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lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Self harm, Trafficking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and War
Minor: Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, and Excrement
rachbake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Abandonment
lindseyhall44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have been a reader since I first learned the skill, eventually swapping picture books for novels and poetry collections. While reading has exposed me to the beauty of stories many times before, never in my life has my perception of literature been completely transformed by a book. However, Beloved did just that.
Morrison crafted an incredibly complex and stunning book, brimming with figurative elements and raw emotion.
I am forever greatful for reading the genius of Toni Morrison and cannot wait to continue on with the rest of her work.
This is a new all time favorite.
*PLEASE CHECK TRIGGER WARNINGS! This is a very heavy and dark read.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, and Injury/Injury detail
coolfoolmoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Gore, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying and Confinement
balfies's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
amandas_bookshelf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
jenmcvay's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: War
voxelbee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Grief, and Pregnancy
Minor: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Sexual violence, Torture, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Alcohol, and War
katsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"...we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.”
“Freeing yourself was one thing, claiming ownership of that freed self was another.”
“You are your best thing”
I don't even know how to formulate my thoughts on this novel but I'm going to try. If you are a faster reader, like me, my best advice when reading this book is to slow down. This book is not meant to be inhaled in 1-2 sittings. The writing is gorgeous, obviously. Morrison won a Nobel for this book for a reason. However, there is so much symbolism and allegory that takes a hot minute to unpack. I am not ashamed to admit that I had to look up the SparkNotes for this book to understand some of the underlying symbolism. I'm incredibly glad I did because when I finished the book, I honestly felt let down. I felt confused and unsure of what I had read. I often found myself questioning whether certain passages were meant to be taken seriously. What would have helped me going in was understanding that there are two timelines. The one that begins when Paul D arrives at 124 ("present time") and the timeline told through flashbacks. There are two significant climaxes, one for each timeline. After the first one, I was really confused about where the rest of the novel could possibly be going just to get when the final climax occurred. I also wished I would have looked up some of the themes so I could have made more connections as I read. As soon as I understood how one of the major themes is how slavery destroys identity, so many things clicked for me. (And to be completely transparent, the fact that that theme didn't click for me until I saw it written out explicitly says a lot about my own privilege.) I completely understand why this novel receives as many accolades as it does. It is truly impactful but I don't think it's the type of book you can go into blind unless you have a really fundamental understanding of race and the generational trauma of enslavement. As a history teacher, I thought I "got it" but I think what I appreciate about this novel is how personal it made the history. It reminded me that it's not enough to sit around and intellectualize about the impacts of the horrors of history. This novel really makes you feel the very real personal implications of it and that is absolutely awe-inducing to me.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism