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ssummar's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexual harassment, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Death of parent, Infidelity, Rape, Grief, Hate crime, Sexual violence, Torture, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, and Slavery
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and War
inkyinky's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Hate crime, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
kelly_e's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Author: Toni Morrison
Series: Beloved Trilogy #1
Genre: Classic
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: September 16, 1987
T H R E E • W O R D S
Complex • Haunting • Brilliant
📖 S Y N O P S I S
Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
Sethe works at beating back the past, but it makes itself heard and felt incessantly in her memory and in the lives of those around her. When a mysterious teenage girl arrives, calling herself Beloved, Sethe’s terrible secret explodes into the present.
💭 T H O U G H T S
While scouring lists of challenged books to find something I hadn't yet read, Beloved stood out among the rest. While I have heard so many amazing and wonderful things about Morrison as a person, as well as her work, I had never read anything. I knew to be prepared for an unsettling and stunning story, but I don't think anything could have ever prepared me properly.
Morrison's storytelling is just phenomenal - combining history with a magical touch - the writing style is just so unique. Her prose is simply stunning. There were many times when I had to pause to re-read what I'd just read because it was so beautiful. Her descriptions of the imagery and use of metaphors are so poignant. The characters she creates are flawed and real. At it's core, this is a portrayal of mother/daughter relationships and generational trauma. Sethe is reliving her past, questioning her decisions. Her story evokes so much emotion.
What kept this from being a five-star read is the ending - I was left feeling underwhelmed. There's so much build up - heartache, trauma, life, - within the pages and it kind of just felt like it ended. Maybe that's because it's a trilogy, and I would get more of what I was wanting in those books, but it just didn't leave me satisfied considering everything else the rest of the book delivers.
I tandem read the audio, read by the author, along with a physical copy. I don't think I would have enjoyed the experience as much if I had done one or the other. Morrison's voice carries a level of emotion above the words on the page. I believe tandem reading is what allowed me to get the full grasp of the story, and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering picking it up.
Beloved was an uncomfortable read that required sharp focus and attention. One of those books that I wanted to slow down and savour, yet just wanted to keep going. Several times I had to set it aside in order to digest the heaviness - a certain reminder of how awful these years were. It's one of those important and impactful stories, told by one of of the greatest story tellers.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• classic enthusiasts
• readers looking for something impactful
• fans of beautiful writing
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Something that is loved is never lost."
"Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined."
"There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks."
"I don't care what she is. Grown don't mean a thing to a mother. A child is a child. They get bigger, older, but grown? What's that supposed to mean? In my heart it don't mean a thing."
Graphic: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Confinement, Abandonment, Slavery, Grief, Violence, Blood, Racism, Racial slurs, Gun violence, Hate crime, Death, Child death, Murder, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Rape, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Misogyny
Moderate: Child abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Body horror, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
definitely_bs's review against another edition
Minor: Blood, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Violence, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Pregnancy, War, Rape, Slavery, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Death
madddiebear's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Body horror, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Slavery, Violence, Child abuse, Child death, and Physical abuse
annelihghh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Slavery, Sexual content, Mental illness, Child death, Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Pregnancy, and Racism
batcaves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual assault, Child death, Colonisation, Classism, Sexual violence, Blood, Death, Dementia, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, and War
itslemoi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Rape, Racism, Slavery, Vomit, Torture, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Emotional abuse, Death, Classism, Child abuse, Child death, and Blood
jessthanthree's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Death, Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Slavery
Moderate: Sexual content and Classism