Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Love by Toni Morrison

7 reviews

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. 

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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

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Miscarriage, and Sexual violence

michaelion's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

3.5

Sula and Nel, the people of Ruby, Oklahoma, and Violet, Joe, and Dorcas all culminate in this excellently written book, as usual for Miss Morrison, but, just like Jazz, it wasn't for me. And for similar reasons. However, I do like this one more. Probably because it focuses a bit more on the women than it does the man who scorned himself.

The only reason why I'm comparing the books is because I asked myself why am I giving Love a higher rating than I gave Jazz despite the fact that I liked more elements in Jazz than I did in Love? It's because what I liked in Jazz wasn't central to the main story,

the back story involving Wild and Golden Gray, mostly, as well as Joe and Violet's history,

meanwhile in Love it's all there. Meant to be absorbed at once. The gaps and pieces meant to be glued together or filled in complete everyone's story. The friends / sisters turned enemies are one and the same, not self made victims (like Joe). Something about power dynamics I guess, I think. Anyway.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Classism, and Child abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Bullying, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Grief, Sexual content, and Infidelity

Minor: Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, War, and Slavery

toffishay's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.25

I would say of Toni Morrison's bibliography that I have read, this is maybe my least favorite. The writing style was a little more straightforward and less metaphorical. You also get multiple character point of views on the same events, but it didn't seem as if the additional POV illuminated more of the story. Some of the characters are interesting, but then it feels like they kind of go nowhere to me like Junior and L. There are interesting themes of who has power and what is left behind when people leave us. How we might be able to pick up the pieces of our lives and how that is impacted by our circumstances and others choices that may have been made long ago. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Grief, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Murder, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Violence, Sexism, Mental illness, and Racism

Minor: Vomit, Police brutality, and Fire/Fire injury

czidya's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-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

4.0

First of all, this is the first Morrison novel I’ve read and I recognize that that was probably an unusual choice.
Heart wrenching and beautifully written, Love depicts an extreme example of a family dominated by a patriarch, whose choices have consequences for the women in his life that reverberate for decades after his death. Every character sparkled and leapt off the page. The nonlinear narration challenged me at times but overall made the unfolding of the story so gripping and unique.
I will say that as an enjoyer of slow-paced books, this book started off slow even for my taste. Perhaps as a consequence of the nonlinear, vignette style, there is almost no direct action until the closing sequence of the book, which made it difficult for me to get drawn into the story, despite the gorgeous prose.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Toxic friendship, Racism, Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Abortion

ehmannky's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Nothing makes me miss being an English major more than reading Morrison's work. It is so beautiful to read and there's just so much in these relatively short novels and I just want to talk to other people about it with people with hours. It's such a poignant look at the ways that hurt people hurt people, especially those who should be their natural allies and greatest loves. It hurt to read about the ways in which one greedy, selfish, misogynistic man (who did do some good things, and was also just trying to succeed as a Black man in a white world, but also worked to ensure that he was at the top while not helping lift up those in his community) destroys the love between two girls. There was a bit towards the end that I don't want to give away that just took my breath away, it was so beautiful and sad and lovely. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Rape, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Racism, Infertility, and Mental illness

Minor: Vomit

tenten's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia

Moderate: Infidelity and Child abuse

Minor: Vomit, Rape, and Miscarriage