Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

266 reviews

koenjanssen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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americattt's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • 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

4.25

"Some things go. Pass on. Some things just stay. I used to think it was my rememory. You know. Some things you forget. Other things you never do. But it's not. Places, places are still there. If a house burns down, it's gone, but the place—the picture of it—stays, and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world. What I remember is a picture floating around out there outside my head. I mean, even if I don't think it, even if I die, the picture of what I did, or knew, or saw is still out there. Right in the place where it happened."
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mattyb's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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literaryinluv's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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san_dra's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? N/A

4.0

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kaileerosen's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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maddiet425's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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makayla_muir's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • 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

4.0

This is definitely a book I'm going to re-read at some point. I just know it is one that I am going to continue thinking about for a long time. I found this book to be eye-opening and so full of depth and complexity (hence why I want to come back to it - even when I've just finished reading it). There were chapters and sections of this that absolutely enraptured me, especially the scenes where Sethe is describing the 'whitegirl' in the field who helped her birth Denver, or Paul D after leaving 124 and living in the cellar, or Baby Suggs' celebrations in the field - I could keep going for a while. Why I'm not rating this higher is simply the writing style which I've had a problem with in the past when reading Morrison's work, it just doesn't always gel with me, but in saying that, I enjoyed her writing here much more than I have previously. I oftentimes found it exquisite - a perfect mix of poetic, lyrical, flowery and restrained, clear, and authentic. I am looking forward to re-reading this to see what I pick up on that I may have missed (I know there will be a lot) on this first reading.   
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katiemeredith's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is my all-time favorite book. This book is for you if you love psychological horror/thrillers and challenging reading. Learning to read Morrison's narration is difficult but incredibly rewarding once mastered. This is a book that will truly make you understand the horror of slavery and its long-lasting effects on its victims. Pretty much every content warning imaginable is described in great detail, so be cautious if you are vulnerable to being affected by certain events.
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flara's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • 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

3.0

Beloved tackles many difficult themes, given its historical context (black community post-American Civil War). This was rather mysterious and confusing read. I found the pace quite slow, which wasn't helped by the 'mystical' mood and language used throughout. I struggled to distinguish what line belonged to which character; if what was said was an actual line or if it was a description, and so on. 


I didn't go into this blindly. I knew the basic premise of the book and therefore had high expectations. I did not expect it to be about a ghost that haunts its dysfunctional family and later materialises in flesh (and then dissolves into thin air altogether at the very end).


Certain passages are quite graphic and potentially triggering for some. I suppose that the supernatural elements offset some of the cruelty, but it just wasn't the right fit for me. 
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