Sula

Rating:
Summary: Unique refreshing style
Review: I loved this book. It is the first book that I've read by Toni Morrison and certainly won't be the last. Her writing style is unique and refreshing. The story kept me captivated. I couldn't put the book down. I'm going to shop for more Toni Morrison books right now.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Morrison
Review: This excellent short novel deals with love, sex, race, and trying to escape one's past, as well as the dynamics of an extraordinary family. Morrison at her best and most satisfying.

Rating:
Summary: Sula. This book was great.
Review: What make this story interesting and grabs our curiosity into the book is first Sula, the main character of this book as we can see from the title, does not show up till the middle of the book. And also when she starts to get involved in this book, she doesn't start off with a big role which make this book unique and extraordinary. The other characters around Sula also adds the amusement to this book that every characters have eccentric characteristics. The story develops by Sula and people around Sula's frictions and events in order of Sula's growth.
"National Suicide Day." this story is about African Americans during the 1920s when they were considered as poor and particularly this book focuses on the lives of African American women. The book enters the story from a guy name Shadrack making a day call the National Suicide Day which is the day when everybody once in year can kill themselves. Sula is a granddaughter of Eva's and that family is not normal. Eva's family is rich eventhough they are black; however, there is a little mystery about Eva that she is missing one of her leg. Through Eva's family's lives we can see all sorts of weird relationships of people. Mother and child's relationship, friendship, and relationship between lovers, these relationship appears quite awkward to us that it is confusing if its lack of love or possession. so that it could be seen not realistic that the actions are exaggerated and overdone, but on the other hand the emotions in the book is so real that we can feel the characters. Therefore it is not completely magical, actually it is very realistic. Toni Morrison, the author of this book, did a fabulous job on showing the mood of depressing era to the audience. As Sula grows, as she gets involved to the society which is the "real world" the changes of her emotion leads us to realize how hard it is to live pure. Toni Morrison really dug our feelings from our bottom and put them into words. It made me want to read other writings of hers.

Rating:
Summary: Sula Review
Review: Sula, Toni Morrison ... Two girls in need of each other. Both Sula and Nel were born into the same, small, black community where they found and left each other. They came from two completely different families and they used each other for some stability in the very unstable world. Throughout their adolescence they stuck to each other's side and became one person. "They felt the ease and comfort of old friends. Because each had discovered years before that they were neither white nor male, and that all freedom and triumph was forbidden to them, they had set about creating something else to be." Just coming into bloom, they experienced the joys and hardships of love which ultimately separated them. Nel fell in love and decided to settle in and embrace the clichéd life of a poor black woman. Sula on the other hand refused to follow Nel's lead and went off to the city and attended college. After ten years of being apart they reunited except Sula and Nel had grown into two completely different people. And from a misunderstanding trust was lost and confusion and hurt took it's place. Morrison won the '93 Nobel Laureate in Literature. Her writing is widely known for giving life to the African-American reality by visionary force and poetic impact. Born in '31 near Lorain, Ohio she has written many books and most of them were National Bestsellers. Her most famous and recognized is Beloved which was made into a movie in '98. ... Morrison eloquently shows how two friends can be separated by the pressures and roles of society. Although at times certain events seem unrealistic and far-reached (old ladies jumping out of windows and nymphomaniacs catching fire), Morrison makes up for this by exhibiting the different cultures and sub-cultures in America and how they clash with each other. Sula makes you think about the differences in America and how social roles vary from sub-culture to sub-culture. After ten years of being apart Sula says: "Doing anything forever and ever was hell." On the contrary, Nel responds: "Hell ain't things lasting forever. Hell is change."

Rating:
Summary: another winner by toni morrison
Review: "In that place, where they tore the nightshade and blackberry patches from their roots to make room for the Medallion City Golf Course, there was once a neighborhood." Descriptive and powerful, the narrative set up by Toni Morrison carries this novel through to the end without a dull moment. Sula is a story about two friends from very different backgrounds who come together to support each other through the turbulent times of childhood and adolescence.
Sula Peace is a tough, impetuous girl raised in a household of loose women. Nel Wright is a curious, kindhearted girl raised by an opressive and overbearing mother. Morrison creates the entire town beautifully, including integral pieces of history and culture. The novel follows Nel and Sula's friendship through difficulties and deaths, up to Nel's marriage, and Sula's departure from their hometown.
The story then fast forwards to Sula's return 10 years later, revealing how much of a wedge Sula's absense has placed between the childhood friends. In addition to being tough and impetuous, Sula is now arrogant and selfish as well. She follows in the footsteps of her mother and begins sleeping with every man she can get her hands on. The second half of the book follows Sula's spiral into bad health and intense loneliness. She becomes an infamous and hated part of the town. She stretches the bounds of her friendship with Nel, until it breaks.
Sula touches on many universal truths and themes inherent in the human soul. It makes you think about how much class and surroundings can bring out the best or worst in people. Sula's scorn of Nel's decision to settle down and have children is proof of this. The two were very different before Sula left, and now that she has returned, the differences stand out like a sore thumb.
Toni Morrison does an excellent job of telling a story of two girls, the town they grow up in, the people they have been surrounded by since birth, and of change. Morrison uses colorful descriptions, evocative language, and interesting characters. The novel gels into a picturesque, emotional mixture that leaves you feeling satisfied with the novel.

Rating:
Summary: sula
Review: Bottom, one part of little town called Medalion, is a place for mostly colored people to live. Middle of 1900s, the world was changing; the life of colored people was changing, too. Just like the changes in the societies, the relation ship between two girls has changed in this period of time.
Nel and Sula grew up together in Bottom. They hung out together all the time until Sula leaves Bottom. Ten years later she comes back with a completely different characteristic. Nel and Sula were so excited to see each other first. However the relation ship they had in their childhood never appeared again. The existence of "new" Sula was too unique in the community of Bottom. People were spreading bad rumors about her all the time. She was definitely not welcomed. All the things she did after she came back were very disrespectful to people in Bottom.
One of the interesting things about this story is to see how big the influence, which environments around people give to them, is. You can see the weakness of human's mind. People can loose themselves very easily. Although I said that is a human's weakness, I can also say it is a proof of human's good flexibility to many different circumstances. Unfortunately, the flexibility often ends up not being used unless you go to somewhere new to you, just like Sula did. Another thing interested me a lot in this story was the question: what is "good"? In earlier, I said Sula did so many disrespectful things to the community after she came back, but this is just from my point of view. Sula may not have thought those things were disrespectful. Everyone has different standards about things. These standards make people come up with opinions. Then, since the standards are different depending on people, many conflicts occur in the world all the time. These conflicts are very complex because people would not understand what you are talking about when there is a gap between your standard and their standard.
This book makes you think about the relationships you have your friends, and also about if what you think "good" is actually good or not.

Rating:
Summary: An Amazing Literary Feast
Review: Though I am not an Oprah Book Club [fan], I must say
without being biased that this book of Ms. Morrison is
one of the few good books which Ms. Winfrey has
chosen.

This book spans between 1921-1965 taking readers to a
journey in the lives of two girls, Sula Peace and Nel
Wright as they become friends, share secrets and make
their way into womanhood. What I liked about the book
was its simplicity - yeah it was simple as would not
be generally expected out of Morrisons' works.

This 174 page so-called novella shows readers what it
is that friendship can sometimes do and sometimes
cannot. Sula Peace is one character that is so
enigmatic and rich - she leaves her hometown called
Bottom ( which has a funny yet moving significance in
the book ) only to return and add to the anger of the
residents.

Sula has many layers - I feel that the book was
written with much integrity and a lot of afterthought.
Toni Morrison observes the racial issues with such
strength and vigor that the portrayal of which in the
book is breathtaking. We also meet characters from her
earlier books such as Tar Baby and the Deweys - which
do have their significance in the book - only that it
is lost after a certain point. The central link though
is a drunk lost war fellow called Shadrack who comes
across very strongly celebrating "Suicide Day".

I will not say more. The idea is to go pick this book
and believe you me - its not going to be
disappointing!

Rating:
Summary: Sula... Well at least you can see their faces
Review: I had a great time reading this book. Saturday morning with a cup of tea I sat down with this book and didn't get up until I had finished it. It's easy reading and a good story. You can really see and feel the characters. It's just one of them books you read for entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Worst book I've read this year.
Review: I'm embarassed to say that I paid [money] for this book, and I actually finished it. However, the only reason I finished it was because I spent [money] on it. I couldn't wait for the book to end, and I saw absolutely no reason for this book to be written. Complete waste of time and money.....

Rating:
Summary: Sula
Review: This book, Sula was a thrilling book. It will keep you reading for days until you finish it. events take place that you will never have thought would happen. You never know what might happen next because when you "think" you now what's gunna happen then it doesn't happen, something better happens instead. I recommend that you buy this book so that you can be in the same amazement as I was when I first read this book. My thoughts as well as words go to the author.