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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an incredible book. We chose to read this for book club as it is one of the most commonly banned book in America. The story had so many metaphors it was an excellent choice for discussion. The author said in an interview that she wrote the book so that readers would get a richer understanding with a second read, and I am excited to follow her advice.
This was a very difficult book to read in many ways, but I would fully recommend.
This was a very difficult book to read in many ways, but I would fully recommend.
I had the sense of chewing dry biscuits while reading this. Emphasizes the evil cascades of enslaving and dehumanizing individuals.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This is my first time reading her work, and I'm now tagging life events as either BTM or ATM: Before Toni Morrison and After Toni Morrison
4.5 for me. This would have been a definitive five stars, but the ending took me out of this a bit. Otherwise, Toni Morrison knows how to craft a thoughtful story.
This book was intriguing, haunting, and downright creepy. Beloved left me unsettled and was a beautiful commentary about the past that haunts us- in this case slavery and the actions that trauma drove us to do. The end was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read and I definitely teared up. Beloved will be a book I continually return to and treasure.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
Sometimes I complain that a book is not deep enough and then Toni Morrison deliveres Beloved. One of the deepest books I’ve ever read. The writing is incredible and the story is as deep as you want to take it. So much to unpack! The only reason it wasn’t a 5 star book is that it was difficult to follow with lots of flashbacks and a style that was a struggle at times to understand. One chapter in particular made no sense to me. It probably says more about me than about the writer. It felt almost like a fever dream.