Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

4 reviews

kari_g's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

5 stars implies that I recommend it, and I really don’t. If you aren’t gonna tough it out, then it isn’t worth your time, but if you make it to the end, it’s truly life changing. I am better for having read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Incest, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide, Death, Terminal illness, Cursing, Sexual content, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Gun violence, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Vomit, Infertility, Rape, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Slavery, Terminal illness, and Stalking

Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Confinement, Alcoholism, Excrement, and Infidelity

clara_mai's review

5.0

 What a brilliant, complex and powerful novel. While telling the coming-of-age story of the protagonist Milkman, how he grows up in Michigan and eventually moves from North to South in a hunt for gold and a discovery of his ancestry, Morrison also fans out the narrative and introduces about a dozen side characters. They and their stories, and relationships add layer after layer and the further you get into this story, the more connections are revealed to you, if you just read carefully enough. I definitly had to focus and work quite a bit to keep up the level of attention this book demands and it was quite a challenging read. The second half of the book was significantly easier for me and towards the end I coninued to be even more captivated than before. This is the first book by Toni Morrison that I read in the English original (I read an older German translation of Beloved last year and had a feeling that it did not do justice to the original, the newer ones might be better though) and it was such a pleasure to experience the beauty and power of her prose first hand. I won't even try to sum up all the themes and symbolism Morrison incorporated into this story and would instead suggest to everyone to pick up the book and embark on the absolutely wild and enriching journey that is Song of Solomon. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, Violence, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Suicide

gw7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time.

Masterfully weaved. There were times when I wasn't sure if it was going to be, after being let down by so many supposed 'masterpieces' that were just ignorant. I don't think I've ever read such a book about inter-generational trauma and, honestly, it was convicting. Because I didn't know where it was going or what type of book it was (this was my first Morrison) she did nearly lose me a few times towards the middle of the book and then going into part 2, and I even read through some reviews to decide whether or not to even carry on, but if that's where you are but are, like myself, interested in the themes of the book, I would encourage you to keep reading.

I don't often/ever really say that a I was too dumb for a book, as I generally feel like that's rarely the case for anyone aside from literally just above our understanding non-fiction for instance, but yeah, I was too dumb for this book. Specifically the ending but also just throughout: I'm too young, too dumb, did not give enough time or thought or attention to it. But all I mean by that is that I'm sure this book will continue to unfold in my mind throughout my lifetime and I feel I could genuinely glean something new from it every re-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Murder, and Pedophilia

Minor: Domestic abuse and Homophobia

michaelion's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

4.5

I can confidently say: I was touched. I don't know if I was moved, but in another life I'm sure there's a version of me, either in another universe or that lives hidden in the back of my own mind now, who would have weeped. Maybe I was moved. I get it. I think I know what that feels like.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Classism, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Adult/minor relationship, and Alcohol

Minor: Abortion, Homophobia, Murder, Rape, and Violence