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miaaa_lenaaa 's review for:
Beloved
by Toni Morrison
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
ngl i was very confused for the first 60 pages, i feel like she has a very specific writing style that moves between narrators and time period without announcing it which can make it hard to get into but i actually really enjoyed that after i got into the rhythm. I like that a lot of stories/background are opened briefly in one chapter by a character and then explained in full by another character at a later point, it works rly well for a slow reveal. but yeah basically i rly love she writes and i think the length (tho a bit scary when youre 30 pgs in have no clue whats happening) was perfect
also the way she contrast the horror with little moments of like, sunlight?, like happiness (the iceskating or shadows holding hands etc) was so so so wonderful
'"its gonna hurt, now," said Amy. "Anything dead coming back to life hurts."'
'it never looked as terrible as it was and it made her wonder if hell was a pretty place too'
'she swallowed twice to prepare for the telling, to construct out of the strings she had heard all her life a net to hold Beloved'
'she will forgo the most violent of sunsets, stars as fat as dinner plates and all the blood of autumn and settle for the palest yellow if it comes from her Beloved.'
'Paul D believed he smiled back but his face was so cold he wasn't sure'
'He could not say to this woman who did not squint in the wind, "I am not a man."'
'He knew exactly what she meant: to get to a place where you could love anything you chose- not to need permission for desire- well now, that was freedom'
'How fast had he moved from his shame to hers. From his cold-house secret straight to her too-thick love.'
'The world is in this room. This here's all there is and all there needs to be.'
'I couldn't lay down nowhere in peace, back then. Now I can. I can sleep like the drowned, have mercy.'
also the way she contrast the horror with little moments of like, sunlight?, like happiness (the iceskating or shadows holding hands etc) was so so so wonderful
'"its gonna hurt, now," said Amy. "Anything dead coming back to life hurts."'
'it never looked as terrible as it was and it made her wonder if hell was a pretty place too'
'she swallowed twice to prepare for the telling, to construct out of the strings she had heard all her life a net to hold Beloved'
'she will forgo the most violent of sunsets, stars as fat as dinner plates and all the blood of autumn and settle for the palest yellow if it comes from her Beloved.'
'Paul D believed he smiled back but his face was so cold he wasn't sure'
'He could not say to this woman who did not squint in the wind, "I am not a man."'
'He knew exactly what she meant: to get to a place where you could love anything you chose- not to need permission for desire- well now, that was freedom'
'How fast had he moved from his shame to hers. From his cold-house secret straight to her too-thick love.'
'The world is in this room. This here's all there is and all there needs to be.'
'I couldn't lay down nowhere in peace, back then. Now I can. I can sleep like the drowned, have mercy.'
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury