Beloved - Toni Morrison

== BELOVED == === TONI MORRISON === Is there anyone who has not come across 'Beloved'? If there is I would really recommend that you beg, borrow or steal (perhaps not steal!) a copy and read is ASAP. This book written by Nobel and Pulitzer prize-winning author Toni Morrison is an incredible, albeit disturbing book. This book is extraordinary on so many different levels, it is one that you will never forget, I guarantee that. This book is very graphic ...
...night and imagine I'd seen Beloved standing beside my bed. The character was actually haunting me, but she haunted Sethe both physically and emotionally. This is not the book to be reading alone at night! Everyone is haunted in this book and not just by Beloved. They all try to exorcise ghosts of enslavement, robbed dignity, physical pain, and their own inadequacies. Beloved focuses on slavery, shocking the reader with various accounts of events ...

oldchem 10.11.2009 · Read full review
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Review of Beloved - Toni Morrison

...her name is Beloved. Beloved takes up residence with Sethe, Denver and Paul (although she is immensely jealous of Paul, attempting to seduce him at one stage – possibly to drive a wedge between him and Sethe). Sethe and Beloved embark on a destructive, possessive relationship (and I don’t mean a sexual relationship). The question hangs throughout the book whether Beloved is a real girl, or the ghost of the girl who died. Who will help ...
...Denver and Paul? Does Beloved need help? Can Sethe ever be forgiven, or indeed, forgive herself for what she did all those years ago in that shed with that saw? That all makes it sound like a straightforward (if slightly horrific), ghost story. But besides the horror element, we are also presented with the fact that Sethe is not accepted even within her own community. That no-one in her home is happy. And that pride is a worse crime than murder. ...

mattygroves 13.12.2002 · Read full review
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Review of Beloved - Toni Morrison

For me, reading Beloved was extremely hard not least because of the complexity of the plot, the difficulty of the language and the fact that Morrison shifts time periiods without warning. This is not to say that it wasn't worth it, or that I didn't enjoy it. The point I will make is that you should really read this book at least twice, for it takes a second reading to fully understand Morrison's subtelty when it comes to dealing with difficult and ...
...two different types of slavery, the first literal (in that the book is about a group of ex-slaves) and secondly metaphorical, as Sethe is in a way enslaved by her past; unable to let go of it and therefore unable to move on from it. The subject matter is hard to read because of it's gruesome nature. The incident which enslaves Sethe (the protagonist) to her past is the fact that, once escaped form slavery she attempted to kill all four of her children ...

MentalKatie 26.05.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Beloved - Toni Morrison

This is probably one of the most captivating books that I have ever read. not only was the story moving, but every sentence was written with grace that it took my breath away. The story took you into the life of Sethe, the main character, and her daughter Denver and their struggles with the past coming back to haunt them. The book is, however, slightly disturbing and is definitely not for the faint at heart, as it incorporates elements of the super ...

nellyd 17.04.2009 (16.04.2009) · Read full review
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Review of Beloved - Toni Morrison

This book requires full attention to detail in order for the beauty of the atmosphere to be touching, as well as a lack of skepticism in order to allow for a blurring of the boundaries between life and death, inherent to the culture evoked. I had the amazing good fortune of being present at a literary salon where this book was discussed, during which I had my attention drawn to so many beautiful touches and linking ideas which I would have otherwise ...
...discussion series, so my appreciation of the ending was more shallow. While reading the book, I felt like I was being lead on a journey which was emotionally draining at times, but ultimately fulfilling. The text is full of images and references to slavery and the plight of African Americans in the 19th Century which are best understood within the historical context. For this reason I think that one would get the most out of this book if it were ...

sparklya 06.01.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Beloved - Toni Morrison