Rating: Summary: The bluest Eye Review: Firstly i'd like to say i am only 16, and i'm hardly one to advise others on literature! i picked up this book because i had heard people talk about it and wanted to know more.i found it really hard to understand at first, the style was so different to anything i had read previously, but at no point was reading the novel a chore. Each time i read a new chapter i was moved by the language, it was really a sort of poetry. The hardship Pecola faced moved me to tears, but several times i could not help but laugh at the situations her and her sisters found themselves in. Although i have not read much contemporary adult litterature, i do think Toni Morrison is a truly great novelist and deserves to be commended on this book.
Rating: Summary: Fiction that means so much more Review: Toni Morrison has a reputation for writing stories that stand for something besides fictitious. The Bluest Eye delivers on this account, with the issues of racism in classism in early 20th century America being pushed to the forefront. This gripplingly graphic narrative tells the tale of young African-American girls growing up in the south. The impoverished girls struggles with the adults around them represent the struggles that every adolescent faces, magnified a hundred times over by the impossible situation in which they live. The average child argues with a parent; young Pecola, one of the girls, is raped by hers. Eventually, a sense of self-hatred develops in each of the girls as they gain an understanding of the fact that society views them as just not good enough. This self hatred opens the door for the cycle of poverty to continue as the girls do not respect themselves enough to pull themselves out of the hell they occupy. Only one of the girls comes to terms with her feeling of inadequacy by convincing herself that she has been granted blue eyes by a local magician. Toni Morrion is one of the best writers of the past century and The Bluest Eye flexes her considerable literary muscles, exhibiting interesting and creative uses of viewpoints and timeframe. The transient journey through poverty is both chilling and magical.
Rating: Summary: I cried a thousand rainddrop tears when I read this book Review: I had several friends who knew that I enjoyed reading anything by Toni Morrison who told me that this book would be an excellent read for me, and I can assure you that it was . . . This book took me back to my own hometown, my roots, my southern upbringing, and presented to me all of the horrors that I discerned as a child. The smell of the book, the feel of its heavy contents, sometimes, I did not know whether to laugh, cry, or punch a hole in the wall. There are certain books that evoke emotion in me and then there are are those that do not. I was moved by all of this and then some. Pecola, could have been any little African American girl that I could have ever known, it could have been me, my sister, my niece, the girl next door, my best friend, or anybody. I just know that everything that ever was in terms of life just seem to swallow me up as I consumed more and more . . . I never once had to force myself to read this novel. I only read because reading was all that I could do to place myself in the shame and embarrassment of this girl-child who wanted something that was so obscure but in her small mind made it necessary to have. There was the part about the Mary Jane candy -- and about how the teacher, the man at the candy store, and even her own mother Mrs. Breedlove and their reactions to her that told her she was insignificant,ugly, dumb, stupid, and nothing that she could ever say in life would ever matter or ever do. She was Pecola and she was just better off gone. She even erased herself, by herself. She knew the reactions that others had about her but why? What made her so bad? What made her so ugly and so ashamed? Thought patterns that were already shaped by others peconceptions or opinions of her . . . I suppose. But why?I could not help but empathize with the pain of the character. My feelings for this book far exceeds what I felt for "Beloved." Little Pecola was living an emotional hell. Not only that but she was deceived by believing that if she only had blue eyes that her life in someway could be different or maybe even beautiful. The climax of this book for me was not the part about the incest. Though it angered me deeply that the character had to go through another painful episode in her life. But what really grabbed me was the scene in which she is beaten, cussed out, and slapped for accidently knocking over a blueberry cobbler. I knew then what ailed the child. She needed not only a mother's love, but a mother's understanding. This book could be reviewed, critiqued, and examined in so many different ways. I felt this book. It made me think . . . And question. I suppose I will be reviewing this book time and time again amongst various reading circles. Pecola was as real to me as my hands and my feet. I felt her heartbeat as I devoured page after page. This book left me spent--for I cried a thousand raindrop tears that fell silently upon the broke.
Rating: Summary: An Intriguing Novel, With Great Style(The Bluest Eye) Review: The Bluest Eye was a great book for people of all ages. It truly demonstrated the style of writing that Toni Morrison uses and how well she is able to use imagery and symbolism in her writing. At times it is confusing because she skips around a bit with the use of time as she does in most of her books, but the plot is fairly easy to follow because it is so intriguing. She displays the life of a young African American girl in a way in which most people can really understand and feel the pain of this young girl. She contrasts the life of a white family and an African American family in a truly realistic manner. This was how life was back then and she is able to describe that so beautifully in her book. Perhaps this may have reflected her own life and hardships she may have entailed as a young girl. It made me cry at times to think how badly this girl wanted blue eyes and she simply could not have them. I never realized the significance of some things that I take so much for granted. Overall, I think that The Bluest Eye was an amazing book. I recommend it to all people ecspecially high school girls.
Rating: Summary: Tragic Review: This book is well written but a little too tragic for me. I have read many of the books on Oprah's Bk Club but my only complaint is that many of the books she chooses are tragedies. I like a book that I can really get lost in and escape to another place or time. This book kept me interested but it is not one of the better books I have read.
Rating: Summary: Excellent read Review: I found this book to be exceptionally written. It is a sad story, but grips you till the end.
Rating: Summary: still good after all these times Review: I originally read this book in 1995. I have read it about ten times since and it's still good. It tells the story of a little girl's struggle for acceptance from her mother and society as a whole, which everyone can relate to.
Rating: Summary: Not as good as Morrison's other books. Review: I read it twice and tried to like it. It's okay, but I really didn't care for it very much.
Rating: Summary: OOOOOPS Toni - This one missed the mark Review: I am glad to learn that this is Toni's first book because, quite frankly, I did not like it. I am sure that my lack of intellectual prowess contributes to my dismay. Nonetheless, I wish she had not written this book. Maybe over time, with some luck, I will gain some intellect and as a result better understand why Toni elected to pen this disaster. Nothwithstanding, I do know that the " White- queen-goddess" was hoisted upon the Black race through slavery and can understand why Toni may want to address that misnomer in this tome. But, that is the only thing I can think of that she may have had in mind that would be of any literary value. The fact that she somewhat apologizes, to some degree, later in her writing career for this book, makes me feel justified in my analysis. (...)
Rating: Summary: Not my favorite Review: I can't put my finger on my I absolutely hated this novel, but I did. It was choppy, with little substance. It was sick and twisted. The lesson(s) were hard to come by. I had a difficult time finishing it, and probably wouldn't have, had I not felt obligated by my class. I don't recommend it to anyone who is searching for a nice read, with a distinct plot line. This isn't really a story; the connections are weak. It's not my favorite...by a long shot.
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