Beloved question

Sometimes I have to walk away for a while. It could be that I am just not in the right frame of mind at the moment for a particular book. For example, the first try at A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, I couldn't finish it. The second time I couldn't put it down.

Beloved, however, is a tricky book to read. At least it was to me. I made it through it and I did enjoy the meaning behind it. What I ended up doing is researching why it was so critically acclaimed. When I understood that, I could read it in that direction. It made it easier.

I agree with Tanya. You can put down a book for a while without giving up on it completely. You can always come back to a book you've put down; or not! There are no rules for how you should read for pleasure.

I, sort of, understand the notion that people may have difficulty getting through this book's writing. I found the idea to be so new and I foresaw a grand, meaningful message- that it helped me continue through the harder to read parts. Also, keeping very informal notes of characters, plots, timelines, etc. has helped me on other books. Maybe that could help you here as well.

I loved Beloved for the raw imagery, the symbolism, and the horror infused storytelling. We all know the trauma that slavery caused haunts every aspect of humanity, but to take that idea and write a symbolic ghostly entity to showcase the generational hurt of Black people was very chilling.

I hope this inspires you to continue on, at whatever pace you can manage, because I enjoyed this novel very much. Keep me updated if you'd like!!