Paradise

Rating:
Summary: can't we lose this paradise?
Review: Oh mercy, I wonder how many unfortunate book discussion groups are going to be slogging through this one. Paradise, by Toni Morrison, is convoluted, overwritten and downright confusing. She sets up a smug tone that grits the teeth. I have a mental picture of Oprah chomping happily on a burger, reading Jackie Collins, and snickering to herself at the thought of earnest readers toiling through Paradise. Thumbs down,

Rating:
Summary: The NY Times was divided on this book.
Review: There is a subtle snobbbishness in much of the praise of this novel. It is difficult, we are told, but everything worthwhile is. (Subtext if you don't like this book maybe you aren't up to reading it.) Toni Morrison's book is difficult, but that hardly seems the point. The question is "Is it worth the effort?" I have been slogging through this book in hopes that the answer is yes but in the end the answer is no. In an effort to understand what it is I was missing I checked out the NY Times website and looked for the review of Paradise. Low and behold I discovered that the NY Times had printed more than one review of this book. A favorable review (quoted above) was in the Sunday Times but a very unfavorable one was printed in the daily paper!

Rating:
Summary: Worth the effort!
Review: I enjoyed Paradise. Toni Morrison certainly has a distinctive style of writing. It sort of keeps you in the dark and tantalized at the same time. She answers your questions slowly and on a seemingly need-to-know basis only. By the time I understood the nuances of the book (at the end), I felt like I needed to go back and start it all over again and read it with my new understanding. I found it to be very enjoyable, perplexing, complex and compelling. I could not put it down and never once thought of abandoning the effort!

Rating:
Summary: This book stumbles over its own words.
Review: The story is so imbedded in unnecessary literary gymnastics that I found this book unenjoyable. The women in the convent were not likeable and the town's people were difficult to follow without a family tree. I felt no empathy for any of the characters. There were so many of them that they all appreared shallow. This is the first Toni Morrison book I have read, and I do hope this was not her best as it would be difficult to see how she could be a prize winning novelist at this rate. It takes so long to find the story that it seems to have lost any plot before it even begins. The premise of the book is fine - it is the style in which it is written that seems most flawed.

Rating:
Summary: Bring your reading glasses and your brain
Review: I haven't finished Paradise yet, but I will in the next day or two. I've heard a lot of things about this book lately, due to Oprah's endorsement. It's interesting that so many people have complained of the book being too difficult, or too convoluted. I'm proud of Oprah for supporting a wonderful book and author, but I'm afraid that her support has put this book on the reading list of far too wide an audience. This is not your typical best-seller. Morrison does not spoon-feed her readers, and for that we are appreciative. I enjoy thinking while I'm reading, not being told every linear detail. As I'm reading Paradise, I find myself trying to remember details, how this character hooks up with that one, and I have had to go back and check some things. I don't see this as a negative quality--it's part of enjoying something that is truly a work of literature. The lush history, the stories related from generation to generation, and the complex relationships and character sketches make this one of the most amazing experiences, let alone books, that I have encountered. I'd give it a rating of "10", but I would have to reserve that for the "classics". Paradise will likely stand the test of time.

Rating:
Summary: An interesting story pretentiously & obliquely told
Review: I liked the story idea, and was eager to know how it would all come about. Ms. Morrison apparently doesn't want that to happen. Time-shifting isn't so bad (I loved "Pulp Fiction" & "Seinfeld Backwards"), but other rapid shifts between characters, places, conversations and thoughts without guideposts seem to be purposefully misdirecting. It's interesting that many readers feel rewarded by repeated readings. I believe that rereading would be frustrating: more of the same. Those noting the similarity to reading Shakespeare seem right on. I think there's some feigned intellectualism in the writing and reviewing of this wordy, murky book. - Harry Wareham, Monterey, CA

Rating:
Summary: THE "GRACE" OF THIS NOVEL IS "DIVINE".
Review: I'M A WRITER MYSELF, AND A VERY ACTIVE READER, BUT I HAVE TO ADMIT SOMETIMES I GOT LOST AND HAD TO GO BACK AND FIGURE OUT WHO WAS WHO IN HER NOVEL, BUT...SO WHAT? IT WAS WELL WORTH THE READ, HER LYRICS ALONE IN THE NOVEL SHE WOVE ARE ENOUGH TO DRAW A READER IN AND MAKE THEM WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE WOMEN OF CONVENT, THE WOMEN OF RUBY AND THE MEN OF RUBY. WHILE I WILL NOT SAY IT IS HER BEST NOVEL YET, THAT TITLE STILL BELONGS TO SONG OF SOLOMON, IT IS ONE OF HER BEST. MORRISON CAN MAKE A READER THINK SHE IS DESCRIBING THEM OR SOMEONE THEY KNOW OR ARE VERY CLOSE TO, HER IMAGES OF THE WOMEN OF CONVENT AND THE TOWN OF RUBY AND ITS INHABITANTS ARE DEAD ON. MORRISON'S LATEST NOVEL IS GENIUS.

Rating:
Summary: Characters: all dressed up with no place to go
Review: Toni Morrison has done a great job. She has written an amazingly insightful book, and has left her reader with a lot to think about. The book packaged a lot of depth, but has left the plot somewhat dry. She developed her characters well, but took up too much time with them. Several characters had little to do with the story, but she took time writing about them anyway. Next time, less matter with more art.

Rating:
Summary: The characters kept my interest and kept me reading.
Review: Whenever I have trouble following a narrative, I blame myself not the author. The characters kept my interest and kept me reading. It wasn't until I reached Consolata's chapter that I was able to solve some of the novel's mysteries. My advice is to keep reading.

Rating:
Summary: Not what I expected
Review: I was eager to read this novel after hearing so much about it. To say that I was disappointed is an understatement. I was told the book was "a hard read" and quite frankly I resented that label. I consider myself an intelligent person, capable of following and understanding a novel. However, I am embarrassed to admit that I truly did not understand a lot about the book. There were far too many characters, their lives and names all got mixed together and I had to keep going back to past chapters to get them straight. I kept reading and telling myself that somehow at the end of the book all of this will come together and make sense. Needless to say none of it did. Also, Connie's "powers" totally eluded me. Somehow I was not expecting something like that to enter into the story. I suppose I should read it again but I know I never will. I resent having to read a novel twice in order to understand it. Having said that I can only wonder why so many are calling it "her best book yet".