A review by thepurplebookwyrm
Beloved by Toni Morrison

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

3.0

I didn't know Beloved was going to be magical realism with freaking 'stream of consciousness' sections when I picked it up... and I really disliked that. There was good, poignant writing on slavery, racism, trauma and its impact on love, motherhood and selfhood, but the theming this wove into felt really messy. The POV transitions were very rough, the narrative needlessly confusing in places, and I was just irritated, not moved, by the whole 'ghost baby' thing – and the to-me rather clumsy metaphor of it all. Not my cup of tea at all, in terms of style, which is a shame because the raw substance of this novel was pretty good.
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