Reviews tagging 'Adult/minor relationship'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

23 reviews

kylieqrada's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

Another book that I am woefully inept to review. Toni Morrison's books are modern classics, but Beloved is... transcendent. I guess I will start by saying that I don't do ghost stories. I am at a point in my life where I know what freaks me out and I don't need to expose myself to those things. This is most certainly a ghost story (not a spoiler, it's in the synopsis). And the ghost is scary. She's not a nice ghost. No Caspers here. However, I didn't feel the need to put this book down or not read it before bed at any point. I wasn't scared by the ghost. The rest of the story on the other hand... It's almost as though Ms. Morrison was trying to contrast the horrors of slave life with the horrors of living with a violent poltergeist. And for Sethe and Denver, the horrors and consequences of slave life were so, so much worse. There were innumerable other themes and topics explored in this book, and the narrative style was very unique, in Ms. Morrison's classic way. It took me much longer than usual to read a book of this length, due to the incredible complexity of the work and the different facets to explore. I'm sure I'm missing so much, but what I did grasp, I will be thinking about and ruminating on for a long time.  

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Mental illness

sunpuddles's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ writing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ insightfulness
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ readability
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ plot development
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ character
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ pace

Beloved is a true classic. This was a re-read for me, but all the memories of reading it in college came swarming back as I turn the pages. Toni Morrison has such a voice and gives her character such a voice. She is really able to give a mood and feeling to the scenes with her prose and cadence. She uses repetition so often and to great effect, turning the words into such beautiful poetry at times; creating an ambiance beyond the actual words themselves. Beloved is also such a heartbreaking story. The brutality of slavery and how it broke so many men and women it’s shown in graphic details to the powerful stories of the characters. Sethe’s story of killing her baby is appalling, and yet you still sympathize with the choice and understand how she could feel like she had no other. So many stories of being broken and putting yourself back together. I loved Paul D’s words “You your best thing.” They could help each other, but had to do it on their own too. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Violence

alisazhup's review against another edition

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

• 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Genocide, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Slavery