11.6k reviews for:

Beloved

Toni Morrison

4.08 AVERAGE

dandelion413's review against another edition

4.5

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This book gave me a fantastic reminder of why I love reading outside of my comfort zone. I got a shameful amount through this book without it really hitting me. Sure, I was impressed with the prose and broadly interested in where the story was going, but I wasn't being blown away like how I expected to be. If I was just pursuing my own immediate pleasure to the furthest extent I would have dropped this book and picked up something in a lane I have traveled more heavily. But I stayed humble and let her cook. And my god did she cook. 

The chapter with Paul D in Georgia, chained to other slave men and digging through the mud was so visceral and evocative. And the following chapter of Baby Suggs earning her freedom, reflecting on it, and drawing the ire of her community after being the spiritual leader for the is one of the best things I have ever read. The views into slavery provided by this book just place such a heavy rock in the pit of my stomach. To experience the inhumanity and indignity of the institution through the rememories and trials faced by the survivors trying to create a life for themselves was so deeply affecting.

I am so happy I made myself sit with the unfamiliarity of this style, I would have really deprived myself otherwise. I can't wait to explore more of Morrison's work. 

espeonesque's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 4%

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The audiobook that I have access to was a really poor quality recording, I could not hear a thing. Will retry this in print. 

monica567's review against another edition

3.0

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It seems to me, as I read this novel, that Morrison's The Bluest Eye was not so difficult to read as Beloved is. Granted, I read the former in High School (it was one of my brother's assigned books for his english class). I'm going to try to finish it...but it appears it will be a struggle. EDIT: I'm deeper into the novel, and it did grab me. I can understand the style of Morrison's writing better now...the descriptions of slaves fucking cows because they could not get to Sethe, well...completely disgusting. I'll not change my rating, simply because there are several off-puting things about this novel that are hard to get past.

michelle_locdout's review against another edition

5.0

medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

carsonkrone's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ve_roni_cah00's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

beckylaxtonbass's review against another edition

3.75

dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

intomylibrary's review against another edition

3.0

dark reflective tense 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: Yes

isabellanevanlinna's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

thetmarshall's review against another edition

5.0

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