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stelhan's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book. This is the American novel. Heartbreaking, joyful and deeply moving it highlights the best and worst of humanity and our incredible ability to overcome.
jolovesbookstbh's review against another edition
4.0
This is a rightful fucking Pulitzer and Toni Morrison (obviously) a rightful nobel prize holder. Poetic, gorgeous, heartbreaking and artfully constructed in every single sentence. An unprecedentet portrait of the pain of slavery, grief and motherhood. This book so beautifully shows the effects of grief and paints out such well rounded, living, breathing characters. Especially Denver and Paul D go through such changes in response to Sethe’s and Beloved’s relationship.
One star off simply because I had a shit reading experience - entirely by my own fault (interrupted reading etc etc).
One star off simply because I had a shit reading experience - entirely by my own fault (interrupted reading etc etc).
shanise9's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
pufarina's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
jadedreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
eloraborealis's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sophia_reads13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
holly666berry's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dkatreads's review against another edition
5.0
Anything that robs of us our agency is violence. In other words, possession—whether through enslavement or even a kind of love a parent has for a child—of any kind ultimately works to unmake our humanity. Both of the possessor and the possessed.
I believe this is what Toni was trying to tell us. The antidote being the claiming of our own selves. Of our bodies, shaded in beauty. Of our pasts, clouded with trauma. And of our desires, searching for meaning. Only when we learn to own and love our own selves, and let others do the same for themselves, can we build a world of flourishing for our neighbors.
Baby Suggs makes this clear. What 124 was—a home for any and everyone, bursting with belonging and joy—before Sethe’s self-destruction is the vision of what all of us can bring to this world. How is it possible?
“She told them that the only grace they could have was the grace they could imagine. That if they could not see it, they would not have it.”
“'Here,' she said, 'in this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard. Yonder they do not love your flesh. They despise it. They don't love your eyes; they'd just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back. Yonder they flay it. And O my people they do not love your hands. These they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them. Touch others with them, pat them together, stroke them on your face 'cause they don't love that either. You got to love it, you! And nom they ain't in love with your mouth. Yonder, out there, they will see it broken and break it again. What you say out of it they will not heed. What you scream from it they do not hear. Flesh that needs to be loved. Feet that need to rest and to dance; backs that need support; shoulders that need arms, strong arms I'm telling you. And O my people, out yonder, hear me, they do not love your neck unnoosed and straight. So love your neck; put a hand on it, grace it, stroke it and hold it up. And all your inside parts that they'd just as soon slop for hogs, you got to love them. The dark, dark liver-love it, love it, and the beat and beating heart, love that too. More than eyes or feet. More than lungs that have yet to draw free air. More than your life-holding womb and your life-giving private parts, hear me now, love your heart. For this is the prize.”
In a world of violence and possession of Black bodies and minds and spirits, Toni tells us clearly: your love, your claiming and cherishing and celebrating of yourself, that is your resistance. That is what it takes to discover your own being as Beloved.
I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. To consider that all the grace and love we’ll ever find for our flawed and shame-inflicted selves is all the grace we can imagine. A warning, and a beautiful, expansive invitation bigger than so many of our longing hearts are courageous enough to believe. That we can claim ourselves as we are. Finding the courage then to believe it…now that’s the work of a lifetime.
I believe this is what Toni was trying to tell us. The antidote being the claiming of our own selves. Of our bodies, shaded in beauty. Of our pasts, clouded with trauma. And of our desires, searching for meaning. Only when we learn to own and love our own selves, and let others do the same for themselves, can we build a world of flourishing for our neighbors.
Baby Suggs makes this clear. What 124 was—a home for any and everyone, bursting with belonging and joy—before Sethe’s self-destruction is the vision of what all of us can bring to this world. How is it possible?
“She told them that the only grace they could have was the grace they could imagine. That if they could not see it, they would not have it.”
“'Here,' she said, 'in this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. Love it. Love it hard. Yonder they do not love your flesh. They despise it. They don't love your eyes; they'd just as soon pick em out. No more do they love the skin on your back. Yonder they flay it. And O my people they do not love your hands. These they only use, tie, bind, chop off and leave empty. Love your hands! Love them. Raise them up and kiss them. Touch others with them, pat them together, stroke them on your face 'cause they don't love that either. You got to love it, you! And nom they ain't in love with your mouth. Yonder, out there, they will see it broken and break it again. What you say out of it they will not heed. What you scream from it they do not hear. Flesh that needs to be loved. Feet that need to rest and to dance; backs that need support; shoulders that need arms, strong arms I'm telling you. And O my people, out yonder, hear me, they do not love your neck unnoosed and straight. So love your neck; put a hand on it, grace it, stroke it and hold it up. And all your inside parts that they'd just as soon slop for hogs, you got to love them. The dark, dark liver-love it, love it, and the beat and beating heart, love that too. More than eyes or feet. More than lungs that have yet to draw free air. More than your life-holding womb and your life-giving private parts, hear me now, love your heart. For this is the prize.”
In a world of violence and possession of Black bodies and minds and spirits, Toni tells us clearly: your love, your claiming and cherishing and celebrating of yourself, that is your resistance. That is what it takes to discover your own being as Beloved.
I’ll be thinking about this one for a while. To consider that all the grace and love we’ll ever find for our flawed and shame-inflicted selves is all the grace we can imagine. A warning, and a beautiful, expansive invitation bigger than so many of our longing hearts are courageous enough to believe. That we can claim ourselves as we are. Finding the courage then to believe it…now that’s the work of a lifetime.