Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

54 reviews

emicrk's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Incest, Sexual violence, Rape, and Racism

Moderate: Vomit and Miscarriage

jme14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

Toni Morrison is officially in my top two authors of all time (next to Steinbeck, I can't choose between them). Morrison is a master at manipulating the form to tell her stories as they are supposed to be told. There are no rules: the story is out of order, the characters are unrelentingly disturbing and disturbed, and the language blunt. She is the master of empathy. She conjures such vile actors, then turns your rage into uncomfortable sadness, transferring that rage from the individual to the setting. I don't know how she can do it, but she's done it twice (in her labeled masterpiece "Beloved" and now in this). Her work is deeply disturbing, but there's no other way to convey these themes in a way as affecting as this. She is a true master and deserving in her place among the greatest authors of all time. 

I don't think this is QUITE as good as "Beloved" due to her clearly more unrefined style. This feels more restrained with its magical realism and slightly less comprehensive with its characters, but that is some extreme nit-picking. Seriously, read this book. I'm so excited (and emotionally nervous) to read the rest of her work. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Rape, Miscarriage, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Child death, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Racism, Grief, Excrement, Alcohol, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Animal death, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, and Incest

rsngphoenix's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Addiction, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Grief, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Violence, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, and Incest

silvergiraffe17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Death, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Incest

annibear_bookworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Alcohol, Infertility, Murder, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Sexual assault

omligda's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful informative sad tense

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

4.5

This was a stunning work of literature. Truly stunning, there were moments where my jaw was on the floor because I could hardly process what I was reading. Morrison’s work is awe-inspiring, bringing out a myriad of feelings. Empathy, pity, horror, shame, trauma. It took me a month to finish these 136 pages because it was so hard to bear, and that is why I must read more books like this one. These stories aren’t impossible and they shouldn’t be unknown. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Body shaming, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Animal cruelty, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Rape

thewoodlandbookshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Sexual content, Rape, Alcoholism, Bullying, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Animal death, Death, Sexual violence, Racism, and Incest

seawarrior's review against another edition

dark emotional sad 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

4.0

An arresting, gut-wrenching story of the pervasive power of internalizing hatred. Morrison's skill for writing fleshed-out characters whose experiences reflect and denounce racism, classism and misogyny is awe-inspiring throughout her first novel. Her prose was lyrical, observant and stinging with relevance, which kept me glued to the pages. However, the detail used to describe sexual violence against preteen girls was so disturbing it felt unnecessary. Her inclusion of these segments started to disillusion me as they went on and worsened, but Claudia's voice in the last chapter was reinvigorating if not tragic. Claudia and Frieda are the most endearing characters throughout this story, and I doubt I will ever forget them. Their allied but secret rebellions against racism and misogyny are bathed in childlike innocence but still powerful, as we never see them internalize the hatred of their aggressors the way most of the book's other characters do. Ultimately, this is a disturbing but meaningful story, though the subject matter will make it a rough read for many.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Classism, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Death, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Abandonment, Animal death, Death, Homophobia, Sexual content, Body shaming, Bullying, Grief, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcoholism

gjkennedy's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

4.0

So incredibly difficult to read. Toni Morrison is a master of prose and laying characters uncomfortably and starkly bare. I firmly believe she is in a class all her own. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Hate crime

Minor: Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Excrement

annuich's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault