Rating: 
Summary: Not all things "Post-Modern" are satisfying.
Review: I'm not a particularly linear person mySelf, but there are times when fluidity becomes too much to hold together. I put the book down after the first chapter and picked it up again when I had some insight into what part of the story was about. It dawned on me one day that "the Convent" represented the problem people (mostly those aligned with the patriarchal system) have with women who are not in relationships with men (and I don't mean only lesbians, any woman choosing not to be in intimate relationships with men for whatever reason). I wanted to understand more about this because of my work with women and spirituality, so I picked up _Paradise_ again and read til I was finished. It was not easy and I didn't find the style helpful for understanding the story. I've read others' books that are fluid with regard to time and place and really felt opened up by that. Not this book. I do think that Toni Morrison outlined the issues of generation gaps, history, gender and race very well. I just wish it had been both more emotionally engaging and easier to follow.
Rating: 
Summary: This is literature in its best modern form
Review: Half-way through the novel, I found myself reading readers' reviews of this book on amazon.com. I was both facinated and dismayed by the disparity in opinions I encountered but a thorough re-reading of the reviews convinced me that the major distinction was between those who know how to read literature and those who find underlying plots and meanings in texts so elusive. To read Toni Morrison, one not only has to pick up any of her books with the frame of mind that this is not merely a book but a reflection of history and an exploration of idenity, but also to famliarise onself with the general themes that run through her books. The constancy in Toni Morrison's works is facinating, for although, the characters acquire new names, are set in different spatio-temporal dimensions and act out new roles, the text invariably exists in a point of time where the words are elevated above the mere persona of the characters to represent issues at the heart of each black individual. Toni Morrison is an artist, an intelligent writer and a sensitive stylist. To read Morrison is to touch history, to live it and learn from it. Her books are a saga of conflicting identities and how one can learn the art of self-assertion and belonging without losing one's subjectivity.
Rating: 
Summary: Sheer Disappointment...
Review: When I picked up Paradise, I was eager to get started, driven by Oprah's overwhelming praise of the story and the characters within. However, after a few chapters I found myself wondering what the hell was happening, hoping to see improvements to the flow of the story in the pages that followed. While there were a couple dozen occasions where I wanted nothing but to put it down for good, I accepted the challenge of working through the pages. I thought part way through that I should have made some notes, or a sort of family tree to keep track of all the characters, but decided against it, as no read should be that much work. So, I continued through the confusion right until the end, feeling entirely unsatisfied when I finally got there. I do not read as much as I would like, simply due to my hectic schedule. I try to find time to read for the sheer escape, the understanding of characters and interesting plot development. In Paradise, I was working too hard to be able to understand it, there were too many characters to gain an in depth understanding of any of them individually, and I felt myself wanting Morrison to just GET TO THE POINT. While her vocabulary and attention to detail was impressive, we as readers need to keep in mind that a difficult, confusing read does not automatically make it a good one. This was my first Morrison read, and likely my last.
Rating:
Summary: The most amazing book Toni Morrison has ever written
Review: I'm 18 years old and I found Paradise to be the most amazing book I've ever read. I don't understand those people who dare to give this book a rating of three stars of less because they couldn't understand it. In my opinion anyone without the brains to understand this novel shouln't even consider writing a review because they aren't capable of writing a review based on the novel, it's souly based on their stupidity toward fine literature. I would recomend Paradise to any person who would take the time to sit down and read the book properly and I'm sure they would enjoy it tremendously.
Rating:
Summary: sanity saved
Review: I thought perhaps I had lost abilities to comprehend and enjoy reading as I plowed through these stories.I have read Morrison before too! The style did not spur me on; just diligence. I think I understand it, caught sub ideas, etc.,but mostly bored by her characters, but surely am glad to be done with it. No wonder the owner loaned it and said "...don"t worry about getting it back to me...".
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful writing...but "huh?"
Review: I heard Ms. Morrison read a selection from Paradise when it was still a work in progress and I couldn't wait to see the rest of it. But, like her reading, the book was beautiful yet confusing. When I heard her read, I thought it was just lost on me because I hadn't heard the rest of the story. Now I know, I was lost because there just was not a lot of clarity here. This book is worth your while IF you don't have your hopes up that it will be the best thing you ever read...if you are expecting that, you might walk away disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Toni Morrison's best work to date!
Review: I have read some amazing books by this woman, but I think Paradise is her best piece of work. It is a mixture of Faulkner, Rushdie and Ms. Morrison's established style of writing. I found myself as equally fascinated as the characters in her book about the phrase "Be the furrow of His brow" or "Beware the furrow of His Brow". The difference in meaning is huge and I think central to the main event of the book - the gunning down of the "outsiders" in the convent. Morrison shows the danger of obsession - be it obsession with a human being, race or religion. There is a thin line between being extremely religious/godly and becoming a self-appointed "God". I think this book demonstrates that well and I would encourage any serious readers of English literature to read this! To those who enjoyed it, may I recommend Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children" to you - another excellent piece of literature.
Rating: 
Summary: powerful, yet no Beloved.
Review: i fully enjoyed paradise. yes, it is difficult to get through, and yes she can be vague at times. i think that is the beauty of toni morrison's writing style though. you must be patient and you must be able to sit down, give the book your full attention and read it slowly. to enjoy the full meaning of her books you cannot read them fast. they are slow moving books that need patience. it is also definately not a writing style that all appriciate or enjoy. i would not recommend this book to a person who hasn't read a book in awhile or is not used to reading a modernist or postmodernist style of writing. without being used to non-linear plot lines, i cannot imagine being able to follow paradise. yet, if you can get through it, and appriciate it, it is definately worth it. toni morrison is one of the most gifted writers today and every book i read of hers is a different, rich, amazing joy. to all who haven't read beloved, which thus far, is my personal favorite.
Rating:
Summary: "Good" doesn't have to be "easy."
Review: My book club just finished reading Paradise, and I was the only one who liked it (and one of only a few who finished it.) I was also the only one who took the time to jot notes as I read, so that I could keep track of the characters and story. It didn't take anything away from the reading experience to take these notes. On the contrary, it enhanced it immeasurably. I was disappointed in my clubmates for giving up so easily. I would have liked for them to all have finished and understood it, so I could discuss it with them in the thorough manner it deserves. Yes, it was a difficult book. No, difficult does not equal bad. Have we as a society lost our love of a challenge? Are good things no longer worth working toward? I thought it was a mesmerizing story because I understood it. I didn't understand it because of my intellectual superiority, but because of my work ethic.
Rating:
Summary: The most wonderfull book I've ever read !
Review: I have read a lot of books in my live but Paradise is the best book ever. After reading Paradise it was as if I had lived for years in Ruby. I could see, feel, smell, taste, grieve and believe. It started at Chapter one and it never ended. The way Toni Morrison creates a Paradise into a Paradise is amazing. I hope we have the opportunity to enjoy lots of books from her in future.
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