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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
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
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
absolutely brilliant, transporting, and deserving of its praise as one of the greatest works of fiction to emerge from america
this was my second time reading "beloved" and i found it even more rewarding than the first
this was my second time reading "beloved" and i found it even more rewarding than the first
"Me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow."
Based on a real-life news article, Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning Beloved is about Sethe, a woman who escaped slavery, and when she was about to be captured, killed one and attempted to kill the rest of her children so that they would not have to endure its horrors. Eighteen years later, she lives in Ohio with her ever-conflicted daughter Denver and the ghost of the baby she killed. When a man from her past comes back, the ghost seems to have disappeared, but then a mysterious young woman shows up claiming the same name as the ghost: Beloved.
Before I get into discussing the content of this amazing book, I'd like to point out that I listened to the audiobook of this and I do not recommend it. I picked it because it was narrated by the author and that usually brings something to the narrative, but 1) the version I got was extremely quiet, so it was easier than usual to miss something, and 2) the narrative style of this, drifting from character to character or time to time, can become more confusing than usual when you inevitably miss something. I fully intend to read more Toni Morrison, and I hope one day to revisit this in print so that I can absorb it fully. I really feel like this impacted my reading experience negatively, ergo the 4-star rating.
Any discussion I could have wouldn't do this book justice (partially because of the above reason, but also because I'm not in Scholar Mode). This book is intelligently done; it has the one main timeline of Paul D arriving at 124 to see Sethe, but nearly half the narrative is in the past as characters reflect upon their own experiences, many of them shared but experienced differently. We float between characters and are shown the different perspectives all of them have on their situations and on life. Slavery is a large part of this; we often see time characters spent as slaves and we circle Sethe's escape for the entire novel. The author shows how it permeates the characters' experiences, even in Denver, who was born during Sethe's escape. The supernatural element of Beloved appearing at the doorstep was so deeply metaphorical; I never knew what to think about her and I'm not sure I'm supposed to. Morrison's prose was probably my favorite part. There were quite a few metaphors and turns of phrase that struck me hard throughout, one that comes to mind was in Paul D's perspective when Life is compared to a flirt who never fulfills her promises. I want to do more studying on this book and its meaning to try to piece together some things I missed in this first pass. Highly recommend.
Based on a real-life news article, Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning Beloved is about Sethe, a woman who escaped slavery, and when she was about to be captured, killed one and attempted to kill the rest of her children so that they would not have to endure its horrors. Eighteen years later, she lives in Ohio with her ever-conflicted daughter Denver and the ghost of the baby she killed. When a man from her past comes back, the ghost seems to have disappeared, but then a mysterious young woman shows up claiming the same name as the ghost: Beloved.
Before I get into discussing the content of this amazing book, I'd like to point out that I listened to the audiobook of this and I do not recommend it. I picked it because it was narrated by the author and that usually brings something to the narrative, but 1) the version I got was extremely quiet, so it was easier than usual to miss something, and 2) the narrative style of this, drifting from character to character or time to time, can become more confusing than usual when you inevitably miss something. I fully intend to read more Toni Morrison, and I hope one day to revisit this in print so that I can absorb it fully. I really feel like this impacted my reading experience negatively, ergo the 4-star rating.
Any discussion I could have wouldn't do this book justice (partially because of the above reason, but also because I'm not in Scholar Mode). This book is intelligently done; it has the one main timeline of Paul D arriving at 124 to see Sethe, but nearly half the narrative is in the past as characters reflect upon their own experiences, many of them shared but experienced differently. We float between characters and are shown the different perspectives all of them have on their situations and on life. Slavery is a large part of this; we often see time characters spent as slaves and we circle Sethe's escape for the entire novel. The author shows how it permeates the characters' experiences, even in Denver, who was born during Sethe's escape. The supernatural element of Beloved appearing at the doorstep was so deeply metaphorical; I never knew what to think about her and I'm not sure I'm supposed to. Morrison's prose was probably my favorite part. There were quite a few metaphors and turns of phrase that struck me hard throughout, one that comes to mind was in Paul D's perspective when Life is compared to a flirt who never fulfills her promises. I want to do more studying on this book and its meaning to try to piece together some things I missed in this first pass. Highly recommend.
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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:
Complicated
unless i read something really mind blowing, this is my favorite book of the year. i checked out a copy from the library and borrowed my girlfriend’s copy once i ran out of renewals, but once i have the shelf space i’d love to have a copy of my own. her personification is unlike anything i’ve read before. shadows hold hands, trees guide paul to freedom, and a house is filled with vengeance