Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

7 reviews

katiepatricee's review against another edition

2.25

challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Pregnancy

46jjsg's review against another edition

4.0

challenging emotional reflective 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

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The cycle of flight and abandonment of women in this novel wow !!!! I liked part 2 way more than part 1, but I literally just read the Odyssey (it's a coincidence I'm reading these two books so close together) so that checks out. 

Ch 13 is my favorite- I really like how Hagar's spiral was written and everything Pilate & Reba did to help her. 

I think this is the craziest coming of age novel I've ever read. Milkman's journey is so... I have no words. This book definitely warrants a re-read, because once you reach a moment where everything just clicks and all the thematic foundation building completed in the beginning makes sense, you'll want to retrace that journey with knowing eyes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Classism

134340's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail

kari_g's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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

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

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

purplehulk713's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Stirring. Toni Morrison certainly knew how to construct wholly unique worlds with realistic racial values and constructs but also her own fictional, ”local” almost, patterns of living that give true character to her novels like Song of Solomon. I felt bad having to rush through it for school, especially since it was a book that we would not discuss for very long, though there a semester’s worth of material to unpack. Though there are definitely hateable characters like Macon Dead II, Milkman’s father, he is characterized so well over the course of the book that you come to empathize with him if not like him for all that he has experienced in his life. Names are incredibly relevant—Milkman, for example, whose name is not his given name, but as he is colloquially known, most likely because since he was born in whatever shape or form, anyone could see that he only sought life for what it could give him, sucking it dry as if it were a milk cow. This is why he forsakes Hagar, whose name literally means “forsaken”, and this is truly so relevant to her character because

she becomes so dependent on his approval of and desire for her that her ultimate realization that she will never have it kills her.

Even the book’s name is so relevant—an allusion to a biblical book of Jewish erotic love poetry, describing a depth of passion for another person without which neither one of them could live. Milkman never truly has this in his life, not with his family, with any of his girlfriends, or with his difficult-to-describe relationship with Guitar. It’s the sense of flight which he seeks the whole novel. The final mysteries including the origins of the Dead family, Shalimar, and the children’s song was so tantalizing both to read and to analyze. My favorite character was Pilate—I found her character most compelling for what I felt was her sincerity despite her position of sentencing (another emphasis on the relevance of names). I only did not give this book five stars because it does not totally click with me, you know? Maybe if I were to read it again. But anyway, will surrender to the air and take flight?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Alcohol

lqne's review against another edition

4.5

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia

Moderate: Death, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder

Minor: Rape, Slavery, Abortion, Pregnancy, Classism

gw7's review against another edition

5.0

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

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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, Pedophilia, Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse, Homophobia