Reviews

“She whispered so nobody would hear and nobody did, not even the emperor butterflies. They were clinging to the windows of another bedroom trying to see for themselves what the angel trumpets had described to them…”

“He too disembarked but not before he looked up at the sky holy with stars and inhaled the land smell sailors always swear they love.”

“It would be his duty to keep the climate mild for her, to hold back with his hands if need be thunder, drought and all manner of winterkill, and he would blow with his own lips a gentle enough breeze for her to tinkle in.”

notoriousesr's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging tense 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

4.25

Son is a fugitive who’s found himself hiding in the Caribbean house of wealthy (white) Valerian and Margaret Street. Also living with the Streets are their two Black servants, and their refined niece, Jadine. The love affair sparked between Son and Jadine forever changes the lives of everyone in their path, including themselves.

I’m sorry I didn’t believe at first that this book would be sexy, because this is one of the sexiest, SULTRIEST books I’ve ever read. Reading about the intensity of Son and Jadine’s connection is like looking into bright heart of a star, and Morrison peels back the layers of each of her brilliant characters with expert (and expected) precision. Between charged conversations on the beach and violent racial altercations, Tar Baby unfolds at a perfect pace. The only thing that threw me off was the dialogue-heavy style, which I wasn’t expecting from Morrison, and sometimes the back-and-forth got old by the end of a scene. All in all, though, Tar Baby is 4 out of 5 stolen apples.

abe389's review against another edition

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challenging reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

elemmire's review against another edition

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2.0

It didn't have much of an ending. No real resolution. The characters are developed well, and you can understand why they do the things that they do, well mostly. I listened to the audio book, a little difficult to follow that way.

It's interesting at some parts where the plants or animals around have thoughts and feelings. The book is written from too many views and it gets a little confusing/distracting.

naomivilla's review

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challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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? Yes

4.25

jenhurst's review against another edition

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4.0

4.5. I love Toni morrison’s books

lizardddd's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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