Reviews tagging 'Pedophilia'

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

664 reviews

alex_sambucetti's review against another edition

2.5

dark informative sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Classism

nivologie's review against another edition

4.75

dark reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Rape

karmanthea's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment

josiemac_reads's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia

Moderate: Animal death, Miscarriage

shashava's review against another edition

3.0

challenging dark sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This book was a heavy read. And after having read it, it feels even heavier. Although an interesting idea, using multiple narrators sometimes made me lose sight of the main plot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Pedophilia

james_siebs's review against another edition

3.0

dark emotional sad fast-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

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This is a really difficult book to review. I loved Beloved and The Bluest Eye is definitely not as good comparatively. The subject matter is also extremely difficult.
I think it’s interesting that the story is told from multiple different perspectives, but I feel that the way it was done caused us to lose a bit of Pecola’s perspective and life. However, Morrison is the best at depicting racism in literature - the way she uses the baby doll and the desire for blue eyes, along with the interactions between characters, is extremely effective. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Racism

de23's review against another edition

3.75

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I know this is a well-written and important book, but so tough to read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Death of parent

kschul724's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence

vaneshortforvanessa's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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I finished this book three weeks ago and I’m still chewing on some of the passages. Beautiful, revolting, memorable. In disbelief that I haven’t read more of Morrison’s works as this may be the best book I’ve read in 2025 so far. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Classism

adiereadsbooks's review against another edition

4.75

challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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After reading the The Bluest Eye, I can see why Toni Morrison received a Nobel Prize in Literature. This is a book everyone should read at least once. At first it was hard to grasp due to the beautiful writing style and change in perspective but by the end Toni paints a full picture of Pecola and those in her life. Pecola is a child  and is a representation of how it is possible for someone to feel their race is inferior and society as a whole has let her down. The additional perspectives of Pecola just makes her story even more horrid, I empathized and felt disgusted at various perspectives. But mostly I was just sad that a child would want to be any different that who she is. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Alcohol, Classism