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Columbia Critical Guides
Toni Morrison: Beloved
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First published January 27, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 7, 2014
Morrison's book Beloved garbed me with its very interesting and mesmerizing pages. Sethe is former slave. She lives in Cincinnati with her daughter Denver and her mother-in-law. She's been shut out by her community because 15 years before the story begins she did some thing really terrible. She killed one of her own children. But she had a really good reason.
To me the theme that stood out the most was slavery. Even Sethe killed on of her own children so they don't get caught by the slave catcher. She been throw the pain and suffering of being a slave. I know that everyone as a different opinion on what the theme for this story could be but like i said this theme stood out to me the most.
Morrison characters where very believable. I believed and thought that every character was unique in there own individual way. But Beloved stood out the most to me because without her i wonder what this story would have been like she completes that story. She is every thing in the story.
The novel is set within one tiny house at the end of a country road. But a lot happens there. I could imaging everything that was going on in the story just because of the way the authors tone was. She made it essay to understand where the story was taking place. Sometimes when i was reading the book i almost thought that i was a character in the story.
Sethe and Denver live at 124 Bluestone with a she thinks that her dead bay also lives with them. Paul D,is an old friend of Sethe who very quickly moves in. After Paul D moves in the baby ghost disappeared they believe that Paul D is a ghost catcher but they don't know that for sure.One day Sethe, Denver, and Paul D return from the carnival, they see a young woman sitting on the tree stump outside of 124. The girl needs a place to stay plus, she will be really good company toDenver.Her name is Beloved that's the name Sethe named her died child.
This book was i really great book and to be honest i did not connect with this book in personal level. But i would recommend this book to everyone. This book does not also relate to things happening now because there is no more slavery.
If you enjoyed this book like me then i recommend that you also read Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens, Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson and Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin all these's books would also be a great choice to read.
To me the theme that stood out the most was slavery. Even Sethe killed on of her own children so they don't get caught by the slave catcher. She been throw the pain and suffering of being a slave. I know that everyone as a different opinion on what the theme for this story could be but like i said this theme stood out to me the most.
Morrison characters where very believable. I believed and thought that every character was unique in there own individual way. But Beloved stood out the most to me because without her i wonder what this story would have been like she completes that story. She is every thing in the story.
The novel is set within one tiny house at the end of a country road. But a lot happens there. I could imaging everything that was going on in the story just because of the way the authors tone was. She made it essay to understand where the story was taking place. Sometimes when i was reading the book i almost thought that i was a character in the story.
Sethe and Denver live at 124 Bluestone with a she thinks that her dead bay also lives with them. Paul D,is an old friend of Sethe who very quickly moves in. After Paul D moves in the baby ghost disappeared they believe that Paul D is a ghost catcher but they don't know that for sure.One day Sethe, Denver, and Paul D return from the carnival, they see a young woman sitting on the tree stump outside of 124. The girl needs a place to stay plus, she will be really good company toDenver.Her name is Beloved that's the name Sethe named her died child.
This book was i really great book and to be honest i did not connect with this book in personal level. But i would recommend this book to everyone. This book does not also relate to things happening now because there is no more slavery.
If you enjoyed this book like me then i recommend that you also read Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens, Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson and Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin all these's books would also be a great choice to read.
November 24, 2019
Deep as it gets.
June 23, 2014
My favorite book of all time. Neo-Slave narrative at simply it's best. Toni Morrison is sheer perfection and her words, some might find 'haughty', actually sing. A story of loss, grief, sorrow, pain, hauntingly of emotional, spiritual and physical. Not just the price of slavery but the very ramifications of slavery on a human life. Characters who will linger with you for decades to come. A story that can be read many times over and you walk away with a new perspective each and every time. A must read for any serious reader!
October 1, 2012
Unlike some other guides, this one is at an extremely high level of discourse, so not for those w/o grad-school grounding in vocab like "hermeneutic" and "metonymy". But a very good overview of the scholarship up to 1998, lots to ruminate on. BUT tiny print; I recommend a magnifying screen, especially for those, like me, with aging eyes. I showed a page to my husband, a typesetting geek, and he recoiled and exclaimed in horror--no exaggeration.
November 29, 2016
One of the most painful book to read written by Toni Morrison. The story is so devastating. However, the structure of that novel is extremely well thought and not easy to grab at first. It seems to me a writer achievement and as a writer myself, I'm planning to read this book a second time in order to better understand how such a great writer was able to accomplish it.
July 18, 2009
This was a definite improvement over the last critical work I read on Morrison. It has lots of interesting interviews and reviews of Morrison.
October 6, 2011
This is a melodic horror story that rips your heart out. Hard to read, hard to forget. Will make you cry and be angry and marvel at the things humans can do, good and bad.
August 9, 2012
This was an interesting read, certainly different than the movie. Reading the book was what made me want to see the movie.
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June 28, 2014This is one of my favorite books. I read it when my sons were young and it ripped my heart to shreds. Morrison is like no other author.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews