Rating: 
Summary: Wow! Take a bow Ms. Morrison!!
Review: Paradise is a true literary work, in that, Morrison successfully labors to peal back the layers and reveal the interworkings of our consciousness and reality. Morrison is writing our conscious mind. The back and forth, in and out, up and down of the novel is how we think, and we do not think chronologically. We perform, ponder, postulate and plan all at the same time. Those who inaccurately descibe this novel as one full of disilusioned and controlling males and controlled and troubled women are unfortunately missing out on the beauty of the novel. They do not see that Morrison has created an earthly paradise that we are familiar with, but rarely, if ever, acknowledge. The characters are anything but one dimesional. Remember the "living man," the "8 rocks?" Furethermore, I disagree that this is not a book for someone who is used to reading Grisham or the like. If you accept reality as an ongoing set of events, many which are somewho related, this novel is for you. If you appreciate the "labor" involved in weaving an amazing story such as this into a beautiful fiction success, you will revel in it from page 1. Moreover, those who decide its not worth it to partially or completly re-read miss out also. It only enhance the value of the novel. Would you buy a video that you never want to see again? Those critics will miss out on or misunderstood the meaning of Steward saying "there is only one of me." I felt I was taking an enriching journey where I met interesting, beautiful people (with wonderful names) and each time I met someone, they reminded me of those I had already encountered, and pleasantly, I discovered that their lives are all realted in some way, that they all exist in the same realm. For these reasons, I think this novel is truly a literary achievement.
Rating:
Summary: This follows my first response
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed Paradise as I've said the first time. My question though, which I failed to mention in my excitement that I followed and understood (not really a good word) the book is that: I did get lost in the last 8 or so pages. I remember Seneca and her story, but when the mother, in those pages, says she thought this was her daugher, ect., I was lost. I understood that each women had her story, and also that others were telling pieces of their story about each woman. I didn't remember anyone talking about this part of Seneca's like. Oh, well, it'll be more fun the next time around.This book was tops. Well, first, back to Beloved. I picked Beloved up in my Ph.D. program which was committing murder on top of suicide. So, I have lots and lots of good books to read, like Songs of Solomon, Bluest Eye, etc. I have the greatest respect for the author, Toni Morrison. She very brillantly brings her experience(s) to the pages without being bias, and without making the characters be her (in disguise) but have their own personality. I did not have this much understanding (there's that word again) of Beloved. I got through the first half of the book and clocked out. I picked it up, tried for about 3 months, put it down, up again about 6 months later, and down again now for over 3 years. Since I made it through the Ph.D, I'll try again, especially after the easy reading of Paradise. And, it is Paradise. How was that missed by those readers who so easily and quickly attacked Toni? My hats off to the author, intellect, writer, award winner, lady, ... !!!!!!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Painful exploration of gender,color, and race
Review: Refuse dance barefoot battered Eves bonding Ruby blood This novel invites the reader to explore the politics of gender,color,and race, topics painful to this black, female reader. Ms. Morrison paints a brutal, ugly picture of the abuses heaped upon many black women, indeed, upon women. In Paradise the Convent women, women bruised, battered, and set adrift, are blamed for all the troubles in Ruby just as Eve is blamed for Adam's fall. However, it is the 8 rock men of Ruby who,like Satan, fall prey to pride and ambition and destroy the paradise that they worked hard to gain. Steward, even more than the other men, is unable to contain his deep malice and fear of women; his self-righteous denial of murder damns his soul. The more he gets, the more he loses. Ruby is his paradise lost. Rest assured, however that Ms. Morrison has not written a male bashing novel. There are many fine men in this novel, men who do no hurt. Even Deek, who uses and looks down on Consolata because she so freely dispenses her love, is sympathetically portrayed by the author. He confesses his remorse "at having become what the Old Fathers cursed: the kind of man who set himself up to judge, rout and even destroy the needy, the defenseless, the different." The issue of color - lightskinned vs darkskinned is embarrassingly addressed. The patriarchs eschew any black who is not ebony. Because Menus' intended was of mixed descent, the clan would not accept her. Bowing to the pressure exerted upon him, Menus did not marry his beloved and became an increasingly embittered, drunken shell of a man. These descendants of slaves who were refused refuge in towns peopled by fairskinned blacks promised themselves and their progeny that they would brook no marriages or alliances with those of a lighter hue. Ms. Morrison hammers home the point that this color discrimination is the result of slavery. Fornicating slavemasters gave their lightskinned offspring dominion over their darker brothers. The author's forth! rightness embarrassed me because it is painful to see blacks aping the prejudices of whites. Though Toni Morrison's book is painful because of its sharp points of truth about those who lose paradise, the magical, mystical, allegorical, symbolic, rambling tale she weaves makes the novel a riveting read.
Rating:
Summary: Historical Reflections at it's Best !!!
Review: Paradise took me back to my early childhood and brought me forward to the '90s. Ms. Morrison placed me back to a time that I had forgotten. Through this book, I relived that history--especially travels through now forgotten primarily black towns. What a great read!
Rating: 
Summary: This was not a pleasurable reading experience.
Review: I had anticipated that this would be a tough read. Toni has an extraordinary gift of the written word but this novel was a disappointment. The characters were too complex. I could not determine where the story was headed. I tried hard not to put it down before the end but frustration won out. Maybe I will try to read it again later.
Rating: 
Summary: 1 Star is 1 too many!
Review: I read this book because Oprah Winfrey recommended it in her book club. After 2 days of trudging through it, I was hellbent on finishing it, just for principle! Secretly I was hoping it would get better...but it never did. The most interesting and (I think) valuable aspect of the book was how it described the members of the small black community's prejudices against others of their town, and how the color of their skin determined their worth in the community. However, I never did figure out how the convent fit into the picture. The words were descriptive and eloquent, but the story was lost on me.
Rating: 
Summary: A book about a fallen ,Utopia
Review: Paradise may be found on this earth.Each individual has a choice to make. It is common for all to seek an utopia. The pursuit was a worthy one from Haven to Ruby. But possession usually brings disillusion. Ethnic cleansing even in today's world is still exercised. The funding for the Arts and Science in Charlotte was abolished to purify the city morality standards. The attack on the convent is representative of this ignorance. The disappearance of the bodies was thought provoking. The author attempts to tie up the loose ends by the characters coming back"to love begun". This reader feels the author should have edited and revised more. Perhaps she had a deadline to meet. Ele Mae
Rating:
Summary: Not worth the effort
Review: I've read most of Toni Morrison's work and anticipated the release of Paradise. I should learn not to set myself up like that. More complex and enigmatic than any of her other novels, Paradise waits far too long before giving the reader enough frame of reference to appreciate what's going on. The characters are interesting, but lack the multi-faceted quality that made books like "Beloved" and "Song of Solomon" so rich. There is merit to this book, I just didn't find that merit to be worth the effort of slogging through the murky depths of the convoluted storyline.
Rating: 
Summary: It was challenging, but it made me think.
Review: It was challenging, especially the first part of the book. I have found this difficulty with other books written by Morrison, which is why I have only read one other book (Tar Baby) by her. However, since Morrison is so well thought of in educational and literary circles, I decided it was important for me to give her another try. This is not an entertaining piece of literature. It makes the reader think about issues such as class, race, and gender. Morrison uses a lot of symbolism and it takes some thought to understand what she writes and to create knowledge from what she has written. This is the challenge. This is what makes it worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Beloved vs Paradise
Review: I must say that I am still trying to get through Beloved, however, Paradise was marvelous. I must also say that those who feel Toni needs to return, or have her award taken, are speaking out of anger or envy. Even after having put Beloved down for 3 years or more, Still, all I can say to the Lady is, YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!
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