Song of Solomon

Rating:
Summary: eh
Review: I really enjoyed parts of this book, but the ending just smacked of triteness. I found it overall to be a contrived work.

Rating:
Summary: This was one twisted book. I loved it!
Review: Over all I thought that Toni Morrison did an excellent job on this novel. I read this novel for my 11th grade U.S. Lit. class and though it took me awhile to get through it,I finally got through. This book is just again showing off Toni's excellent use of writing style. She hits you with powerful literary elements and the twisted characters keep you engaged in the novel. The way the whole plot comes around and how it moves back and forth shows Toni's use of an older African style of writing. Macon Dead, Milkman, Pilate, and Ruth are all completely different stories in themselves and somehow they all have this weird connection that makes you go "Humh". Although this book doesn't fair as well as "Beloved", or "The Bluest Eye", we had to give it it's props because it came through, but only if you could see through.

Rating:
Summary: This Book is too DENSE!
Review: This book is too Dense and should not be read or taught at the high school level!

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I had to read Song of Solomon for my high-school junior English class, and to tell you the truth, I was pretty skeptical. I had never really trusted Oprah or her book club, until I picked up this rich, colorful, engaging novel. Morrison develops her characters extremely well, and her details are great in describing the life of a middle-class black family. It was a little hard to get through in the beginning, but I definitely recommend the book! Read it!

Rating:
Summary: Astounding!
Review: I'm a junior in high school who had to read this novel for English class. I had heard mostly negative things concerning Toni Morrison and her writing style and was therefore not necessarily looking foraward to reading Song of Solomon. Please, however, pay no attention to the comments made by the ignorant readers who clearly failed to grasp the message of this rich, wonderful, engaging novel. While I'll admit that this is a complex, challenging piece of literature, it's nothing that the average reader can't handle. I promise you that if you approach this book with an open mind and a willingness to make an honest attempt at comprehending Toni Morrison's slightly abstract ideas, you will be richly rewarded and satisfied. I now consider Ms. Morrison to be one of my all-time favorite authors. I can't wait to read Beloved!

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't live up to the hype
Review: Unfortunately, before I had ever picked up a Toni Morrison book, I had heard a great deal about her--the awards, the accolades from the press, the 60 minutes interview, the Oprah interview...I expected great things from this novel. The only reason I was even able to continue on after the first 50 pages was the belief that it had to get better. It never did. With the exception of the main character, the motivations were never understood, and the characters seemed flat and predictable. This book was not worthy of the reviews it got. I can't help but wonder if the (few) people who went to see "Beloved" left feeling the same way I did when I finished "Song of Solomon."

Rating:
Summary: The characters lived!
Review: The character development of this book is great. After the first quarter of the book I couldn't put it down. It avoids obvious drama and offers juicy secrets which don't unfold until the end, and a surprising ending.

Rating:
Summary: A difficult, thought-provoking, imagination-inspiring read.
Review: Toni Morrison challenges us as readers. She writes with an exquisitely detailed elegance, but forces the reader to go beyond traditional thought and rational imagination. In Song of Solomon, she tells a story that winds itself through the unbelievable yet believable; the insane, yet sane; the asking, yet telling narrative of the Dead family. Milkman Dead surrenders to the air and can fly. Surrender yourself to Toni Morrison's suggestions, and you will believe.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful symbolism.
Review: I read this book for my college English class, and was hooked from the beginning. I have never read a book that had such a deep level of symbolism. My absolute favorite line came at the end: "...for he knew what Shalimar knew: if you surrendered to the air, you could *ride* it." This, to me, summed up all of the symbolism in the book. It left the reader wondering, yet not too much, and left room for hope. Morrison creates such a wonderful menagerie of characters, you can't help but love each and every one of them in some way. A wonderful tome!

Rating:
Summary: Spoiled me!!
Review: I'm pretty hard to impress, but the beautiful writing in this book astounded me.

The characters invaded my imagination.