Rating: 
Summary: The "trick" to comprehending a "trickster" novel
Review: One of the things that's often hard in reading other readers' responses to an author that you absolutely adore (and I am an avid Morrison fan) is preparing for the types of reviews that often try to invalidate her or dismiss her because her writing demands so much from us. Yet, I believe her Nobel prize speaks for itself (even for all those who were "forced" into reading her for a class or seminar -or even because Oprah said so), so when others "trash" her, my disgust is not in their inability to appreciate her but in a recurring trend that continues to prove that our mass-media, TV-dominated culture has produced a generation of readers (and I use the term loosely) who no longer appreciate reading a book for the sheer pleasure of how the written language comes together and how an author like Morrison blends both oral culture and myths with written text.And, folks, you really need that appreciation if you're going to get into a novel like Tar Baby. I believe some very basic knowledge needs to be in place. A) Some knowledge of the African American folktale of the tar baby and Brer Rabbit B.) Some knowledge of the biblical story of Adam and Eve and how religious doctrine has traditionally interpreted it. C.) Some understanding of the "trickster" (and this novel is filled with this figure) tradition in both American and African lore--who is tricked, who's doing the tricking and what is the overall "trick": colonialism? male-female relations? race relations? I believe that once we recover much of the traditions that someone like Morrison has been exposed to (from the Bible to the blues to Faulkner to Zora Neale Hurston), her novels can be read with some appreciation and respect. . . and love. I'm not one of those who believe that Morrison as a black woman author is too "marginal" to be appreciated by a "mainstream" reader, but a "true reader" is someone who can transcend their particular identities and trust a writer to take then onto any journey outside themselves and not even mind if there is a "trick" in store for them, or some profound pleasure...or horrific pain. Reading is about trusting the author to reveal to us some new vision we did not know existed...But be prepared: Morrison is not the type of writer who will hold your hand! Here's hoping that Amazon can inspire true love of reading and real thought and vision that comes from extensive readership! Only then, can user reviews be exciting and a pleasure to read!
Rating: 
Summary: A little wacked, and writing was all over the place,
Review: Toni can write much better than this. It took me over a month to finish this book and I still had no idea what the heck was going on. It reminded me of the book Good Fences, a mixed-up mess. I was confused as heck. After reading her masterpeice "The Bluest Eye" this was a real disappointment. Toni's great but this book is by no means in the same league as "The Bluest Eye". Glad I didn't buy it with my money. I love you Toni but this was the pits!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Very thought provoking. An eye-opener for me
Review: There were several scenes in this book that related to me so closely! I think the main scene was where Jadine encountered the woman in the yellow dress and felt "unauthentic". The scene in the tar pit was on a similar note as Jadine struggled to free herself from the thick blackness. For me, this book was an eye-opener. I finished the book and asked myself if I was like Nadine; resisting my background. You know, not necessarily looking down upon those who embraced our culture, but somewhat thinking I'd get along better in this society, by being more "mainstream". I definitely became more aware of the way I perceive myself as well as others. Now I've begun to question why I would ever resist where I came from. I don't know if this was Morrison's intention, but that's what I took from this novel - a life lesson.
Rating:
Summary: Role-Reversals
Review: In Tar Baby, Valerian Street, a wealthy white candy mogul, suffers some devastating role reversals. This situation has nothing to do with "political correctness" but rather the truth of the fact that no one can mastermind and counterfeit a reality forever. Valerian cannot grow Pennsylvania plants in L'Isle de Chevaliers any more than he can recreate the racial, economic, and sexual hierarchy that existed there. This point is not "a rip-off from real life" as one amazon.com reviewer described it. Nor is it, to my mind, her most profound. I agree that _Beloved_ soars higher. I think the "trick" to reading Morrison is reading at your own level. I read many of her books as a young teenager and enjoyed them merely for their plots. I liked them because the people were fascinating and the suspense was real. Morrison hadn't won the Nobel or been championed by Oprah Winfrey, so I didn't have her reputation to contend with. And I didn't feel that my intelligence or sophistication depended on understanding her every word. So if I couldn't understand something, I moved on with the story. Now that I am in college, and an English major, I understand much more of Morrison's art as I re-read the novels of my adolescence. However, if I don't understand the significance of some image or passage, I let it go. Then I talk to someone about it. One cannot read Morrison's academic and artistic novels any other way. Although it doesn't have to be drudgery, Morrison's books are meant to be "studied" (which is just a fancy way of saying "discussed"). If you are intimidated by the Morrison mystique, I recommend leaving one's ego at the door when entering Morrison's world. Then, I recommend talking to someone more familiar with Morrison's work before you cast her books aside.
Rating: 
Summary: Settle
Review: The book wasn't that great, nor was it that bad. Coming from someone who read it for a class, this book was among the better ones, but still - forced reading is never all that good. I think everyone's reading WAY too much into this and you all need to just sit back and ENJOY the book. That's why most people read books, right? For enjoyment? I only gave it 2 stars because I'm more of a Clancy/Crichton person. Please stop attacking each other and RELAX!
Rating:
Summary: not her best book, but okay
Review: I didn't like this novel that much. toni morrison could have had better dialouge. there was too much vulgarity. Yet, the book still had a message that should be a wake up call for most men and women Not all life experiences are taught to us by the world's system of education .
Rating:
Summary: post colonialist fantasy in the microcosm of one family
Review: Toni Morrison is undoubtedly a powerful writer and your earlier novels are imaginative and powerful. In Tar Baby, a postcolonialist fantasy is portrayed where black and white beautiful women, dutiful black servants, and a ghetto-like black man all progressively surround, relate how they are effected by this often obliging white man, and then effect a situation where his power is removed and he is then left at their mercy, where he will be treated by them as they have interpreted how he treated them. The whole situation parallels and may be a artistic recounting of a real life situation where large numbers of people in corporate America and Australia organize their lives around a designated person. This person is unknowingly "served" by the group in that his wishes and words are often carried out, however he is often "controlled" by coordinated psychological means by them as well. This experience is usually a disasterous one for the person involved in that he loses all that he has. For anyone who has seen any of these psychological gangrapes it is impossible not to suspect that Toni Morrison is documenting real life she has heard about or perhaps participated in. For this reason I do not recommend this book or that other books of Toni Morrison be read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent use of language and symbolism; enjoyable character
Review: I taught Tar Baby in a 12 Honors class. Each time I read the novel I appreciate it that much more. The characters are carefully drawn, unveiling their idiosyncracies layer by layer. Valerian's retreat into the greenhouse where he must learn how to get plants to bloom and ants to walk the other way is both amusing and pathetic. What I have found particularly enjoyable is Morrison's use of symbolism. The woman in the yellow dress, the tar pit, etc. all weave together to form a powerful novel. Perhaps not quite as arresting as Beloved, Tar Baby certainly deserves high marks.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated politically correct garbage- glad I didn't buy it.
Review: Seemingly the criteria for a winning Nobel Prize in literature is to write a book that has no ending. The fact that you can't stop thinking about a book because it has left so many questions hanging in the air does not a good book make. At this the book succeeds admirably. But I'll be damned if I'll suffer through a second reading to figure it out. "Beloved" was a much better book. Yeah, I'll admit the book has its moments when a particularly beautiful sentence makes you say," I wish I could write like this!", but all in all I'm glad I borrowed it from a friend instead of buying it. END
Rating:
Summary: Captivating prose, thought-provoking racial & class conflict
Review: An above average novel that examines class and racial relations from often disturbing perspectives. Not only social commentary, but also a love story. Not summer beach reading. Beautifully written.
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