Rating: 
Summary: Just a comment, really
Review: This does not apply to all who gave this book a negative review. Opinions are opinions, and better to be arguing over the merits of a book than drooling in front of the television. What I'm trying to understand is the smug tone of *some* of those who disliked this book. Why do you feel the need to look down on the rest of us? It seems you are trying to justify not liking this book by putting yourselves exactly where you *claim* Morrison is: on a high-horse. Yes I was lost at times, but what a beautiful place to be lost in. Each word was chosen with complete care.
Rating: 
Summary: The Best
Review: I believe Beloved is the best contemporary fiction I have ever read. Period. It will teach you, touch you, and haunt you for the rest of your life.
Rating:
Summary: speechless
Review: Imaginative! Creative! Humanity at its best! Morrison's "Beloved" is testimony to the power of human thought and creativity. Beloved was not like any other book that I have read because it tapped into human musings that were beyond recycled and "accessorized" musings that we're fed by television and other forms of mass media. It touched a level of humanity that I had yet to explore. I don't know Morrison personally, but I think I know what she is about. The novel is so human--it delves into humanity's beauty, its ugliness, its closets, its dirty drawers! It is philosophy too as it doesn't discount the incredible or the impossible. It frightens as it changes both incredible and impossible into the inevitable. Oh Professor Morrison!! I've sold my television...I can only hope that my mind will now progress beyond the scope of the "limited life" to which popular art has access. I loved this book. For those of you out there who didn't like the book, I would just like to advise that you look beyond whatever it is you did not like... Do you know the saying that "it's the thought that counts"? Well apply this saying to "Beloved". This book was a rigorous and awe-inspiring exercise in human thought. Go humans!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book -- everyone should read it!
Review: I read this book as an "assignment" for a literature class, and I have recommended it several times since then to people looking for a wonderful book to read. Simply put, it is a necessity for anyone who wants to fully understand that time in U.S. history.
Rating:
Summary: A Haunting Mixture Of Storytelling & History
Review: One of the wonderful qualities that permeates all of Ms. Morrison's books is her wonderful narrative voice that brings to life in chilling detail the stories that define individual lives and overall our collective history. In turn, her novel Beloved is no exception. While the plot is based upon the "real-life" story of a slave woman from Ohio who committed an unthinkable act, like Sethe in the novel, the brilliant dialogue, plot, and setting is uniquely Morrison -- she makes a personal investment in the story, and therefore owns it -- which she willingly shares with her readers in a poginant and appropriate manner. Through marvelous characters such as Sethe, Paul D, Denver and Beloved, Morrison weaves tales of slavery, the search for justice and truth, and more importantly the quest for self-worth and acceptance. The wonderment of her characters is that they are so well written that they allow readers to become personally involved and to express empathy -- these are not one-dimension people. Morrison "pushes" you to care, to listen, to question, and to reflect. In my opinion, she is one of few authors of contemporary fiction that is a master of this craft. Overall, Beloved is a charming mixture of plot, characters, and history wonderfully wrapped in a mystical package brimming with telling dialogue, thought-provoking themes and intriquing spirituality. Bravo Toni Morrison!
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated.
Review: Toni Morrison's writing style is superb and undoubtedly she has a beautiful mastery of language. What I don't like about the story is that I find the protaganist so unsympathetic - it is very difficult to find anything to like about her. The story is so one-dimensional in the characters - both in different types of characters and in development of a complex personalities that they don't seem real. Maybe it is because the personalities aren't developed at all; just the description about how they float around in the world. You may feel sorry for these people but you don't want to know them. To anyone that likes this book, I would challenge you to read William Styron's "The Confessions of Nat Turner" which is on my all-time favorite book list. It is absolutely phenomenal. Although based on a true story, it is completely fictional and Styron describes Nat Turner as totally tormented by the conditions of slavery. And you want to root for Nat Turner, wishing you could go back in history to be on his side or to even know him. It is really exceptional.
Rating:
Summary: a quick point or two
Review: toni morrison's writing is not stylish. she has a style to be sure, but one reason that i like her work so much is that this style never gets in the way of her storytelling. it seems very natural to me. i don't understand the repeated use of the word "disjointed" in the negative reviews of this book either. what are you trying to say? sure, the book moves backwards and forwards in time, but it has a rythm that makes everything make sense... the main reason i like this book so much is that it has so much passion in it --- passion that i think is missing in most contemporary english literature. and the comment about white people liking this book out of guilt is just absurd and really makes me angry. this book has also been described as "difficult" --- something else i don't quite understand... it is certainly emotionally trying at times, but it seems like a book that most people should be able to enjoy on some level. even with all the movements back and forth in time, the book just seems so refreshingly straightforward. i wouldn't compare toni morrison thematically to dostoevsky (though, now that i think about it, i'm sure i could), but reading her for the first time gave me the same feeling that reading dostoevsky for the first time gave me. here's someone who is really trying to communicate something to me. i wish i could express myself a bit better, but all i want to convey is that i think the folks that gave this book one star probably have some strange personal problems... don't pay attention to them. toni morrison is my very favorite author writing currently in english.
Rating:
Summary: This is a lovely, yet harsh piece of literature
Review: This book really moved me. It was confusing at times, which actually turned out to be a wonderful thing because it truly made me THINK about what I was reading and what Morrison was saying. Morrison's prose are lyrical and moving. The premise for the novel, however, is even more touching. Reading the book is like getting a big warm hug and being slammed against a wall at the same time.
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Summary: As I read it over and over It impressed me more and more!
Review: This is a book that will trap your mind and soul from page 1. I believe it is a difficult book to understand due to the way Morrison can play with time...but the effort is worthwhile!I wrote my thesis on this book...I worked on the topic of slavery...I was trying to investigate and discover if the abuses,done to slaves, that are described in the book were based on real historical facts or if they were only fictional. To my surprise I discovered that those abuses were based on real historical facts and that some history books tried covering the thruth and the novel, due to the fact that it was protected under the tittle of a fiction novel, told us more about the cruel reality black epople had to live than many history books do. This novel has fascinated me more more than any other novel I've ever read, each character contained in it carries so much history and such much pain to tell us about that we could say they are each a short novel by themselves playing a crucial role in a larger story. It is a great book to read at any point in life, but I believe it is better appreciated if one has the opportunity to discuss its content. A MUST FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE LOVERS!!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Ambiguity
Review: What makes this book so great is the ambiguity at its core. Does Beloved return to facilitate Sethe in her self-forgiveness, or does she merely return to haunt her torn mother? A great book, open for much interpretation. A second read lends new ideas and new interpretation. Definitely a book to be studied and, without question, enjoyed.
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