A review by froon
Jazz by Toni Morrison

4.5

you know when a book is so well-written that it makes you want to write again? that’s how i feel reading jazz. morrison is so skilled at capturing emotion in such economical lines. they are quick bursts of brilliance, frequent and breathtaking.

the story itself was also engaging. i LOVED! violet’s character so much, especially her relationship with alice manfred. i could’ve read a whole book about just the two of them⏤which makes me think i need to reread sula soon. 

the standout moments were the point of view shifts—violet, joe, and felice were amazing. however, the reason i’m giving this four stars instead of five is because there were moments that dragged a bit for me (sorry golden gray…). i didn’t find myself engaged through all the chapters, especially when we deviated from the main characters of the story.

one last shoutout goes to the exploration of parenthood. it was the strongest theme for me (even stronger than love) and was so resonate and complex without being heavy handed. 

overall, i went in knowing i would love this. and, surprise, i loved it. thank you, toni morrison, for reminding me why i was an english major.

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