Rating: 
Summary: a two day project
Review: I read this for a book club. I went away for a weekend and read it in 24 hours. Paradise is about isolation. Are you interested in isolation? I was. I have never read anything else by Morrison, but I may after this.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic Command of the Language
Review: Toni Morrison has a way with words that is unbelievable. However, the plot of Paradise is so disjointed that it is almost impossible to follow. It was a chore to decipher what was happening. The theme of the book is one that should be presented and discussed. It is unfortunate that Paradise was not the vehicle to do this. Still, Morrison's use of words is fabulous even though most of the time they did not enhance the plot.
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Summary: I didn't like this book.
Review: I am possibly in the minority, but I just didn't like it. I didn't think the author tied information together. I tried to keep going, like Oprah said, because the beginning is hard. I never found that it got easier or better. It was not a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: complex but enjoyable
Review: I read this book for a book club assignment. I enjoyed but wish I'd had paper and pencil to recordthe particulars of likes and dislikes. I noticed a similarity to Stephen King of whom I've only read 2 works. I read it in two days and don't regret the time. I'll probably read more of Morrison.
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Summary: Paradise is not Green Eggs and Ham
Review: I've read almost all of the reviews of this book thus far and the general concencus is that Paradise is too complex. Well, don't read it!!! This book is not Green Eggs and Ham or some supermarket trash! It is a literary masterpiece and it angers me that so many have poo-pooed it because it requires the use of all 3% of human thinking capacity in the brain. Toni Morrison has shown us time and time again in all of her books that human thought is not linear. Most of our memories are not thought of chronologically, so then why should a book be written in that manner? If you are used to predictable and downright mundane storylines of common bestsellers, then Paradise is not for you. I am not saying that you have to be a Harvard grad to appreciate this treasure, but you do have to think; you may even need to take notes, but please, do not treat this fine wine like Kool-Aid just because you are not accustomed to drinking.
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Summary: prepare to stretch your mind a bit...
Review: Halfway through Paradise, I was wishing I had had a pen and notepad from the beginning. The book is intricately woven, and the clues that I blew by (which twin drives a Chevy?) and then couldn't find again, bothered me to the end. This is a story that will clarify and deepen with repeated reading, but requires a lot of mental exercise.
Rating:
Summary: good, but too many characters
Review: i enjoyed the book a lot! i wish there had been a "family tree" to refer to. it was difficult keeping everyone straight. good reading and lots of food for thought.
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Summary: PAINFUL
Review: Ms. Morrison's command of the language is impressive-this particlar book is not. I have read and enjoyed the author's other books; this was a punishment for something that I did not know I had done!!!! If there was a lesson to be learned I must have missed it somewhere between pain and suffering:My own!
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely awful!
Review: If I could have given less than 1 star, I would have. I am not sure that I have ever read a worse book! I did not finish - didn't even get a third of the way through. Talk about overhyped!! What on earth was this all about? I confess that I didn't get it. If this is the level of book that is being promoted by Oprah, then I know why I am thankful I never have time to watch daytime television...
Rating:
Summary: Glad to be finished
Review: I managed to read Paradise in it's entirety but it was a struggle. The concept was interesting, a group of blacks forming their own isolated community in order to build a "Paradise" and avoid all the pitfalls of society in general. Eventually those within the community who are able to see what is actually happening notice that their isolated society has become no different than what exists on the outside. They found that they have all the strengths and weaknesses that exist everywhere.I wish that Toni Morrison could have written with more clarity, the book was such a struggle to get through that I was frustrated after every page read. I was determined to finish and was thankful when I did. I'm wondering if she is overly impressed with herself (an award winning author) and took too many liberties. I couldn't tell the difference between what was reality to the characters and what was fantasy. She called a character by one name and in the following paragraph called them by something else. I felt the author was trying to test me to see if I was paying attention. I read for enjoyment and this had nothing to do with a good time.
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