Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Recitatif

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Recitatif by Toni Morrison

31 reviews

orangeoverload's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

This is a tale of race, memory and friendship. But the twist? Which woman is black and which woman is white.
At points, I thought that I had it figured out; only for their races to switch after a certain piece of dialogue. And what are these decisions to switch based on. Facts? Stereotypes? My own biases and what I think to be back and white? It was fascinating.
Zadie Smiths introduction was a great read too, though I would read it after reading the main story, and it spoils it massively.

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akane_readsyt's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective fast-paced

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

3.75

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avasbookmark's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.5

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hauntedvamphotel's review against another edition

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5.0

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mahhias's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

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bookedbymadeline's review against another edition

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challenging reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Once again brilliant storytelling from Morrison! One girl is White and the other is Black but you’re never told which one is which. You can’t help but try and guess who is White and who is Black, which is a clever way of being confronted with the stereotypes you have about race. As Zadie Smith noted in the introduction, society has structured our belief in needing categorization so even as I went into the story thinking I wouldn’t try to guess, I couldn’t help but attempt and try to categorize Roberta and Twyla. Maybe that’s the point of Morrison’s story; to make the reader confront and question their unconscious bias.

It’s a short book making it a quick read, especially as I was engaged the whole time. Very thought provoking and interesting story!

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doomluz's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective fast-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

5.0

The premise of this book is interesting, though the story seems simple. I'm still brewing over it, though not because I want to figure out the races of the characters. If academics can't figure it out, I doubt I will, but it's still interesting analyzing the assumptions that popped into my head as I read.
The story is actually complex and makes some important points about race that might've not have been as effective if the character's races were stated. The introduction perfectly summed up the experience reading it.

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