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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Besides The depth of the story and the smart choice of form and genre to convey the tragedy in its national, societal, and familial levels, I fell in love with the prose. I only wish the audiobook were available in a version other than “narrated by the author”. Yes, it’s nice to hear the amazing Toni Morrison read her masterpiece, one paragraph of it, one page at most. Her old, tired voice was certainly not the best choice for recording the whole book. Or at least, give those of us who think so another option.
this is my first toni morrison book and my god this was amazing. forever will be embedded within me and will be one of my go-to re-reads. toni morrison's writing was so captivating and grounded, and it's one of the classics that stood the test of time.
the story is about a woman who had gone through the trenches of life. it's narrative gives you a full view of the horrors of slavery, misogyny, and the complex relationships of the characters. to also read about the mental strains of the characters had due their past that kept haunting them was incredibly heart wrenching that you can't help but sympathize with them even if their actions were so appalling, you couldn't fault them at all.
i couldnt put this book down, even when i was in the office. it's worth to mention to that the ending gave me actual nightmare, it did shock me a bit. such a fantastic book, im looking forward to read more of toni morrison's works!
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personal note:
my partner got so scared when i described him the ending, given that we're living together now, he had an earful of the story too every night and that TOO disturbed him. fun times.
the story is about a woman who had gone through the trenches of life. it's narrative gives you a full view of the horrors of slavery, misogyny, and the complex relationships of the characters. to also read about the mental strains of the characters had due their past that kept haunting them was incredibly heart wrenching that you can't help but sympathize with them even if their actions were so appalling, you couldn't fault them at all.
i couldnt put this book down, even when i was in the office. it's worth to mention to that the ending gave me actual nightmare, it did shock me a bit. such a fantastic book, im looking forward to read more of toni morrison's works!
-
personal note:
my partner got so scared when i described him the ending, given that we're living together now, he had an earful of the story too every night and that TOO disturbed him. fun times.
dark
mysterious
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
Damn, I'm not even sure how to describe this beautifully written, dark novel. I started with the audio version (it was available sooner at the library), but realized right away that this book needs to be read, not listened to. So I started over with the hard cover when it arrived. Yes, it's a book about slaves and slave owners, and yes, there is a haunting involved, but that doesn't begin to describe it. The plot is nonlinear, so it takes some work to get into, especially at the beginning, but it is well worth it. There's so much packed into less than 300 pages that I already know I must have missed some nuances, and I will definitely have to read it again in the near future.
challenging
dark
emotional
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
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Very disturbing but masterfully written.
This book was beautiful and deep, though completely sorrowful. It wasn't what I was expecting; up to this point I'd only read The Bluest Eye, which had a narrower scope and lacked the magical realism of Beloved.
I wish I had read this book in a class because I feel like I have missed some things. The important point though - that slavery is a trauma that goes on unhealed from one generation to the next and is a wound on this nation that continues to bleed was not lost on me. It has left me with a lot to think about.