Beloved

Rating:
Summary: One step above monotonous
Review: Yes, Toni Morrison is an American icon. And I'm probably blaspheming when I say this, but the audio tape of BELOVED, which I tried playing as I drove to and from work, is a menace to society. I had to turn it off--could have killed someone else or myself. I found it that hypnotic. Morrison's voice is sort of a forced whisper. Dare I say a monotone? The story itself is all right, but I found it rather uninspired. Obviously the author has an axe to grind about the way African-Americans were treated in the days of slavery (whom among us wouldn't, especially those of African heritage?), but I thought the artifice of using a ghost as a means of addressing the evils of slavery rather far-fetched. In a lot of ways, I think it detracted from the harsh reality that caused the apparition (a child who died as a result of the sick practice of slavery), to exist in the first place. I don't mind a plot with twists and turns, but this book takes forever to get anywhere, drags us through countless descriptive brier-patches, over a virtual nine-man's morris just to arrive at a point we can see before we start the circuitous journey.

I like poetry as much as anyone, and admire the judicious use of it in a novel, but hour after hour of it, especially whispered at the listener with little variance of tone or pitch, is better off played at bedtime as a substitute for counting sheep than in a moving vehicle.

Rating:
Summary: one of Morrison's finest books
Review: As a a high school English teacher, I've reread this book about 8 times and have taught it over the years to many students. Although it's certainly a complex novel, it's basic storyline is not hard to follow -- just the narrative style which shifts voices quite a bit. One thing that helps when reading anything by Morrison, but especially Beloved, is to remember that she herself is a classicist. Do yourself a favor and read the Medea myth -- you will suddenly understand 100 times more than you would if you skip it. I would also recommend NOT watching the movie, particularly if you are looking for explanations. Parts were well done, but the book is so rich that it seems mean to lower the dignity of the prose by showing private scenes. It's an incredibly rich and lyric novel with strains of Morrison's rendition of a kind of Magic Realism style. Don't expect everything to be realistic: there are ghosts and half painted characters that cross our normal boundaries of time. Expect to be disoriented at the beginning, but the plot clears up as you go and then you can go back and re-read the opening chapters. A great work of literature which yields more after every reading.

Rating:
Summary: difficult
Review: I have a very difficult time understanding Toni Morrison's style of writing. Since I could't understand her style I couldn't enjoy the content.I ended up returning it to the library without finishing it because it was horribly over due. I just couldn't bring myself to finish reading it.

Rating:
Summary: beloved
Review: Toni Morrison's "Beloved" was first published in 1987. This novel was set after the Civil War in Cincinnati, Ohio. This is the story about Sethe, an escaped slave, and her family. She survives so much, but when her "dead" child appears into her life, and then disappears just as quickly, she just cannot manage that. Paul D., a friend and former slave, might be her only salvation. This unique novel combines imagination and truths of history and still remains a popular novel through the millenium, speaking to the past of some terrible and so great circumstances. "Beloved" won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. - Doreen Baumgartner

Rating:
Summary: Say What?
Review: As a first year college student, I found Beloved to be a very difficult book to read under time restrictions. To fully appreciate this novel one must be willing to read it numerous times. The content itself was excellent and I found the plot of the story to be very interesting. The story forces the reader to ask theirself many questions with no concete answers. Make sure to pay close attention for the flashbacks, they can really come out of left field.

Rating:
Summary: A Flawless work by this era's best writer
Review: every now and again, i am fortunate enough to find a book that can touch me on an emotional level while captivating me intellectually. Beloved is by far the best book i have ever been privelaged to read as it fulfills both of the above requirments. Morrison's use of unusual diction is the perfect tool to tell a truely unique and heartbreaking story. In the most fascinating chapter of the novel, the title character begins narrating in a stream of conscience that leaves the reader in complete awe of Morrison's raw power. Every generation has an author that will go into history and will be forever taught in English classes across the nation; i am certain that Morrison is our generation's Hurston or Steinbeck. Her ability as a writer and storyteller is unquestionably proven in this beautifuly disturbing work.

Rating:
Summary: Greatest Love
Review: I had the great opportunity to read Beloved about a year ago. Its descriptive, detailed writing was only a hint of the talent and skill that she has. The love that Sethe, the main character had for her children was the most intriguing love story that I have ever read. Toni's sensitivity towards Sethe's character made me compelled to understand her as an African-American, a woman, and a mother. Originally, I judged Sethe for her descision, but as the story line progressed, I began to see myself in this woman, this mother and understood her descision to take the lives of her children as well as her own for the sake of freedom. I believe that God has truly blessed Toni and I hope she continues to bless great lovers of literature with her writing.

Rating:
Summary: beloved
Review: When I first read this book, I didn't quite understand it. After I did reports on it did I finally come to realize the true power of Toni Morrison's words. Her book tells of one woman going through her life as a slave and then as an escapee. The decisions that the main character had to make were heartbraking, including the decision to kill her own daughter to save her from a life of slavery. The way Toni Morrison wrote the story with flash backs of the characters past really help me understand what emotion the characters were feeling and the time. This book has powerful thoughts and emotions about a very touchy time in our history, and I think Toni Morrison did a very good job in writing a story that tells of the past from a certian womans point of view that most people would over look.

Rating:
Summary: "Beloved, who was not beloved"
Review: It has been over a decade since the end of the Civil War, and even longer since the brutal slaying of an innocent child. Everyone has forgotten about the young babe, but the slayer's barbaric image still lingers fresh on the minds of observers and only grows fresher when the infant's ghost returns to haunt her mother's home. Sethe and her only remaining child, Denver, have grown accustomed to the always-present sense of evil that floats bitterly through their home. All of that changes though, when Paul D, an old friend, arrives unexpectedly at Sethe's door and scares the infant away with his rage over the constant injustices in life. For a single mother and former slave, who has lost all of her children but one, and who is constantly plagued by the haunting memory of her past, this liberation proves to be the gift of life. That is until, Beloved, a mysterious girl with no one else in the world, and who seems to know everything about Sethe, appears suddenly and re-imprisons Sethe's joy.

Through the feeling created on Sethe and Denver's livelihood, by the infant's ghost, and by Beloved, Morrison leaves the reader with a sense of an aggressive authority fixedly breaking the life of a less omnipotent figure. During Sethe's fugitive days when her former master hunted her like a hungry savage, Sethe attempted to save her four children by unmercifully killing them. Although a lasting memory, all her efforts were unsuccessful except one, her eldest daughter, who was only a little over one year old at the time, perished during Sethe's brutal rage. While the child was alive, Sethe constantly feared the presence and power of white authority, but the moment that the child's last breath rolled from her lips, that authority faded away like a forgotten dream. As Sethe and her surviving family painstakingly moved on with their lives, an evil, lonely and unwanted presence moved in to their home, and although, with the death of her baby, the physical authority, had disappeared, the threat lingered on in their minds, when the ghost arrived. Their joy was never quite satisfied; it was as if it was always shaded over by a somber shadow, the sun never shone on their souls. That is until, one bright day, Paul D, an old acquaintance, suddenly appeared, like an angel, on Sethe's porch and, distraught by the constant and never ending challenges blacks have been plagued with, wrathfully breaks out, and chases out the infant's ghost. As soon as the presence has left, it is like a giant weight was lifted off of Denver and Sethe's shoulder, their joy finally radiates from all of the dark shaded years it was quieted. For the first time since Sethe was had her child, and for the first time in Denver's life, they are bursting with joy. The removal of the ghost removed any of their lingering fears of white authority, or any other powerful master figure. Unfortunately, the baby returns, not as a ghost this time, but as a mysterious young woman who is lost in the world, but whom both Sethe and Denver feel attracted to by something deep inside them which they cannot control. This mysterious girl, Beloved, they can not see it themselves, but removes the light and happiness which has shone in them for this short time, her presence entraps them, and at the same time separates them from one another. So, just as the feeling of authoritative threat vanished with the infant, it returned. Beloved and the baby are like government officials, when they have spent a considerable length of time monitoring one place, and they feel that they have scare the people enough that they no longer feel that their presence is needed to enforce the law, they move on. For a while, that threat lingers, and the fear stands in people's minds, until, one day, a person who is has not yet made the acquaintance of these officials, arrives and gives rebirth to the people's joy. It is then evident that they are not longer weaker than their government, and that they too can have fun, but it is when the officials return, that it is the hardest. The harder people resist the authority, the harder they will fall when they break anew. That is what happened to Paul D. Beloved was blunt towards him, and when she over powered him, she broke him for good. So, Morrison leaves the reader with a sense of over empowerment by an invisible force through the characters of Beloved and the infant's ghost.

Beloved, was my first Toni Morrison novel, and I loved it. I strongly recommend this labyrinth of thoughts and emotions to all readers. This is especially appealing to those who have an affection for the abstract thoughts and the potent imagination of great minds in our world.

Rating:
Summary: Confusing Foolish Fiction
Review: This book is really disturbing and filled with emotional persuassion which has no basis in fact. It is very hard to understand and is not worth the read. If a child wrote a book like this - they would probably get hauled off to iron bars for being psychotic. The book is not interesting. If you really want to find out about it - watch the movie. This book is a political sham of fictitious events & emotions.