Love

Rating:
Summary: Love Isn¿t Always As It Seems
Review: How can you review a Toni Morrison novel? With the humbleness and appreciation that only she deserves. Morrison is simply a masterpiece to the English language, writing with an individual prose that only she can perfect with such intensity. Her novels linger within you and ripen with age. But beware for you can never walk away reading her stories only once and "Love" begs for more.

The basic ideal of "Love" is as simple and as complex as love itself. Bill Cosey is the man that all of Morrison's characters love and hate with intense fervor. At the center of life for May, Christine, Heed, Junior, Vida, L and Celestial, he wraps their lives in mystery and passion like no other becoming a father, a lover, a friend, a husband, a security blanket and even a beast to all those he encounters in the little town of Up Beach. Each of Morrison's women is weakened in some way by Bill Cosey yet they find strength within one another and in love. The relationships are rich and riddled with secrecy, so much so that one read will never reveal this novel's full meaning.

Toni Morrison's phrasing in this book is shear literary perfection. Despite the difficulty and moments of absolute confusion that will appear while reading this novel, the effort it takes is only something to be gained. Read it once and feel satisfied, twice and be enlightened, more and feel its true gift of love.

Rating:
Summary: Eye opening
Review: From someone who is not a regular reader. I found this book to be hard to get into. I'm a fan of Morrison from Song of Solomon, I read that while in high school to me it was a difficult read at the age of 17 now i'm 24 and was seacrhing for something to enlighten me, challege me and this did. Once i got into it I loved her style of writing it requires u to think to comprhend. I like enchaning my vocabulary when i read and she provides tha that,this is rare it was a good read.

Rating:
Summary: Love
Review: This was my first time reading a Toni Morrison book. I heard exceptional things about some of her previous writings and saw her interviewed on the Oprah show. At the onset I found her style of writing quite difficult to enjoy and understand. I decided to continue and there were moments where I was completely lost and brief moments where I enjoyed it. However, the majority of the book was most disappointing to me.

Rating:
Summary: Love - Another Morrison Saga
Review: I'm almost at the end of the book, but felt compelled to seek out what other people think of this latest Morrison novel. While I admire Ms. Morrison tremendously and I know that she is gifted, why do all of her novels have to be so difficult to read?

Love is a tale of Bill Cosey (local resort owner/community pillar/womanizer) and the various women he impacted in his life. The book centers on 2 main characters - Heed and Christine. Once childhood friends until Christine's grandfather (Cosey) marries Heed (who is age 11 at the time). From that point, Christine is basically sent away from the family home/business and comes back at the age of 16. The bitterness between Christine and Heed starts there and continues over the next 20-30 yrs. (I can't remember the exact timeframe because there is a lot of jumping back/forth in the timeline.) Other characters are L (narrator and resort cook and apparent confidante of Cosey); Vida (resort employee) and her husband, Sandler who are raising their grandson, Romen (age 14, works at the home of Christine and Heed) and Junior (19 or 20 yr. old slum rat who answers the ad Heed has placed for a secy. and begins torrid sexual affair with Romen).

I consider myself to be literate and have a reasonable command of the English language, but sometimes I just want to READ a book. Ms. Morrison's writing style does not always make this possible. Love does make you think - you wonder what the heck is going on half the time. I'd also like to see Ms. Morrison go in a more positive direction with the sexual aspect of the young women that are often her main characters. Why are the women in her novels always being either molested, ridiculed or raped? Yes, this is very real aspect of Black America, both present day and in the past, but enough already.

It's a short story and I would suggest it to someone who would like to become familiar with this talented author's writing. Reading other novels by Ms. Morrison first, might turn off potential new fans.

Rating:
Summary: The Emperor has no Clothes
Review: Let me be frank. "Love" is a very poor book masquerading as literature. Its structure is poor. Its meaning is virtually indecipherable. Yet, from reading reviews in general, it should be very apparent that I just don't get it or, perhaps, the wider community is afraid to declare that the emperor has no clothes.

As "Love" is a slim volume of some 200 pages, it is simple for the reader to form his or her own opinions. Please go ahead! But do not say that I haven't provided fair warning. If I never hear of this book ever again, it will be too soon!


Rating:
Summary: Love is not for everyone.
Review: It is certainly not for those afraid to take a risks. It is not for those who seek the concrete and certain.

Love is for those who, given a choice between a staring at a goldfish bowl, and learning to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef, will chose scuba every time.

Love is a hypnotic, dense, rich, bite of bittersweet chocolate life. Love is an extreme multi-dimensional journey into one of the most complex emotions humans can experience. Morrison takes you there, by way of some of the most well-woven and well-chose words and images possible. It is not white cotten. It is not black silk. It is an unbelievably beautiful tapestry, made with every color and texture imaginable... as is love.

"Hey, Cathedral!" ... I can still see her face in my mind.



Rating:
Summary: Ocean Deep
Review: I always have to read Ms. Morrison's books twice. First, to get an idea what is going on and the second time to understand what is going on. Her stories are not very easy to understand and have deep seeded hidden messages. Read LUST OF THE FLESH by Beverly Rolyat. You'll enjoy this different, compelling, engaging, riveting, enlightening and definitely pageturning novel. Highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: LOVE is one of the best of the YEAR!!!!
Review: TONI MORRISON'S LOVE is chosen by me as one of the very best in Black Literature for 2004. A superbly written super novel in about....OH....202 pages. INCREDIBLE!!

AS THE NEW YEAR IS UPON US, I OFFICIALLY OFFER YOU MY LIST OF THE 10 BEST BOOKS THAT I'VE READ IN 2004. THIS IS OUT OF ABOUT 84 BOOKS THAT I'VE READ THIS YEAR. EVERY SINGLE BOOK ON THIS LIST IS A MASTERPIECE WORTH BUYING. YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED WITH GREAT LITERATURE LIKE THE FOLLOWING:

"THE DARKEST CHILD"--Delores Phillips

The finest, most dramatic debut I've read in years. Top notch and gut-wrenching. This is by far the best book of 2004.

"BRICK LANE"--Monica Ali

Superb entry into a world foreign yet all too familiar. Flawless, beautiful writing.

"HOTTENTOT VENUS"--Barbara Chase Riboud

A True Story. Which makes this book all the more shocking and tragic. By now you've heard of the kidnapped and dehumanized South African woman paraded in the 1800's Europe as a "freak" because of her huge posterior and the apron over her genitals. Chase Riboud chronicles the tale perfectly and makes it far more interesting than just history. The fact that "Sarah" was like a Pop Superstar of her day makes it all the more chilling in my opinion. A definite Must-Read.

"FLESH AND THE DEVIL"--Kola Boof

Totally original, unexpected black love story. Chock full of African history, U.S. black history, fantastic plot twists, pulsating sex, equally dazzling "lovemaking", brilliant observations about race, color and sexism and plenty of risk-taking by the sensational Sudanese-born Kola Boof, truly a NEW STAR in the "epic" sense. Fabulous!

"ERASURE"---Percival Everett

I know. I'm late reading this one. But it's classic, fantastic, the greatest book ever written about being a "black" writer today. SUPERB. 10 Stars.

"A DISTANT SHORE"--Caryl Phillips

Great novel about "human beings" ripped apart in their own world and then thrown together in new equally dreadful surroundings. A black man and a white woman are juxtaposed in England with terribly beautiful insight by the writer. It's a hard book to explain, except that it's about human beings finding their real true minds. Superb!!!! I give this one 10 stars.

"DRINKING COFFEE ELSEWHERE"--Z.Z. Packer

The breakout debut of the new Alice Walker and Toni Morrison rolled into one. Z.Z. Packer is outrageously talented and brilliant. These sparse, witty, intelligent, insightful short stories will bring you to tears, make you laugh and truly astonish you.

"THE KNOWN WORLD"--Edward P. Jones

This book starts off kind of "slow", but once you get into it, it's quite shocking, easily one of the most important stories told in a decade. Jones deserves all the accolades and awards he's received for this masterful masterpiece of the new century.

"LOVE"--Toni Morrison

Still the undisputable greatest writer writing. Toni Morrison offers up one of her very best novels, the most underrated and overlooked novel of the year. Absolutely meszmerizing, a bute.



Rating:
Summary: Title to be Revised
Review: It was originally titled The Sporting Woman and I couldn't understand why. I asked others if they had read Love and the popular response was, "I don't do Toni (Morrison) because it takes too long to get into her stories." We are a society of instant gratification and Love does require some deep thought. In fact, this is my second time reading it and now I've found a new angle to the story. I actually found the Sporting Woman the book would have been titled after...and I also found Love.

Morrison often writes about sporting women and other indiscretions that are usually taboo in the African American community. Bill Cosey - businessman extraordinaire - marries Heed when she is only 11 years old and he in his 50s. What could a grown man possibly want with a girl child so young? Had he not married her, it would have been considered pedophilia. Heed was good friends with his granddaughter, Christine. In fact, they even called themselves best friends until the marriage took place. That's when Love ceased to exist between them. This event is the catalyst to the story and as the plot thickens each spends the rest of their life trying to determine which is the "sweet Cosey child" designated in Bill Cosey's will to gain his entire estate.

There were also other characters that shaped the story. May, Vida, Sandler, Romen, Junior (but you can call her June), a few others sporadically mentioned...and then there was L. L is the only person who speaks in first person as if she's the visionary who sees and knows all that is happening. She gives you insight, like that of a narrator, that helps you better understand the chapter that follows her narration. Be careful not to misconstrue what is being said, although that might not always be easy.

Morrison never falters on her ability to make you think. I mean really think. If you're not adept and even a borderline intellect, then most of the story will "go over your head." Where does Love come in? It could be about love lost, love gained and love given away; it's all about how you read the story and what you get out of it. Many may pass it up simply because it's a Morrison novel. She eloquently delivers Love in only 208 pages. I once had a friend say, "I'm not grown enough to read her books; I have to wait until I mature." Funny. Morrison books have become required reading in many high school English classes. If you need a boost, I'd suggest reading The Bluest Eyes first, then tackling Love. You'll see the difference in how much easier this read is. I bow to Toni Morrison and her ability to continually make me think and have fun doing it.

Reviewed by Esther "Ess" Mays of Loose Leaves Book Review

Rating:
Summary: Murky, but Melodious, Melodrama
Review: Ever since BELOVED, and particularly exemplified in PARADISE, reading a Toni Morrison novel can be likened to swimming upstream in a deep pool of rich, sticky chocolate pudding-sometimes sweet, sometimes suffocating, and always tiring. Her latest novel LOVE does not depart from the author's esoteric, albeit often haunting, and even beautiful, writing style.

With occasional lucid moments-usually triggered by the too infrequent dialogue between vaguely-drawn characters-LOVE's plot is spun slowly, teasingly, peppered with lyrical prose, and leading the reader to hope for a finish that bursts in a crescendo of enlightenment, answering all of the questions that have been sprinkled so melodramatically throughout the storytelling. Unfortunately, the finish fizzles, leaving the reader not only humming, but harrumphing, as in: "Is that IT?!" After wading through 201 pages that read like 525, there should be a little more satisfaction when the last page is turned; but then, that would have been antithetical to what her readers have come to expect from a true Toni Morrison experience.