Reviews with content warning for Rape - Beloved

read for class and honestly i don’t think i truly understood this book the way i needed to understand it. i expected it to be more magical realism esp around beloved’s character and where she comes from, but it was ultimately lacking in that regard & left me with so many questions. the prose and writing were undeniably good, but it can become tedious when the plot is so goddamn SLOW. also i really HATED Paul D with everything in me. i am #certified Paul D hater and failing to understand the chemistry between the two really put a bad taste of Sethe’s development at the end. at it’s core, Beloved is truly about and for Black enslaved women who are survivors. survivors of sexual abuse & trauma from slavery. it’s about the power family can carry. it was heavy & hard to read most times, would only recommend in the right head space.

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noonjinx's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative 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

5.0

This is an important book, I appreciate its genius, I’m glad I read it and I think everyone else should too, but it’s difficult to say I enjoyed it. It may be the most emotionally draining book I’ve ever read.

Running through the book is a ghost story about the spirit of a murdered child who comes back to demand the love she thinks she’s been denied, but it’s much more than that. The main story is slowly revealed through a tangle of flashbacks, showing the unremitting, dehumanising horror of slavery, which is so all consuming that one person cannot live through it unbroken. It takes the generosity and love of the whole community to redeem things at the end.

It’s a beautifully written book; every page is poetry and the characters are wonderful. This is the second Toni Morrison book I’ve read, and I will certainly read more.

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fancymadeupname's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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idesofjaim's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Objectively, this is a good book. Beautiful yet terrifying. Toni Morrison writes in such a fluid, poetic way. However, that’s what makes this a tough read, coupled with the non-linear timeline. As a solo read, it is difficult to grasp all the concepts and happens, but it is perfect for a literature class/group reading setting. If you are solo reading, Cliffs Notes still holds so much value all these years later, and certainly other resources on the internet.

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