Paradise

Rating:
Summary: attenuated postmodernity
Review: Paradise is the only book of Morrison's that i have read and likely it will be the last. From the first page i couldn't help thinking: "this woman is trying way too hard"; there is something i find extremely trying in her writing style. Not to say that i don't generally enjoy great attention to detail in literature -- for example, the visuals in the respective works of Henry Miller and William S Burroughs in which the descriptions seems geniune, as if written with real passion. In Paradise, on the other hand, Morrison really presses the issue, and frankly, her sensory descriptions are average at best and often come across as forged and artificial -- like a square attempting to be interesting and witty. Morrison was described to me as a "postmodern writer", however, to say this seems to equivocate "postmodernism" with something like vacuous or empty. The opening scene of the book is described on the back cover as something like "horrifying", but it really isn't, and herein lies another of Paradise's weaknesses: It seems to stay on a flat plane throughout, lost in an eternal grayness. Of course, there are times when Morrison tries to work towards extremes, however, all of these attempts come across as forged, fake, and artificial.

Rating:
Summary: Truly, Deeply, Brilliant
Review: Is it what she does with English? With the parking of a car, she snatches you to the next page. Is it her juxtaposition of concepts? With the stroke of a pen, she takes the most sacred and holy sanctuary of the devout, a Convent, and infects it worse than a chimney with soot. Greater than all of these is the rich portraits she paints of her characters. Her men are tall and soaring at seven feet. Her birds stop, look, and listen. Her children wait patiently until Sunday and then (innocently) do unspeakable things in full view of the congregation. And then, of course, there are her women. When they are not heckling defiance at the good Lord's sky or badgering Death as to the reason for his inexplicable delay, they grow crops that refuse to be coaxed from the ground for anyone else. Their biscuits and pies are the stuff of legend, and whole meals spark wild-eyed exaggeration in men who are normally rational. Outside the kitchen, they flit. They twitter. They sing like Sirens, fight like dragons, leap through the air with Amazonian thighs, and sweat the sweat that is the oil of God. Ms. Morrison's five-star talent lies not only in creating these characters but also in weaving them together in a rich and rather elegant tapestry. In addition to tossing off a first chapter that is both Alpha and Omega (!), she freely feeds the reader with profound themes of color, race, and religion. And, Hell, it wouldn't be a good book without a pinch of sex, so the good chef's mixed that in as well. Being the writer's writer that she is, Ms. Morrison will be best enjoyed by those who know her craft (writing) and have sat down with the simple goal of enjoying her story, her telling of it, and her unique characters. Listen to them, watch them walk, feel their hair, imagine their eyes. Sit in the corner and see them live. Then, good friend, you will see why they could not help but summon her to Stockholm.

Rating:
Summary: the best book
Review: This book is perhaps the best I have ever read. Toni Morrison is a brilliant author, and her prose is beautiful. This novel highlights the hypocrosies of prejudice, leading one to reflect on the true meaning of life and to avoid the meaningless judgements we all pass each day. The intricacies of her novel leave the story to interpretation and the reader with a hunger for more of this fascinating story. Paradise is a novel that can be read and reread, allowing the reader to glean more insight from this book with each new stroll through its magnificence.

Rating:
Summary: Remarkable!
Review: A friend said, "Take this home and read it, and then call me when you've finished." I'd not read any of Toni Morrison, and, somewhat embarrasssed about that now, really had no intention of doing so. Nevertheless I responded to the Paradise challenge and oh, my, what a literary experience it was! I read the first three chapters, was confused but convinced that it was I, not the author, and the next day began all over again. ...And continued and-- good for me, because-- I'm sure I've never read a better book. I've never ever come anywhere close to even a remotely sympathetic understanding of the "black experience" in this country until reading Paradise (and subsequently Beloved and Sula). But aside from that importance in my life, Paradise itself is absolutely remarkable as literature, I believe. The reader gets to know characters in this story in bits and piece, just as people in real life learn about others -- a little at a time, a crumb here and a crumb there along experiences' continuum. And then, voila! a whole loaf magically comes together. At some point and in ever so seemingly random fashion,all along the way, human behaviors and attitudes of Paradise characters become explainable and are sympathically understandable. To be sure, the story line itself is compelling, from the very first sentence of Chapter 1. Most, if not all, of the social interactions and lessons of the Ruby community were strangely familiar, charming in many ways, and chilling in others. When I finished Paradise, I then proceeded immediately to re-read it AND I liked it even BETTER the second time. Not too many books you can say that about. If you are a devotee of the narrative sweetness of the Rosamunde Pilcher woman writer ilk, you will definitely NOT cotton to Toni Morrison. As for me,I am in total awe of the genius of Toni Morrison. Absolutely remarkable!

Rating:
Summary: open to interpretation?
Review: A lush, well written story is one of life's pleasures. This book has countless lush, well written passages that I'll remember or want to recall for their insightful grasps of wisdom. As an added bonus,I also found "tolerance" to be a learning point for me from this reading. But then there is another side to this book that is maddening. The story is full of clues and if you expect Morrison to tie it all together neatly in the end you will be disappointed. I am now reading and rereading parts, especially the beginning, to try to understand what exactly Morrison wants us to understand about what happened to the convent women. (This is not an easy task since mid-way through the story Morrison introduces truly fictional phenomena, thereby making a logical approach questionable.) This book is like a well planned crossword puzzle minus the solution. After struggling for a while you begin to wonder if one exists. Toni, have mercy on us mortals; I have small children who need my attention! It would be nice to know if Morrison wanted to leave Paradise open to interpretation (how poetic)or if she felt an astute reader would find her intended meaning. Given Morrison's acknowledged talent, together with the care and elaborate detail put into this story, you may not be able to rest well until you think you have put it together.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This book sat on my "to read" stack for over a year. I kept hearing that it was rough sledding, but I finally picked it up and was completely enthralled. In fact, I'd say it was a page-turner. The book is something of a jigsaw puzzle, so it's important not to get frustrated when you don't know exactly who is who. After about 100 pages the pieces start falling into place and that makes it especially satisfying to read. (I recommend keeping a pencil and paper handy to jot down relationships on a family tree as they become clear.) Don't be put off by this, it's one of the great pleasures of Morrison's writing--in addition to her wonderful language and vast imagination.

Rating:
Summary: Morrison's weaknesses overwhelm her
Review: Ever since Sula, Morrison has been developing a penchant for mythic characters and situations, a prose style which is more oratory than specific, and situations and events which are neither realistic nor magical but a way to avoid dealing with real life. All of these flaws are brought together, exponentially, in this text. The faults are too many to go into great depth: the narrative is too fractured; too much "poetry" (poetry, Toni, is concrete and minimal, not flowery); one-dimensional characters. But the worst flaw is how Morrison dodges saying anything critical about black people or women, and instead, after a brutal execution, everyone is forgiven and lives on in paradise. Toni, this response to the world is too easy.

Rating:
Summary: A complex and haunting story
Review: This is not an easy book! I will certainly read it a second time after having gained some distance. Morrison requires the reader to actively participate with his mind to glue the different scenes and episodes together and to fill apparent gaps in the plot. Gaps they are superficially only, for the author provides plenty of clues, albeit often just in the form of subtle hints. The story does not unfold in a simple one-two-three manner to be read with only half one's mind present and I often had to pause to think about what I had just read. Add to this Morrison's scholarly vocabulary and you know what's awaiting you. But the rewards are by far worth the effort! What greater pleasure could there be than to have successfully concluded an intellectural exercise? The story itself is as complex as it's characters are out of the ordinary and some scenes are haunting to the extreme, but thanks to its reconciliatory end the book, rather surprisingly, gives one an uplift.

Rating:
Summary: Paradise?
Review: I've just finished reading "paradise" and am still mulling over what I have experienced. At the outset let me say I am male, white and a Canadian. My knowledge of the black experience is limited. I first saw the movie version of "Beloved", and knew there must be more. I then read the book. I became a Toni Morrison fan. Next came a birthday gift in a book called "Paradise". From my standpoint I ask was there a place or is there a place like Ruby? Were there all black towns in America? Morrison says yes and we find a town really without color. Only casual reference to the war between the races. But the conflicts in Ruby are all too familiar. I think Morrison is holding up a mirror and daring all of us to look in. We might not like what we see. But what we see is familiar. The element of mystery is disconcerting. The resolution is not clear. But so is life itself. Without the mystery there is no point in seeking. Toni Morrison has no more answers to the mystery of life than anyone reading this review. She has the courage to venture forth in her mind to offer her insight. And her insight makes it worthwhile to keep turning the pages. In Beloved and now Paradise; I have learned something about the black experience in America. Paradise shows that what we are and what we believe is behind our color and lodged in our mind. A thousand Rubys will not make the world right. That problem is our own. All of us. Paradise waits...

Rating:
Summary: Painfull
Review: I made it all the way through but I had to ask myself why I bothered.