Reviews with content warning for Rape - Beloved

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

Beloved by Toni Morrison

265 reviews

alexaela's review against another edition

ouch. was really excited for this one, even if worries regarding my disinterest for slavery stories never left me. should have listened to the worries, they know better. i don't think my issue with this kind of subject matter lies per se in the "borderline traumaporn" slavery subject itself but more so in the double violence and dehumanization black women are subjected to, having both black and female bodies, even worse when it comes from black men themselves. p10-ish to 13-ish gave me just that, and i've rarely felt as disgusted.

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yourbookishbff's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

5.0

Who am I to review Toni Morrison. This is a classic for a reason, and a second read of Beloved (the first as a baby high school student) gripped me. Morrison is unparalleled in her use of sentence-level prose to convey deep trauma.

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miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

ngl i was very confused for the first 60 pages, i feel like she has a very specific writing style that moves between narrators and time period without announcing it which can make it hard to get into but i actually really enjoyed that after i got into the rhythm. I like that a lot of stories/background are opened briefly in one chapter by a character and then explained in full by another character at a later point, it works rly well for a slow reveal. but yeah basically i rly love she writes and i think the length (tho a bit scary when youre 30 pgs in have no clue whats happening) was perfect
also the way she contrast the horror with little moments of like, sunlight?, like happiness (the iceskating or shadows holding hands etc) was so so so wonderful

'"its gonna hurt, now," said Amy. "Anything dead coming back to life hurts."'

'it never looked as terrible as it was and it made her wonder if hell was a pretty place too'

'she swallowed twice to prepare for the telling, to construct out of the strings she had heard all her life a net to hold Beloved'

'she will forgo the most violent of sunsets, stars as fat as dinner plates and all the blood of autumn and settle for the palest yellow if it comes from her Beloved.'

'Paul D believed he smiled back but his face was so cold he wasn't sure'

'He could not say to this woman who did not squint in the wind, "I am not a man."'

'He knew exactly what she meant: to get to a place where you could love anything you chose- not to need permission for desire- well now, that was freedom'

'How fast had he moved from his shame to hers. From his cold-house secret straight to her too-thick love.'

'The world is in this room. This here's all there is and all there needs to be.'

'I couldn't lay down nowhere in peace, back then. Now I can. I can sleep like the drowned, have mercy.'

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swampgrandma's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sillycreature's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I have no words.

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cronareads's review

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challenging dark emotional fast-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

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readingwithgoose's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

5.0

(reread) I didn't fully appreciate this book the first time I read it, about 8 years ago, but this time it took my breath away. This is imo one of the most heartbreaking and important works of fiction ever written. It reaches down to your soul and makes you feel the characters' despair so vividly.

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