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thechiaraface's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
In terms of the writing, this is perfection (5++⭐), it's just exquisite. I found this book compelling from the first page. And yet I am certain I did not 'get everything' in this book. It is not straight forward and is uniquely structured where the past and present kind of mush together. This book has a certain level of ambiguity and is very thought-provoking. With this book I think you need to think critically and try to get below the surface level story/plot and look deeper and look for bigger themes/ideas and the symbolism of various objects, people, places, and situations. I definitely felt in over my head at times (not my favorite feeling while reading) and I totally agree when others say you could read this over and over and get something new/more each time. This book is deep and complicated. This book also does not shy away from trauma and the horrors of slavery. This can make the book hard, painful, and gut-wrenching to read at times, but it shouldn't be ignored bacuse of those things either. It tells a really nuanced story of love and family too. Anyways, I highly recommend this book, if you need content warnings, please check those out before starting because this one has a lot of them.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Violence
r__kat's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Grief, Hate crime, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty
sweetmusic22's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Pros: I loved the way that Toni incorporated poetry and metaphors in this book. Beloved is unlike any other story about racism and slavery that I've heard/read. One of my favorite parts of the book is when she talks about how her dead baby granddaughter haunts Beloved's character. For me, it opens up conversations about why it can be hard for people to escape their traumas. You learn from Beloved's experience what it's like to experience the pain and trauma of being a different skin color and experience what it's like to lose a child during childbirth. Beloved also opens up conversations about sexual assault and how it mentally affects people in a certain capacity.
Cons: A lot of the subject matter is a lot to handle, and the story is very slow-paced, so I had to take a lot of my time with this book. It took me a whole year to actually finish Beloved.
In conclusion, I gave this book 4.5 stars. I thought the book was so beautiful, powerful, and well-done. However, if you really want to read this book, you have to be prepared to take a lot of time with it. For me, I did 2 pages one day and then 3 pages the next. Then, I would do that as a routine with it until I was finished (today).
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Child death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Moderate: Death
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
alisazhup's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Genocide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Slavery
ambero's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Slavery, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism
onadatewithdestiny's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual content
danidamico's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Torture, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, and Child death