Reviews

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

mjewrites's review against another edition

3.5

I’m definitely going to have to read this again to understand it better but upon first read, I didn’t connect with it the way I did with Beloved. Sometimes I would wonder what the purpose of a scene or character was. I felt like a little too much time was spent on other characters and not enough on Pecola. On the one hand I understand why—exploring racism, classism, misogynoir, and generational trauma through the eyes of all these characters that ultimately leads to how Pecola is viewed and treated. I get the purpose of telling it from the POV of Pecola’s friends who don’t quite fully understand what’s happening. But it just kind of left me feeling like Pecola wasn’t even the main character of her own story. And so much time was spent on the buildup to The Event but then events afterward were kind of dumped exposition-style. It feels wrong to critique Morrison’s writing like this because I love her work and she is truly one of the greatest writers to ever do it. But this one just didn’t do it for me.

jediael12's review against another edition

5.0

I’m embarrassed to admit that this is my first Toni Morrison book, but I’m so glad I finally took the time to read this.

heidipolkissa82's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

hilary_weckstein's review against another edition

4.0

I definitely just learned that “ thieves in the night” comes from the last page of this book!

mariahhamilton's review against another edition

mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

This book was really well written, obviously it’s by toni morrison. but truthfully it’s a bit of a mind fuck. i still don’t know how i feel about the ending. it is very interesting how pecola reacts to getting blue eyes, and how she interacts with herself afterward. how did she get blue eyes? i think it’s a metaphor for black beauty not being recognized until conforming to white standards, but i need to think about it more. 

torischmidt35's review against another edition

my library app keeps glitching and restarting my book and i wasn’t invested enough to figure it out and try again 

motherbird76's review against another edition

emotional tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Easier to follow once I got the physical book in my hand. The author did a GREAT job narrating her book. That was a great listen. It was odd that in this audiobook- the FORWARD (in the print book) was at the END of the audiobook as an Author's Note. 

lkeyte's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

thealexarachelle's review against another edition

3.0

3.5.... Not because the prose aren’t beautiful but this book is very disturbing. I mean I knew it would be as far as race goes so I prepared for that, but I also just thought it was about a little girl that sadly wanted blue eyes. I didn’t realize everything else that was connected with that want. I just felt so awful for Pecola and kind of helpless reading this. I know she is just a character, but a lot of this was just way too much for me to read. And I read disturbing books, but it’s different when a child is involved

rapraa's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.0

This is what I would call a necessary read. It is horrifying and enlightening and frustrating. We see the world surrounding a young Black girl who desperately wants blue eyes, set in the 1960s. We see how the world sees her and treats her, and we see how she naively sees the world. There's a ton of commentary about race and gender and class hierarchies that Toni Morrison skillfully shows the reader through her characterizations. By telling readers about the backgrounds of even the most evil of characters, we see how generational trauma, systemic racism, and broken families have long lasting impacts. It is so interesting to see the rules and brutality of our society through the perspective of a child, and the innocence and helplessness of a child in this society is terrifying. You'll have a heavy heart as you leave this story, but it's one that everyone should know and think about.