Beloved

Rating:
Summary: Phenomenal
Review:
"124 was spiteful."...

Thus begins Toni Morrison's epic, moving, technically astounding novel. And upon reading the opening chapter, the reader will be rendered confused, moved, horrified, and gripped in six or seven pages of fantastic writing. It is impossible to really say that "Beloved" is the tale of the ghost of a baby, embittered and vengeful, or "Beloved" is the tale of Sethe, an ill-treated black woman who is too afraid to "go inside" and face her past. No. "Beloved" is none of these. In fact, Morrison's novel (if indeed it can be called a "novel") is written in such a way that it cannot be described as one story. It is a collection of memories, "rememories", and haunting images, collectively compilled to create a harrowing reminder to the people of today that the slave trade must NOT be forgotten. It must be remembered.

But to remember is to move on. And to move on is to forget.

"This was not a story to pass on...this is not a story to pass on."

Morrison's non-linear narrative style plunges the reader into a world of memory. The book is non-chronological and therefore more than a little confusing to begin with, but, on delving deeper into the secrets of Sethe's past, the supressed memories of darker times are slowly uncovered. Aided by impressive language techniques and a unique style of writing, Morrison proceeds to break down the genre of "Slavery" writing and creates a new, ingenious type of story. By combining the historical elements of a novel about black slavery and the chilling, spine-tingling terrors of a ghost story, Morrison draws the reader in hungrilly, thirsting for our attention and causing us to thirst for more...just as Beloved thirsts for Sethe, acceptance...and revenge.

"Beloved" is more than a book. More than a tale, a fable, or a fiction. "Beloved" is a memory. A protest against forgetting what is almost already lost. "Beloved" is spine chilling, heart-warming, and eye-opening. Most importantly, "Beloved" is unforgettable.



Rating:
Summary: Read this interesting book!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I believe the book Beloved by Toni Morrison was somewhat interesting. I had to expand my mind in order for it to be interesting. The setting was believable because of the story having to do with slavery. You have to have an imagination to set the big picture. The plot was believable for that time period that the book was set in. In my opinion I relate to the characters in no way, shape or form. This book would be good for a teenage reader wanting to expand his/her mind. Read it. It's great.

Rating:
Summary: A Marvelous Achievement
Review: "Beloved" tells the story of survivors of slavery living in Ohio, before, during, and after emancipation: a mother, Sethe, who makes terrible sacrifices to save her family; a daughter, Denver, who was miraculously born on the road to freedom; and Paul D. who bravely comes to terms with inhuman attempts of slaveholders to destroy his soul and his sense of himself.

When a young woman named Beloved comes into their lives (no one is sure from where), she embodies the pain of slavery, the unrelenting anguish over the loss of loved ones, the rage and sorrows that are legacies of enslavement.

The novel gradually reveals its mystery and its meaning and tells of horrifying aspects of slavery. Toni Morrison's language is beautifully poetic. I will remember her vivid portrait of slavery, and the window she opens into the souls and psyches of her characters for a very long time.



Rating:
Summary: B-E-L-O-V-E-D...beloved
Review: Beloved, written by Toni Morrison, is set in rural Ohio several years after the Civil War. Sethe, one of the main characters, lives at 124 with her daughter Denver, mother-in-law Baby Suggs, and the ghost of the baby she murdered 18 years ago. When a strange woman named Beloved arrives at their house, Sethe is forced to confront her past, including murdering her baby girl. Beloved also makes Denver become more independent and self-sufficient.
Beloved acts as the catalyst in making Sethe remember her past. She asks questions that help to trigger painful memories, such as her illegal marriage to Halle, another slave. Sethe then finds out that Halle betrayed her in the worst way. Beloved's presence helps to fill in the gaps that Morrison leaves in the beginning of the book.
Beloved also helps Denver become an independent woman. In the beginning of the book, Denver is a recluse who rarely goes beyond the fence around the house in fear of the "evil thing" that made Sethe kill her baby so many years ago. However, when Sethe's attention turns to Beloved, Denver must start taking care of herself. She conquers her fear of the world beyond the fence and gets a job to support herself, Sethe, and Beloved.
I would recommend this book only to certain people. I would recommend this book to you if you had someone else to discuss it with. This book is difficult to read and just as difficult to understand. You also need to have a certain level of maturity to understand the meaning behind all of the swearing and graphic sexual content in this book. If you do read this book, I know that you will experience a powerful, moving novel.




Rating:
Summary: Unique and Powerful Book
Review: How to write a review for a book which thousands of articles and reviews have been written on? I'll try to stick to the primary highlights and pros and cons, and let you be the judge. Set in the US after the Civil War, blacks are technically free, but not really as they is still oppression from the white majority. However, in Beloved, that's only one aspect of the oppression, as it also comes in the form of the black community within its self, within people's personal lives, and from... a ghost.

A very unique, but powerful form of prose that Morrison uses is that the storyline is not linear. Meaning you jump around from present to past and from different points of view almost constantly. It works, but you can read it like a regular book and will have to read more slowly. It can be worth it, but it can also be frustrated at times. But by the end, you realize it couldn't have been written any other way, and still have the impact it leaves upon you.Now let me say right now that my description above is a VERY shallow scratching of the surface. There are tons of issues throughout this book for the read to think upon, which is why this book earned both a Pulitzer and the National Book Award. So do not classify this as a "ghost story" as it's much, much more. Indeed, it is more of a post-Civil War story on the black experience than anything else, if you can believe that. In that sense, the "ghost story" seems out of place at first, but it definitely lends itself to the ex-slavery aspect very strongly as you continue reading.

One thing to note that I did not care for, and others may not, is the rather animalistic portrayal and graphicness of the sexual tones throughout the book. It may be accurate of the times, though I don't know, but it is disturbing regardless. All in all, a very good read, and I can see why it's fated to be an instant classic. For that reason, I probably should have given it 5 stars, but I can't say it's my favorite type of book personally. But for any literary critic out there, or anyone interested in the black experience after the civil war, this is a must-read.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, sensual, daring...
Review: I absolutely love this book. It's certainly my favorite, and I've read it about 4 times through thus far. Everytime I opened it up and begun to read I realized that I found something new, a new perspective, hidden meaning, etc. that I thought wasn't there before. My first Morrison book was "The bluest eye" and she really caught my attention with that one, so I decided to read Beloved and was absolutely blown away by her astounding abilities as a writer. The only thing I didn't like the 1st time around is the open ended question in the conclusion that a reader can feel trapped in when she/he wonders where Beloved went, how, why...it takes patience :). Aside, it's magnificent! I recommend this book fully!

Rating:
Summary: Beloved by LaShandra
Review: I think that Beloved was a great novel. It was very suspenseful. In a way it made me a little scared to finish. If you are not a comprehensive reader then you will have trouble with this novel. It tells of a dark-past that has came back to haunt Sethe. She is faced with the reality of how cruel,yet understood that killing her infant daughter was. She also tries to put her past at Sweet Home to rest. But simply can't bacause she has been scared so badly from her experiences that she has come to think of the one on her back as a chokecherry tree with different branches. As her daughter Denver is presented with some suspicious evidence, she then puts all the pieces together that would eventually lead up to the explaining of who the baby ghost was. She was indeed the ghost of the girl whom walked out of water from over there. Her sister Beloved. As Denver wanted to keep the secret dark and unknown, Beloved had other plans. She intruded in their house and came back for her family. As the story was brought to a close, it all made since to me why such actions had taken place. I was able to understand everything i hadn't understood in the beginning. This is a very complex book that should be read with very extreme cautions. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Indelible footprint in American literature
Review: I understand some people's frustrations in reading this book. It's not a straight-forward "here's the plot and here's how it ends" kind of book. The plot or central theme of the book is simple enough, a slave-woman escapes to the free north and the aftermath of her supposed freedom. As in Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses magical realism to drive her story, it's reminiscent of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende. I think it adds an element to the book that heightens its emotions. Slavery is a difficult subject to write about, and to write about it from a personal viewpoint, rather than a historical viewpoint is even harder. I think Morrison has successfully done that in Beloved.

To those who didn't understand the book or wanted to force it into something commonplace so it's more palatable to their pop-culture minds, I say to them, you're missing out on a great piece of American culture and literature. Those who didn't like it are probably young, undergraduate or high school kids who simply don't have the patience for a story that requires a lot of thinking and feeling. Also, I believe you have to know suffering or have the capacity to understand and relate to other people's suffering to fully appreciate this book. A young person or a person who has lived a life of privilege, be it financially or emotionally, will have trouble sharing the meaning of this book.

It's true that the style of the book is different and combines elements of different writing formats. Morrison uses poetry and stream-of-consciousness style writing in parts of the book. You just have to take it for what it is and not fight it too much. It's a personal voice, a personal story, a personal pain. You don't have to get everything everyone writes. Focus on the beautiful story-telling and the emotions it stirs in you. American writing needs this willingness to experiment to create a different and distinct voice.

Rating:
Summary: An Ingenious Work of Art
Review: I would first like to note that while most of the reviews I have read on this amazing novel asume that their audience has already read Beloved, I will not. It seems to me the object of writing a review is to give a prospective reader an idea of what the book is about. On that note.......

Beloved is the epitome of perfect literature. Reading it is like listening to a Beatles cd or being inside a Van Gogh Painting. It is not only an interesting story of spiritual enslavement, Civil War era African American Culture and mysticism, the human condition, redemption, and time. It is a book full of amazing imagery( beloved's rebirth into Sethe's life), symbolism( beloved is the symbol of the repression Sethe felt from slavery) and language use, such as " grown men whipped like children; children whipped like adults...," a simple, yet very clear statement.

A breif summary: A young woman named Beloved appears upon the doorstep of Sethe, an escaped slave and mother of four. Beloved is a reincarnation(or gohst, some say) of Sethe's first baby girl whom she killed in order to save from the abominations of slavery. Besides her obvious reason for coming back, Beloved ultimately becomes a healing proccess and a redeemer for many.

Also, I wouold like to say, although I understand what Ilana(reviewer a few people down the list) is saying about trying too hard to create symbolism and double entendres, I disagree. When someone's writing does have so much symbolism and creative diction, yet it still flows so freely and fastly, like Morrison's novel, there is no way it was written purely to win the merit it did. So many people search all of their lives to find their purpose in life and never find it, but when someone writes as well as Morrison, it is not only a blessing for her but all of her readers as well.

Rating:
Summary: A Haunting Mixture Of Storytelling & History
Review: One of the wonderful qualities that permeates all of Ms. Morrison's books is her wonderful narrative voice that brings to life in chilling detail the stories that define individual lives and overall our collective history. In turn, her novel Beloved is no exception. While the plot is based upon the "real-life" story of a slave woman from Ohio who committed an unthinkable act, like Sethe in the novel, the brilliant dialogue, plot, and setting is uniquely Morrison -- she makes a personal investment in the story, and therefore owns it -- which she willingly shares with her readers in a poginant and appropriate manner. Through marvelous characters such as Sethe, Paul D, Denver and Beloved, Morrison weaves tales of slavery, the search for justice and truth, and more importantly the quest for self-worth and acceptance. The wonderment of her characters is that they are so well written that they allow readers to become personally involved and to express empathy -- these are not one-dimension people. Morrison "pushes" you to care, to listen, to question, and to reflect. In my opinion, she is one of few authors of contemporary fiction that is a master of this craft. Overall, Beloved is a charming mixture of plot, characters, and history wonderfully wrapped in a mystical package brimming with telling dialogue, thought-provoking themes and intriquing spirituality. Bravo Toni Morrison!