Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

28 reviews

flara's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

3.0

Beloved tackles many difficult themes, given its historical context (black community post-American Civil War). This was rather mysterious and confusing read. I found the pace quite slow, which wasn't helped by the 'mystical' mood and language used throughout. I struggled to distinguish what line belonged to which character; if what was said was an actual line or if it was a description, and so on. 

I didn't go into this blindly. I knew the basic premise of the book and therefore had high expectations. I did not expect it to be about a ghost that haunts its dysfunctional family and later materialises in flesh (and then dissolves into thin air altogether at the very end).

Certain passages are quite graphic and potentially triggering for some. I suppose that the supernatural elements offset some of the cruelty, but it just wasn't the right fit for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Child death, Blood, and Body horror

Moderate: Grief, Rape, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death, Murder, War, Abandonment, and Adult/minor relationship

zeligcromwell's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, Body horror, Abandonment, Child death, Sexual violence, and Torture

mayaschmerf's review

challenging dark emotional reflective 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Grief, Mental illness, Child death, Death, Blood, Body horror, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, and Racism

joanabryant's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Body horror, Slavery, Violence, Child death, Colonisation, and Hate crime

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

fiveapplesstall's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual violence, Body horror, Rape, Slavery, Racism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

madddiebear's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

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

samarakroeger's review

challenging dark emotional 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

I respect the hell out of this book but I did not particularly enjoy actually reading it.  definitely a book I’m glad I read and it is certainly an important work in the Western canon but I was miserable and confused. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Death, Racism, Slavery, and Rape

razorfangz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

Read this for class and really loved it. It's a very difficult read both due to the subject matter and how it's written, but very worth it if you can stomach it. The prose is beautiful and does a perfect job of being reflective and tense. Sethe is a very tragic protagonist and while the decisions she makes are horrifying, you fully understand how and why she came to be this way and know that at the end of the day she doesn't deserve it. Being vague of course, but read it for yourself. Again, if you can handle the subject matter, give it a chance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual violence, Body horror, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Death of parent, and Animal cruelty

This one is a Lot. It is upfront and brutal about its themes and can be very uncomfortable (which is the point).

mle11's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Violence, Child death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Animal cruelty and War

Minor: Alcohol

katia23's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Slavery