Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

56 reviews

katiemeredith's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

This is my all-time favorite book. This book is for you if you love psychological horror/thrillers and challenging reading. Learning to read Morrison's narration is difficult but incredibly rewarding once mastered. This is a book that will truly make you understand the horror of slavery and its long-lasting effects on its victims. Pretty much every content warning imaginable is described in great detail, so be cautious if you are vulnerable to being affected by certain events.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Cursing, Sexual assault, Murder, Child abuse, Racism, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Suicide, Rape, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse

flara's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

Beloved tackles many difficult themes, given its historical context (black community post-American Civil War). This was rather mysterious and confusing read. I found the pace quite slow, which wasn't helped by the 'mystical' mood and language used throughout. I struggled to distinguish what line belonged to which character; if what was said was an actual line or if it was a description, and so on. 

I didn't go into this blindly. I knew the basic premise of the book and therefore had high expectations. I did not expect it to be about a ghost that haunts its dysfunctional family and later materialises in flesh (and then dissolves into thin air altogether at the very end).

Certain passages are quite graphic and potentially triggering for some. I suppose that the supernatural elements offset some of the cruelty, but it just wasn't the right fit for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Child death, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Murder, War, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

mayaschmerf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Racism

definitely_bs's review against another edition

I was spiraling into a depressive cycle and couldn't deal with it,

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Content Warnings

Minor: Blood, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Pregnancy, War, Rape, Slavery, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Death

sixl's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This book is a masterpiece. It has now become the standard for a 5 star rating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Slavery, Death, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual violence

eliterbees's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Child death, Murder, Violence, Mental illness, and Death

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Death, Torture, Violence, Rape, Slavery, Confinement, Grief, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Child death, and Medical content

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Self harm, Trafficking, Gun violence, War, Death of parent, Genocide, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, and Excrement

thebristolreader's review against another edition

challenging emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• 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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Child death, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Trafficking, Violence, Colonisation, Genocide, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Torture, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Grief, Sexual assault, and Slavery

annelihghh's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Slavery, Sexual content, Mental illness, Child death, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, and Racism

lindseyhall44'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

“And in all those escapes he could not help being astonished by the beauty of this land that was not his.”
I have been a reader since I first learned the skill, eventually swapping picture books for novels and poetry collections. While reading has exposed me to the beauty of stories many times before, never in my life has my perception of literature been completely transformed by a book. However, Beloved did just that. 
Morrison crafted an incredibly complex and stunning book, brimming with figurative elements and raw emotion. 
I am forever greatful for reading the genius of Toni Morrison and cannot wait to continue on with the rest of her work.
This is a new all time favorite.
*PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS! This is a very heavy and dark read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Confinement, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Physical abuse, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, War, Violence, Hate crime, Rape, and Sexual violence