itself.  The novel circles around Pecola, who rarely narrates but whose story is largely told by other characters, often children.  Her story is traumatic yet minimally graphic, making it appropriate, even, for most sensitive readers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Excrement, Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Incest, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Child abuse, Animal death, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Violence, Pedophilia, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Abandonment

hiashleynine's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest and Pedophilia

Moderate: Rape, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Sexual assault

Minor: Animal death, Abandonment, and Animal cruelty

shoshin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I read this book for two reading challenges: one covering women who have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the other for reading banned books.

I can see why this book has been banned, and while I'm very much against banning books, this one would need careful and thoughtful discussion with teens who read it. I was especially disturbed by

the sympathetic way Morrison portrayed Charlie, who raped and impregnated his 11-year-old daughter and was portrayed a merely being swept up in the moment because his daughter reminded him of his wife when they first met

. On the whole, I wasn't all that impressed with the book. Morrison has an afterword in which she expresses her own dissatisfaction with how it was received vs what her goals were in writing it. Knowing her goals, I see what she was trying to do, but ultimately agree with her later-in-life assessment that she missed the mark. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Rape, Pedophilia, Racism, Incest, Toxic relationship, and Child abuse

Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Bullying, and Pregnancy

Minor: Miscarriage and Child death

noahsingh's review against another edition

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcoholism, Slavery, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

Minor: Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Miscarriage