Rating: 
Summary: EVOCATIVE AND LYRICAL
Review: Toni Morrison's account of slavery from the perspective of those humans forced into it, evoked in me a need to forgive myself. Forgive myself because I realized that like all of those ordinary humans in the 19th century, I too had the potential to commit similar atrocities were I in another time and place. 'Beloved' would have to be best book I have ever read both for the historical account as well as the literary qualities. The stream of consciousness style lends itself very well to the content. Initially, I felt emotionally unprepared to take on an account of that magnitude. The characters were in your face and I think it's time they were because accounts of slavery or any other form of holcaust are usually relayed very statistically. The masterful lyrical style prevented me from reading the book too quickly - it seemed rereading certain portions was necessary in order to savour every precious sentence. Certain images, so subtle in its reporting and yet so powerful in its receiving, still remain with me eg. the rooster and Paul D, the perpetual smile on the face of Sethe's mother, schoolteacher instructing his pupils to list animal characteristics of the slaves, his coldness in recording everything in this notebook, and Sethe having to undo her 'wedding' dress so it could be returned to its original linen form. I am glad I accidentally came across the works of Toni Morrison.
Rating:
Summary: THE modern classic
Review: BELOVED is, without a doubt, the most incredible, intriguing and intricately written book I have ever read. The plot is beautiful and the descriptive language makes the book come alive. Bringing home the horrors of slavery, Morrison's use of technical language is extremely complex and makes the reader think. Admittedly, it is not a book for those who just want to read for five minutes before they go to bed; you have to be on the ball constantly to understand where Morrison has put you at each change of scene. But for the intellects amongst you this book will stun you, educate you and enthrall you. As I said, this is the classic of the twentieth century - the book that people will read in a hundred years time and say ' that is an amazing book'. Okay. I'm done now. Toni, if you're reading, you are the best living writer.
Rating: 
Summary: A emotional and very tragic story of life lossed
Review: I first read Toni Morrison's book in 1988 after it had won the Pulitzer, I must admit when I first read it, I hated it, I did'nt get it at all, since that time I read other books by her and thought they were great, so I decided to read Beloved again, I'm glad I did, I paid closer attention to the plot and the charaters in the book, and I was very much surprise, It was emotional and so totatlly tragic, that it moved me to tears, I could understand Beloved's outrage, I have alot of compassion and understanding for the ghost. Slavery was not the issue here, at least it was'nt for me, it was about a life being taken, and the events that led up to that death, Morrison is a gifted writer, can't wait to read her next book.
Rating:
Summary: The only book to give me nightmares
Review: I read this having already read 'Sula', and expecting something quite similar, however 'Beloved' was a quite different experience. It describes horrific events in such a frank fashion that at first read the reader does not absorb the full extent of the horror. I loved having to work at it, piecing together bit by bit the total story, reviewing it in my head, and adding up the parts that hadn't fitted before. It was an amazing read, but I have to say that I probably will not read it again.
Rating:
Summary: The real-life experiences touches one's heart and soul.
Review: Toni Morrison's portrayal of slavery in BELOVED, is extraordinarily thought out. Sethe's battle with her guilt consumed conscience, caught the reader's interest. Beloved's symbolic nature, demonstrated the ideas of slavery, love, and hatred. Paul D and Mister's relationship was awe-spiring of what went on in the mind of a man who had life changing experiences. All in all, BELOVED was trully exemplary of what a slave-based novel should be.
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Summary: The Beauty of Beloved
Review: Forget Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover. To truly appreciate the beauty that is Toni Morrison's Beloved, you must read the text itself and submerge yourself within Morrison's wondrous web of poetic prose. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the film adaptation of this book; enough critics have praised its success as enough critics have panned its failure. But after finishing this book, only a few hours ago, I remind myself of the staying power of words on a page. And, boy, does Morrison pack a punch! Beloved tells the tale of Sethe, a beautiful runaway slave, who lives alone in a haunted house her daughter, Denver. Eighteen years ago, Sethe escaped from Sweet Home, a fairly pleasant place to live under slavery, all things considered, until the schoolteacher came along. Then, fearing for the lives and futures of her children, Sethe takes them and runs. Sending her two oldest sons ahead with her nine-month old daughter, the very pregnant Sethe follows behind. She delivers her baby just before she arrives at her mother-in-law's house in Ohio. For Sethe, however, freedom does not come easily. While she may have run away from her master, she cannot run away from her past. Unable to reconcile the crime of infantcide in order to save her daughter from a life as a breeder, or worse, Sethe is shunned by the local town and lives only a shell of a life, haunted by the baby ghost of the already-crawling? daughter she murdered years ago. Paul D chases the baby ghost away. One of six Pauls at Sweet Home, Sethe welcomes him into her home and bed, grateful for the comfort he represents of the past. Her husband long presumed dead, and her mother-in-law literally so, Sethe has nothing in her life except her work as a cook and her moody, selfish daughter. And then Beloved comes, wearing a pristine, white silk dress and new shoes, her hands and feet bearing no callouses from work or age. She appears to be a young adult, confused and lost in her environment, with no memory of her past and no desire for a future, save to be a part of Sethe's life. She knows things about Sethe and even sings the lullabye that no one but the children would ever know. Beloved is Sethe's dream-come-true: the living, breathing representation of perfection, with clean, shiny skin, soft, curly hair, and beautiful eyes. To Sethe, Beloved is also an innocent lost, much like her youngest child, Denver, one who must be protected, nurtured, and saved. In doing so, however, Sethe becomes prey to Beloved's passionate desire to consume her long-lost mother. Yes, indeed, it's true. Beloved is Sethe's dead daughter, come back to haunt her. I spoil nothing by mentioning this. It's fairly apparent in Morrison's work that Beloved is Sethe's daughter. Yet it is how Morrison deftly, creatively, masterfully unfolds the tragic mystery of Sethe and Beloved that makes this work so memorable. Or, as Morrison might describe it, rememorable. In any case, Beloved's appearance is at first joyful for Sethe, and then the horror sets in. What happens? Well, I'm not one to spoil that sort of thing... you'll just have to read the book. Can you watch the movie instead? Only if you really want to miss one of the most masterful works of literature ever produced. Really, I'm serious... Beloved is exceptional. When I closed the book after finishing the last page, I was near tears and emotionally exhausted, yet I felt something uplifting beneath it all. Perhaps, like Sethe, like Denver, like Paul D, and even like Beloved, you can, too. Now, could you live with yourself for missing something this special?
Rating:
Summary: A Work of Genius
Review: After reading some of the customer reviews for this novel and for Morrison's most recent work, Paradise (which is, by my estimation at least, a noble failure,) I find myself dumbfounded. Alright, the book is difficult. It is not Tom Clancy, Danielle Steele or John Grisham (hacks all.) Morrison--drawing on the tradition of Joyce and Faulkner--reveals the layers of her extraordinary tale in a stream-of-consciousness style that seems to drive the TV generation to absolute distraction. What she is doing here is called writing. She is not creating film-ready scenes or artificially pumping up chapters with tacked-on cliffhangers or easy-to-swallow editorial commentary. She is forcing us to think, to inhabit her world, to reach into ourselves to understand the primal urges that drive us to both acts of awe-inspiring kindness and horrific cruelty. For that reason alone, this book is a literary treasure, something to stand alongside anything in the so-called canon. The fact that some readers find her use of graphic imagery and "lewd" sexual encounters too unsettling to get through does not mean this book is flawed--indeed, such details, as painful and grotesque as they are, are necessary--this is a story about slavery, for God's sake, not some airheaded romance or summertime beach book. While some critics have made intelligent, well-conceived arguments against the novel's distanced narration and overall premise (is she a ghost or a real woman?,) reviews which trash this masterpiece because it is too hard or too graphic or too Afrocentric are just plain worthless. Morrison is an artist. She is not willing to compromise her storytelling or her politics to appeal to the masses. They already have their condescedning, commerce-motivated no-talents to facilitate their desire for non-caloric "pleasure reading." Meaning is what Morrison is about. Beloved is her grand statement, a work of genius that leaves just about every other novel in recent memory in the dust.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book!
Review: Beloved is the first book by Toni Morrison that I have read, and I was very impressed. Not only is the subject matter extremely interesting and enthralling, but Morrison's writing style is absolutely wonderful to read. A great tale is told with a very heartwarming ending. I would definetely reccomend this book.
Rating:
Summary: PERFECT
Review: This book brings the style "magic realism" to it's epitomy. Read ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF SOLITUDE if you liked this... This book IS complex, it IS overpowering, and it IS AWESOME!!! I am in high school, and I read it by choice and loved it. I think it's one of the best novels in the English language. Morrison's style is unequaled, and her voice is too. I would also suggest SONG OF SOLOMON, but she is so talented that you can't tell the same person wrote them both. She is an actress with a pen. No wonder she was the first person EVER to be escorted by the king of Sweden when she won the Nobel. BRILLIANT.
Rating:
Summary: Stunning.
Review: I received Toni Morrison's _Beloved_ as a Christmas gift. I started reading it that night and couldn't put it down until I was finished late the next day. _Beloved_ explores the complicated relationships among a group of post-Civil War Blacks, and the disturbing consequences of forcing people to live in inhuman conditions. At the heart of the novel is Sethe, an escaped slave attempting to recconcile the brutality of her past--a brutality many feel she was partially complicit in, and a past that literally haunts her. Morrison's techniques are, thankfully, subtle--the subject matter is so disturbing and controversial that to write the story any other way would seem insensitive. Morrison's approach gives us the "good" and the "bad" of a situation or character and leaves the reader to draw her own conclustions. The result is a masterful, unbiased portrayal of characters so vivid and multi-dimensional the reader is sorry, if relieved, to see them go. The tale is horrifying, appalling, harrowing, but it is also a testiment to the strength of the human spirit. It explores the atrocities human beings are capable of committing, as well as the strength of resistance. What makes _Beloved_ so gripping is the blurring of the seemingly distinct lines between "good" and "bad." The reader struggles with his reactions as the characters attempt to reconcile their own.
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