A review by perenlop
Beloved by Toni Morrison

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Read this for class and really loved it. It's a very difficult read both due to the subject matter and how it's written, but very worth it if you can stomach it. The prose is beautiful and does a perfect job of being reflective and tense. Sethe is a very tragic protagonist and while the decisions she makes are horrifying, you fully understand how and why she came to be this way and know that at the end of the day she doesn't deserve it. Being vague of course, but read it for yourself. Again, if you can handle the subject matter, give it a chance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death of parent

This one is a Lot. It is upfront and brutal about its themes and can be very uncomfortable (which is the point).