A review by makayla_muir
Beloved by Toni Morrison

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • 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

This is definitely a book I'm going to re-read at some point. I just know it is one that I am going to continue thinking about for a long time. I found this book to be eye-opening and so full of depth and complexity (hence why I want to come back to it - even when I've just finished reading it). There were chapters and sections of this that absolutely enraptured me, especially the scenes where Sethe is describing the 'whitegirl' in the field who helped her birth Denver, or Paul D after leaving 124 and living in the cellar, or Baby Suggs' celebrations in the field - I could keep going for a while. Why I'm not rating this higher is simply the writing style which I've had a problem with in the past when reading Morrison's work, it just doesn't always gel with me, but in saying that, I enjoyed her writing here much more than I have previously. I oftentimes found it exquisite - a perfect mix of poetic, lyrical, flowery and restrained, clear, and authentic. I am looking forward to re-reading this to see what I pick up on that I may have missed (I know there will be a lot) on this first reading.   
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