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A review by booksjessreads
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I feel like any words I could write about any Toni Morrison book could never do her work justice.
This book was not what I was fully expecting, and I think this made me appreciate it more. Told from multiple points of view and through a seasonal perspective of the events Pecola ensures, it details the complexity of the ways in which beauty, culture, poverty, colourism and sexism intertwine.
I think the things that have completely astounded me about this novel is its purpose and its language. What I love about this, is that Morrison tells the story in a structured way, allowing us to understand the psychological motivations and histories of the characters. She shows us that the characters should not be excused for their behaviour, but simply showing us what made the characters the way that they are. In her forward and afterword, Morrison mentions how she wanted to fragment the chapters into different perspectives, seasons etc. and allow the reader to piece the story together. Whilst she looks in retrospect and felt this didn't work for the novel, I think it works well and made the novel effective.
This novel is short but it is packed with so much heavy content. It is beautifully written - each sentence flows into one another. I don't think I have read lyrical writing quite like this. There is a lot that is packed into its 212 pages, but I appreciated every page and the story and messages told through her work. I am highly anticipated her other novels and am eager to get into them.
This book was not what I was fully expecting, and I think this made me appreciate it more. Told from multiple points of view and through a seasonal perspective of the events Pecola ensures, it details the complexity of the ways in which beauty, culture, poverty, colourism and sexism intertwine.
I think the things that have completely astounded me about this novel is its purpose and its language. What I love about this, is that Morrison tells the story in a structured way, allowing us to understand the psychological motivations and histories of the characters. She shows us that the characters should not be excused for their behaviour, but simply showing us what made the characters the way that they are. In her forward and afterword, Morrison mentions how she wanted to fragment the chapters into different perspectives, seasons etc. and allow the reader to piece the story together. Whilst she looks in retrospect and felt this didn't work for the novel, I think it works well and made the novel effective.
This novel is short but it is packed with so much heavy content. It is beautifully written - each sentence flows into one another. I don't think I have read lyrical writing quite like this. There is a lot that is packed into its 212 pages, but I appreciated every page and the story and messages told through her work. I am highly anticipated her other novels and am eager to get into them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Rape, Violence, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Excrement, Pregnancy, and Abandonment