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cookie_khumalo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Rape
Moderate: Abandonment and Mental illness
Minor: Abortion
bookishvanessa's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Adult/minor relationship
snowiceblackfruit77's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Rape
m4heeen's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As much as i like Toni Morrison, i had mixed feelings.
The relationship between Romen and Junior was so nauseating to me that i often had to take breaks from reading it, dreading the descriptions of their interactions (even though i feel i was being pretty overdramatic).
Romen being 14 and Junior only being described as "in her late teens" made it impossible for me to view their relationship positively (but I'm not even sure if thats what Morrison was going for.)
When Romen said "She was like a gorgeous pet. Feed it or whip it — it lapped you anyway" my entire perception of their dynamic. There was a clear imbalance but i couldn't pinpoint where. It made it even weirder because she clearly stated that the relationship between Heed and Bill Cosey was wrong and I guess that's because you can't really compare the two. I still didn't like it.
Aside from that, it was a good book. Morrison wrote this in a way that really makes you understand different perspectives and how our suffering is never isolated. It was never truly clear who was narrating what part but as the story progressed it became easier to understand.
The relationship between Romen and Junior is still plaguing my mind and stopping me from fully appreciating the book for what it is. Maybe I'll reread it when I'm older and more experienced.
Aside from that, it was a good book. Morrison wrote this in a way that really makes you understand different perspectives and how our suffering is never isolated. It was never truly clear who was narrating what part but as the story progressed it became easier to understand.
The relationship between Romen and Junior is still plaguing my mind and stopping me from fully appreciating the book for what it is. Maybe I'll reread it when I'm older and more experienced.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
mollysparkles's review
4.0
This was a challenging read with a poignant story attached! Frequently I find myself picking up easy reads, I’m glad I challenged myself with this and I’m looking forward to more novels like hers going forward. My first Morrison novel, her prose definitely commands your full attention. I enjoyed this story of how much of an impact a person can leave, even after they’re gone.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Death, and Adult/minor relationship
cassielaj's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Toni Morrison is a literary genius. There’s a whole lot else to say, but that sums it up. No one but her could write about the hardest, most heartbreaking stuff that humanity has to offer alongside the most beautiful, and all of it in the most stunning prose you’ll ever read. This is a deeply nuanced book that I’m sure has something new for every read, yet it doesn’t feel like it has to be an English class book. Whether you just want to read a good story or you want to parse and analyze, Toni Morrison’s writing is the best you can find for either purpose.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Racism, Grief, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Death, Infidelity, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Police brutality, Miscarriage, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
niamhyjay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Death
lilaceous's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
characters - ⭐️
plot - .5⭐️
engaging to read - ⭐️
would recommend - .5⭐️
would read again -
hard to review. the ending moved me and the gradual reveal of details was very effective. it didn’t have much plot though, or maybe it just felt like the stagnancy of the present overtook the plot occurring in restrospect.
hard to review. the ending moved me and the gradual reveal of details was very effective. it didn’t have much plot though, or maybe it just felt like the stagnancy of the present overtook the plot occurring in restrospect.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
thisreadingcorner's review
5.0
Love chronicles the lives of the Cosey women, a granddaughter and widow who used to be best friends but now scramble for purchase in the aftermath of Bill Cosey’s death. Christine and Heed are cohabitating and codependent but adamant in their hatred of each other, a hatred planted by Christine’s conspiracy-minded mother (May) and stoked by Cosey’s indulgent perversion.
“Heed closed her fingers. Christine decorated hers. No matter. They battled on as though they were champions instead of sacrifices. A crying shame.”
There are essays to be written about each and every character in the book, and the way judgement and hypocrisy tap dance through the town. There’s the way Christine and Heed both fall out of social standing despite their opposite childhoods. The brand of toxic masculinity that Cosey and Romen both embody in their sexuality, observed but unchallenged by Sandler. The proxy treatment Junior gives Romen with Cosey to make up for the emptiness of her childhood. So much trauma packed into each and every character’s arc, some of it dressed up as adventure.
The ending is the neatest of all her work I’ve read so far. L as the narrator makes perfect sense but Junior remains an enigma. It’s not happy by any means, but it is explained, and the conclusions Christine and Heed come to provide some catharsis in the absence of vengeance.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, and Child abuse
alexhaydon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Miscarriage, and Sexual violence