Beloved

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Summary: Beloved
Review: I kept hoping that it would get better

Rating:
Summary: Infuriating but beautiful
Review: I would never have finished this book if it was not a prescribed text on my literature degree. This isn't to say its bad. When you actually know whats going on it is a moving account of American slavery. I think it depends of what kind of reader you are. If when you read books you value the challenge of an author who is providing a text which will infuriate and confound you at times, then you will appreciate this book. On the other hand if you believe (as I do) that the is nothing clever in writing a book that is non-linear to the point of spoiling your enjoyment, then you should stay away unless you have a deep intrest in the subject matter. Saying this on completion the is a perverse pleasure in finishing a book like this and no doubt repeat readings of this book will be more enjoyable as the reader knows whats going on.

I'm glad I read it and some of the writing is excellent. I just know I wouldn't have bothered if I hadn't had to. Worth it if you've got the patience.

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Summary: Lingers within your mind
Review: Beloved is the sort of book that lingers within your mind long after you finish reading the last page. Beloved is a puzzle-read. The pieces slowly form a picture---sometimes even a blurry one. It is not an easy read, but is a challenging one at that, weaving together a host of complex details and a magnitude of emotions.

I had to read several passages in their entirety several times to truly grasp their contents--basically because the story line is difficult to fathom. Sethe's sufferings and pains, her dillusionary visions, her emotional sacrifices, and her never ending ability to love are so forcefully explicit in Beloved.

The mind is a labyrith of ideas. The heart is a labyrith of emotions. Beloved is a labyrith of both.

Rating:
Summary: Gold
Review: This book is precious. Toni Morrison did not win the Nobel for no good reason; you just have to be willing to discover that reason. If you are expecting Roots or The Color Purple, don't bother; this book will throw you. I read it unprepared for it's lightning-sharp observation and non-linear style, but it grew to be my second favorite book of all time (One Hundred Years of Solitude being the first). This woman is a genius. She is single-handedly redefining literature as we know it. She is not a Faulkner rip-off- she is her own category, and it's a great one. I think she's the best thing America has going right now.

This book is a puzzle. It IS confusing, it IS hard, and it is like nothing you've ever read. Haunting is the best way I can think to describe it. PLEASE give this book a chance. It will give its rewards in strange and unexpected ways, and it is all worth it.

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Summary: Difficult and confusing, sometimes frustrating
Review: I prefer a straight story that gets to the point and makes it. This book leaves questions unanswered and confuses the reader with too much detail. Little by little, the author reveals secrets, but the whole time I was reading, I kept thinking, "What's going on? What's happening? Is it a dream or is it real life? Who is this guy? What does this even have to do with the main story? What does this mean? Was the ghost really her daughter, Beloved? What really happened at the end?" I had to keep going back to reread chapters because it stopped making sense several times. I suggest a study guide, literary criticism, and/or a book club discussion for the reader rather trying to tackle this alone. That way, you won't miss what the author is trying to transmit. The worst part to read is the scene in the barn when Sethe is assaulted. It is only one example given in Beloved of the truly horrifying things that occurred during slavery, America's most degrading legacy to the world. Don't even try to watch the movie without having read the book because the background is necessary to understand the nightmare. I prefer Paradise and Jazz which also do that time shifting and symbolism thing, but the content is not so horrifying.

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Summary: An incredible, emotional ride.
Review: Beloved. Well what can I say. I'd have to begin by saying it is an incredibly difficult and confusing book. To enjoy this book you have to want to read it, and to be a good reader. It is about Sethe, an escaped slave, who is haunted by her dead baby daughter Beloved. It is a very disturbing book which really effected me as the reader. It is almost unbelievable simply because you don't want to believe the horror of what the black slaves went through, but also because of the haunting. It is filled with many spiritual ideas, symbolism and hidden meanings which make it a challenging but delightful read. It took me quite a long time to read but it kept me really intruiged and amazed. It is very sad, not depressing as some have said, but really plays with the emotions. It is full of dispair and a thread of hoplessness runs throughout the book, however it is eventually uplifting. It made me think, long and hard, which is what a good book does. It is important for such things, such as the horror of slavery to be remembered, and it is great that it can be remembered in such an incredibl book.

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Summary: A book of a wonderful plot
Review: Beloved is written on a higher level than most people can onderstand. If a person is looking for an easy book this is not it. It takes time a patence to understand and really find the plot. It does tell of a disturbing story of a mother killing her child so her children could be free. The real disturbing part is how her child comes back to haunt her and drive her crazy. Beyound all of this is a good over all story.

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Summary: Beloved over the heads of those of minute intelligence
Review: Beloved is a challenging book that tests the reader's knowledge and capabilities to comprehend and master the not-so-clear chronological order of events. If you couldn't follow that sentence, then don't read Beloved. It is a powerful book, written in a distinctive style that some might consider "choppy". However, that is where the beauty lies. This book makes you think. Some of my colleagues think that Morrison has too many hidden meanings and messages in her storyline. That also adds to the beauty of the book. Any idiot can write a story..once upon a time....etc. it takes more than that to write something that is the caliber of Beloved. Those who think that it is confusing, true, true. Those who dislike the book BECAUSE it is confusing might want to rethink their reasons. Beloved is a moving story about slavery, freedom, spirits, guilt, and love. It is the setting that makes the book so powerful, the era and end of slavery. Some criticize Morrison for writing about slavery itself, as if the subject should just curl up and die. No, it shouldn't. We sense that they are touchy about the issue (or else why sould they want to censor it) and that adds to the book's power. It plays with our sense of morality, it makes us feel uncomfortable. That is what a Nobel-prize winning book should do. It should leave a footpring on our life, not blow away like a wisp of smoke.

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Summary: A terrific, disturbing book
Review: Toni Morrison is not an easy read, and I suspect that people who found this book frustrating only read it once. You can't read Morrison once; every book she writes is a treasure, but she makes you work for it. 'Beloved' tells the story of Sethe, an escaped slave who finds sanctuary in Ohio, and posits the unanswerable question: is it possible to kill someone out of love? When the slavecatchers find Sethe in hiding, she kills her youngest child, Beloved, to spare her from being taken back into the hell Sethe escaped from. Her act can be viewed as horrific (as her lover, Paul D, reacts when he tells her 'you got two legs, not four'), or as desperation; Morrison lets you decide for yourself. Beloved's ghost returns and causes all kinds of chaos in the house, and her actions raise the question of just who is Beloved -- is she some kind of demon, or is she a lost soul searching for love so she can finally find peace? This is one of the most powerful, disturbing, and ultimately uplifting books I have ever read. As I said, Morrison makes you work for the treasure hidden her books, but the search, and the reward, make it all worthwhile.

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Summary: The gossip of women
Review: That is the only way I can describe Morrison's style. It is like being down at the creek, listening to the gossip of the washerwomen. There is no linear progression. It was frankly just hard to wrap my brain around this plot and, more importantly, the method of its unveiling. Now, before you throw me into the Morrison-hater category, I also read Paradise, and, though some of the same difficulties were present, (many pages were read four or five times trying to figure out what the hell was going on), I enjoyed it and found its theme more liberating. Beloved was simply a downer, wallowing in a depressing past. Paradise better balanced the search for roots with the need for wings.