Rating: 
Summary: Morrison Belongs in the American Canon...
Review: Having recently earned a BA in English from a historically black college, I was more than familiar with Toni Morrison's work. My best friend and I had a joke--the black female English Ph.D.'s we knew had an alternate Holy Trinity which included Morrison, Alice Walker, and Zora Neale Hurston. Even before college, I went to an almost all-black K-8 TAG academy (where I read Sula), and then a college prep high school (where I read The Bluest Eye).I say all that just so that you'll understand where I'm coming from. I'd read just about everything considered to be a classic in the African-American canon. But I boycotted two books: Richard Wright's Native Son and Toni Morrison's Beloved. (FAMU, don't revoke my degree!) I am black and proud of that fact, but I am also an aesthete. The barbarism I'd heard about that was central to the plots of these novels sickened me. But then last night we rented Beloved. I watched it. In two hours I experienced every emotion known to man. The minute I turned it off, I ran to my personal library and picked up my own copy of Beloved. (Every self-respecting English grad student owns this book, at least for appearance's sake.) It took me four hours to finish. I did not find the book a difficult read at all. At long last, the story was clear as spring water before my eyes. I devoured every word. Demonic? Yes, it was. Very much so. But the institution of slavery was demonic. Anyone who wants to pretends that it was otherwise is "a liar, and the truth is not in him." Offensive to some whites? Good. I'm glad it was. America isn't Candyland. Neither is its history and legacy the fifth Gospel some would have you to believe. Beloved challenged me both as a literary scholar and an aspiring novelist. Every educated person should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Evocative
Review: Beloved is indeed an important and meaningful novel.With a very unique,personal,descriptive prose Morrison tells a story that weaves the reader through the characters history,back and forwards in time,revealing piece by piece the motivations behind the events the reader gradually learns of.While some may not appreciate the finely layered text with all its intricacies(Education students perhaps? ),which requires something of the reader(see brackets),when one becomes involved and absorbed the reader is richly rewarded.Noteworthy is Morrison's ability to deal with a subject-emancipation,slavery-that has been covered from so many angles,in so many ways.The characters are clearly defined and the reader can personally empathise with their ordeals,evoking a real response on a sublect that could have been either trite,stereo-typed or powerless.Simply to write a novel set against slavery,in 1987 and have it so moving and so individual is an outstanding achievement.Highly recommended for the discerning reader.
Rating:
Summary: A journey of deep emotion . . .
Review: I think that Toni Morrison has struck gold with BELOVED. It is a novel filled with the stench of things not forgotten. I was enriched with the beauty of her words and the aura of simplicity about Beloved. We all must face our demons in life at our own time and when Sethe finally had to face hers, it came at a time when she was most vulnerable. When she started having feelings for Paul D. We are at our most vulenerable when we love. Read the novel for yourself and all of those with a negative vibe about the book, must learn patience. There is a great reward in reading Beloved. You must sample the entire piece of pie before knowing all of its ingredients.
Rating: 
Summary: Belived, an overated novel.
Review: As a graduate student of the School of Education in University of Connecticut, I had pleasure to read and invastigate many great novels and poems. Morrisons "Beloved" or other works, are not great novels. When one reads the book, one maight get the impression that s/he is reading through somebodys notes. I had the plesure to read the book before the movie was made. In my opinion Morrison just writes spontaneus books which are overated. Before "Beloved" came out on the screen nobody was excited about it. The book is hard to read, it makes no sanse, many things are never explained and are just used once without any reason. After reading "Sula" I got the same impression; Morrison was too much into her imagination to write a book. Perhaps she should step away and let real writers take over. Her books are neither interesting nor developed.
Rating:
Summary: A Lackluster Performance
Review: This book was not a total disapointment, it didnt take long to read. Toni has a comon failing among female writers, unfocused ideas and flat characters. the subject matter wasnt something that particlarly intrested me. I guess it would be possible to like this book, but someone like me, I think Ill stick with sci-fi.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, but only if you catch the allusions
Review: I read this book as an assignment for school, which made it immediately not too appealing. However, I began to really submerge myself in its depth when I began realizing the allusions Morrison makes throughout to Lynyrd Skynyrd. I'm not a gigantic Morrison fan or a gigantic Skynyrd fan, but seeing such extremes meshed together awed me with the realization that Toni Morrison is a literary genius. Sweet home is the most obvious and first allusion I caught--sweet home Alabama. The intricate name meanings stem from "What's your name?" "Swamp Music"--the trek through the swamp; "Travelin' Man"--Paul D.; "Saturday Night Special"--Sethe's psychotic rampage. Of course, "Freebird," Skynyrd's most famous song, depicts Beloved, the main and titular character, who is a ghost--definitely free as a bird. With this, Morrison meshes two opposing cultures, whose undertones struggling throughout the book and then settle in the end when they realize the importance of community (and cream cheese). This book is great, not because it is very effectual--many books do that--but because it leaves you rockin'.
Rating:
Summary: A moving novel about how individuals cope with their pasts
Review: Part of the value of a work which can be called "literature" is its ability to touch people in different ways. To me, the theme of Beloved is not so simple as many would believe; the book is too complex to just call it a novel about slavery. It is, rather, about the ability of ANY man or woman, no matter what race, religion, color, or background, to shake off the chains of the past and move forward. What can you do when the past has attached itself to you, becoming so real you are haunted by it, in the shape of a violent ghost? That's the problem of Sethe, the main character, a former slave who lives with an awful secret. When a old friend, Paul D. comes to her house and begins to reminisce with her about their days as a slave, the ghost then manifests itself in human form, the girl Beloved. The characters in the book are symbolic of the attitude that individuals can take toward their pasts. You can run from the past, like Howard and Bugler at the beginning; you can live with it yet keep resurrecting it, as Sethe and Paul D. do in their own ways; or you can overcome it and never look back again, like triumphant Denver does in the end. This book is tremendous - if you have a sincere love for art that makes you think, by all means, purchase this book and study it. In an age when true literature is scarce and most fiction is only meant to titillate or shock, this book stands out as a noteworthy accomplishment.
Rating:
Summary: simply excelent!
Review: a book combining a stimulating plot with the unique style of toni morrisson! it's simply a book you can't miss!
Rating: 
Summary: BELOVED_Journal #9
Review: This book is kind of confusing at first. I myself rented the movie after a few pages because I was sort of lost. But, then I After seeing the movie I really understood the book more. The Story really was sad because of what Sethe a character in the story did. She killed her own daughter to prevent the caucasian men from taking her. This was because what she had went threw with slavery. She left sweet home to escape all that and there was no way she was going to put her child threw it. Some people might think what she did was crazy but,I think if I or anyone in her shoes might have done the same. I believe probably if anyone was suffering in life so bad they would want to die rather than suffer. If you were in a coma with wires all around you and no chance of ever becoming normal again would you want someone to pull the plug for you? Or if you know that your child will never be free and will be under someones power for the rest of his/her life would you try to do something about it? Well sethe had her reasons and so she did what she thought was best for her child. She rather let her daughter R.I.P then work for the caucasian men for the rest of her life. So this book was very touching and it showed the struggle and sacrafices Sethe had to go threw. She did what was best for her family. I recommend you read the book after if you watch the movie first because it will make alittle more sense and it'll be more worth it then just watching the movie only. BYE BYE NOW
Rating:
Summary: Journal #10
Review: Beloved is an amazingly confunsing and thought provoking tale of slavery in America and the struggles that surrounded this dreadful institution. Toni Morrison presents the reader with a compelling portrail of slavery and the triumph of the human spirit. In writing this novel, Morrison allows her audience a chance to see the human side of the slaves and compells the audience to become one with the slaves, vicariously through her words.
| 
