Rating: 
Summary: Excellence
Review: This book starts off slow, but it is vital to take in everything that is said. Morrison does an excellent of job of creating an intriguing setting and characters. This book is full of biblical allusions, which help you understand the plot even more. If you enjoy books that make you think than this is definitely the one for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Quite There
Review: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is a novel that chronicles a man's journey to self-discovery. Morrison's language is folkloric; she retells her characters' stories in ways that make the reader feel a part of their lives. However, while the novel is beautifully written, its theme is one that has been portrayed in many American novels. While Song of Solomon is gripping, it left me expecting more. If you want to read a novel about a black charcter's search for fulfillment, I recommend Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston, over this novel.
Rating:
Summary: Morrison shines yet again
Review: Toni Morrison brilliantly and poetically weaves together the themes of self-actualization, love, and power in Song of Solomon. The book beautifully paints the journey of one man, Macon (Milkman) Dead, to his self-discovery and a profound understanding of his ancestry. Morrison uses Milkman as the instrument to magnify the enriching African-American culture and experience, as Milkman's progressive development helps him understands his value, his uniqueness, and his heritage in a seemingly nihilistic world. Morrison shows us that significance is not defined merely by the material and the tangible. Her lyrical style intensifies the emotional and mental struggle with which Milkman wrestles. She explores the ideas of race and heritage, and the important distinction between them, based on the inherent values each embodies. Song of Solomon is a must-read. It is a great book, whose immense power changes your understanding and perception of the world each time you read or re-read it.
Rating:
Summary: Enriching Novel
Review: Song of Solomon is a very inspirational novel. Morrison uses a simple but perceptive tone that leaves the reader in a relaxed state. The novel is at first remote and absurd but as the story progresses the different events are linked to bring the story to another level of significance.Morrison not only writes an entertaining story but gives philosophical meaning to life. She leaves the reader pondering many questions. Why do people kill? What is the significance of family? Why is identity important? The events in the novel transpire to deepen the general sense of living. Throughout the novel, the main protagonist Milkman desires to 'fly'. As he tries to distance himself from a family plagued with improper relationships, he discovers his rich cultural heritage. Through the influence of the distinct characters in his African American society-from his murderer friend Guitar to his eccentric aunt Pilate- Milkman matures and grows. The mystical elements are made into truth and the characters are so vivid in this very elevating masterpiece.
Rating: 
Summary: Song of Solomon
Review: Song of Solomon is a book that I would strongly recommend to anyone. My initial reaction upon gazing at the front cover(a black statue trying to remove a white veil), was that this book would mainly deal with racial relations. However, as I read the book,I discovered that the book ultimately expresses the importance of one's identity and moreover,the importance of ACCEPTING one's identity. I really liked the author's creative manner of story-telling in which she weaved fantasies with plausible events to create a magical atmosphere that's emotionally appealing as well. The characters are very real in a sense that all of them have their own flaws and conflicts that they have to deal with. I especially recommend this book to those who appreciate family and those who take pride in the hardships and obstacles their ancestors have endured. Song of Solomon takes the reader on a journey in which the main character, Milkman, discovers his true identity. The journey is filled with laughter, tears, happiness and finally a sense of satisfaction, which the reader will feel after reading this book.
Rating:
Summary: Song of Solomon
Review: Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon is a captivating medley of the lives of four generations of African Americans. Through a mixture of dialogue, song, and narration that is both poetic and forceful, Morrison weaves the characters' lives together in a story about the best and worst of human relationships. In telling the stories of Milkman's search for identity, Hagar's passionate but unsatisfied love, Guitar's impulses in hatred, and Pilate's incredible strength and humility, Morrison almost controls the reader's heart and leads the reader to feel the pain, frustration, joy, and understandings of each distinct character. Although the story is fictional, and at times almost mythical, the underlying emotions of the characters in the story can be so much a part of our lives if we take the time to make the connections. And even though Morrison constructs a plot that is complicated, she also leaves space for the reader to imagine the outcomes and interpret the meanings of aspects of this powerful, intriguing story.
Rating:
Summary: Humans can fly too!
Review: Before reading this book, I thought it would be a total bore. All of the talk about spirituality and lyricism had me worried that this would be a difficult book to read. While Song of Solomon does contain some profound themes and messages, it is also fun to read. Any book that has flying people, 150-year-old ladies, and psycho girlfirends ought to be worth at least a look. Tony Morrison cleverly interweaves all of this surrealism with reality, making it often difficult to judge what is real and what isn't. Within this fanticiful book there are many complex characters and deep themes, one of which is a testament to what humans are capable of achieving. The first half of the book is a little on the dull side, but once the main character, Milkman's "treasure hunt" begins, so does the fun! The second half of the book which chronicles his journey is filled with suspense and intrigue leading up to a satisfying ending. If you're looking to read something exciting and substantial this book is it!
Rating:
Summary: Sing Sing Praise for Song of Solomon
Review: Toni Morrison shocks, appalls, and amazes with this novel. Sticking to the basic emotions of the human persona and shying away from complicated analyses' of "why the world is the way it is" she gives a very unbiased account of a black man finding the importance of history and what knowing your roots can for a man's identity. There is nothing typical about this novel and its uniqueness can be seen even in the nicknames of characters like Milkman and Guitar. She places us in the mind of Milkman a young boy with a fascination for flying, yet unlike most children he grows up in a very "conflict ridden" household. Morrison's use of traumatic experiences for all the characters in her book creates a page turner out of what could easily be another Invisible Man. Morrison creates a polarized environment (in everything from opinions to social status) in her novel to spur conflict among best friends like Guitar and Milkman. She explores the depths that humans will reach to satisfy their own greed and what they are willing to sacrifice to achieve their goal. Her use of a rag tag group of Jerry Springer characters coupled with her colorful and blunt writing style creates of an amazing novel. It takes some time to get into the novel but once you are well on your way it is hard to put down. I highly recommend this to someone who is not looking for a simple commentary on racism but rather a novel that will make you think about your place in the world and the fate of man as a whole.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I really liked this book. I couldn't put it down. Toni Morrison is an amazing writer.
Rating:
Summary: Identity
Review: Song of Solomon reveals the true depthness of what we call "identity". It addresses questions like "what makes a person him or her?", "why are they who they are?", and "how are they who they are?". Milkman's exploration and discovery of his family and himself, initially driven by greed but eventually by love and curiosity, reveals the complexity of identity, how people everywhere try to understand others when they dont even understand themselves. Milkman learned to remember the past, appreciate the present, and surrender to the future, the message encouraged by Morrison to the reader through Milkman's final "ascendance". After reading this book, one can see that a person is much like a book, and by reading its words, one only scratches the surface, far from discovering its true "personality" and purpose. This is one book everyone must take advantage of, for it is the "key to the treasure" within each person.
|
