A review by jlye
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

This book is hard for me to rate. On one hand, I love Toni Morrison’s writing. It’s beautiful and poetic. I felt a connection to the Pecola’s longing for blue eyes, because I wished for the same when I was a child. The inferiority complex resulting from tying beauty to western standards - blond hair, blue eyes, pale skin - resonated with me and my own struggles with self-esteem growing up in a white-dominated society. However, I cannot look past the characterization of Soaphead Church,
particularly the implication that his pedophilia was the result of being a closeted homosexual.
 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings