Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

16 reviews

madddiebear's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse

coco_5's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

this book is an amazing piece of literature. a classic. a tragic story

that does end in a hopeful light

stunning writing, reads like poetry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Grief, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Hate crime, Racism, Torture, Sexual violence, Blood, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death of parent, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

Moderate: Toxic friendship

Minor: Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, and War

orlagal's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Violence, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Murder

brennach's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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: Child death, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual content

sweetmusic22's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was the first time I've ever read any of Toni Morrisson's work. I've always been told that her work is beautiful but challenging (mentally, emotionally, and physically). By the time I got to start reading the book, it had taken me a while before I could really grasp Beloved's themes. 

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). 

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Content Warnings

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

nora__reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

A study in the fragmentation of the self when subjected to slavery, a polemic condemning the practice of slavery, a prose poem, myth making, as radical and heartbreaking as it is beautiful.  
I listened to the audio book narrated by Toni Morrison herself, giving the story an added depth of emotion. I want to read the physical copy so I can highlight and mark it up in the places I loved. 
A book everyone should read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Child death, Blood, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape