Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

45 reviews

shoshin's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

I read this book for two reading challenges: one covering women who have won the Nobel Prize in Literature, the other for reading banned books.

I can see why this book has been banned, and while I'm very much against banning books, this one would need careful and thoughtful discussion with teens who read it. I was especially disturbed by

the sympathetic way Morrison portrayed Charlie, who raped and impregnated his 11-year-old daughter and was portrayed a merely being swept up in the moment because his daughter reminded him of his wife when they first met

. On the whole, I wasn't all that impressed with the book. Morrison has an afterword in which she expresses her own dissatisfaction with how it was received vs what her goals were in writing it. Knowing her goals, I see what she was trying to do, but ultimately agree with her later-in-life assessment that she missed the mark. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

Minor: Child death and Miscarriage

ekmook's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Child death, Death, and Death of parent

missbrookss's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Death of parent, and Classism

jme14's review against another edition

challenging dark 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? Yes

4.75

Toni Morrison is officially in my top two authors of all time (next to Steinbeck, I can't choose between them). Morrison is a master at manipulating the form to tell her stories as they are supposed to be told. There are no rules: the story is out of order, the characters are unrelentingly disturbing and disturbed, and the language blunt. She is the master of empathy. She conjures such vile actors, then turns your rage into uncomfortable sadness, transferring that rage from the individual to the setting. I don't know how she can do it, but she's done it twice (in her labeled masterpiece "Beloved" and now in this). Her work is deeply disturbing, but there's no other way to convey these themes in a way as affecting as this. She is a true master and deserving in her place among the greatest authors of all time. 

I don't think this is QUITE as good as "Beloved" due to her clearly more unrefined style. This feels more restrained with its magical realism and slightly less comprehensive with its characters, but that is some extreme nit-picking. Seriously, read this book. I'm so excited (and emotionally nervous) to read the rest of her work. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

bi_n_large's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, and Rape

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

booksbutmakeitgay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional tense

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Classism

theklutzybibliophile's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I loved the realism of Toni Morrison's writing. The way she shows people doing bad things and then gives backstory onto why the bad person did the bad things. She explains the character and personality of evil charcters without excusing their evilness. I really enjoyed this book.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Pedophilia

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Rape

Minor: Death of parent

ahaines18's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.75

this is an absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking read. highly recommend but please read the trigger warnings before hand!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

4ndrea_reads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

gjkennedy's review against another edition

dark reflective sad 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

4.0

So incredibly difficult to read. Toni Morrison is a master of prose and laying characters uncomfortably and starkly bare. I firmly believe she is in a class all her own. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Excrement, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail