Reviews with content warning for Racism - Recitatif

I thoroughly enjoyed both Smith’s essay and Morrison’s only short story. Both made me think about what I would consider Blackness and Whiteness in the case of the two main characters and made me see race in a totally different light than before I read this book.

btw, i think twyla is white and roberta is black.

Content Warnings

dexlud's review against another edition

Go to review page

hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

I read Recitatif as an introduction to Toni Morrison’s work, and I wasn’t disappointed! This book was really well written and I really enjoyed how the story was portrayed and the set of characters, who all had flaws and all had perks.

Content Warnings

larseneiii's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious fast-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

Content Warnings

alisonfaith426's review against another edition

Go to review page

mysterious tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character

5.0

Content Warnings

aishallnot's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging mysterious reflective

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

"Two little girls who knew what nobody else in the world knew—how not to ask questions. How to believe what had to be believed. There was politeness in that reluctance and generosity as well. Is your mother sick too? No, she dances all night. Oh—and an understanding nod."

This was my first toni morrison read finishing from cover to cover and I gotta say this was a pretty decent read. I didn't mind that this was short but this is a book with some questions I have but also an understanding of the themes in this story and how we see identity. I kinda have my theory on which person is what race but I think with "what the hell happened to maggie" line just adds many layers to this among other things.

Content Warnings

mx_sunshine's review against another edition

Go to review page

reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

This was very interesting. I’ll definitely be reading more from Toni Morrison. I love her writing style.
My favourite part was about the signs. Very tense. I’ve never read such an open ended story.
Zadie Smith’s introduction was very insightful but it unfortunately shaped my thoughts on the story before I had a chance to read it.

Content Warnings

silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging reflective sad slow-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

4.0

An intriguing read, and a nice introduction to Toni Morrison, which actually made me interested to read more by her for the first time.

Note: I skipped the introduction and read it after the story, and I'm glad I did, as it really would have spoiled the story and my getting to experience it for the first time as a story.

Content Warnings

orangeoverload's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This is a tale of race, memory and friendship. But the twist? Which woman is black and which woman is white.
At points, I thought that I had it figured out; only for their races to switch after a certain piece of dialogue. And what are these decisions to switch based on. Facts? Stereotypes? My own biases and what I think to be back and white? It was fascinating.
Zadie Smiths introduction was a great read too, though I would read it after reading the main story, and it spoils it massively.

Content Warnings

More...