Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

10 reviews

sillyduckie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism

evilyreading's review against another edition

I'm torn because it is a well-written book but the family dynamics are unhealthy for me to read about.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse

kari_g's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

5 stars implies that I recommend it, and I really don’t. If you aren’t gonna tough it out, then it isn’t worth your time, but if you make it to the end, it’s truly life changing. I am better for having read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Terminal illness, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Confinement, Infidelity, Excrement, Religious bigotry, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

masucolmusings's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

exceptional, provocative, whimsical, great reread

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Racism, and Suicide

purplehulk713's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense slow-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

4.25

Stirring. Toni Morrison certainly knew how to construct wholly unique worlds with realistic racial values and constructs but also her own fictional, ”local” almost, patterns of living that give true character to her novels like Song of Solomon. I felt bad having to rush through it for school, especially since it was a book that we would not discuss for very long, though there a semester’s worth of material to unpack. Though there are definitely hateable characters like Macon Dead II, Milkman’s father, he is characterized so well over the course of the book that you come to empathize with him if not like him for all that he has experienced in his life. Names are incredibly relevant—Milkman, for example, whose name is not his given name, but as he is colloquially known, most likely because since he was born in whatever shape or form, anyone could see that he only sought life for what it could give him, sucking it dry as if it were a milk cow. This is why he forsakes Hagar, whose name literally means “forsaken”, and this is truly so relevant to her character because

she becomes so dependent on his approval of and desire for her that her ultimate realization that she will never have it kills her.

Even the book’s name is so relevant—an allusion to a biblical book of Jewish erotic love poetry, describing a depth of passion for another person without which neither one of them could live. Milkman never truly has this in his life, not with his family, with any of his girlfriends, or with his difficult-to-describe relationship with Guitar. It’s the sense of flight which he seeks the whole novel. The final mysteries including the origins of the Dead family, Shalimar, and the children’s song was so tantalizing both to read and to analyze. My favorite character was Pilate—I found her character most compelling for what I felt was her sincerity despite her position of sentencing (another emphasis on the relevance of names). I only did not give this book five stars because it does not totally click with me, you know? Maybe if I were to read it again. But anyway, will surrender to the air and take flight?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

kers_tin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder

vinsynt's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Racism

Minor: Sexual assault

simonemaybe's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Violence

Minor: Abortion

lizgo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Terminal illness, and Medical content

kelleykamanda's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

This book is truly breathtaking. With every read I enjoy it as if it was the first time. The symbolism, metaphors, characters, and overall themes are simply perfect. Just a beautifully written representation of oral history, the pain Black women face, the loss of self, etc etc. perfect 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Stalking, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, and Abortion

This book talks about the many aspects of pain and loss experienced during the Reconstruction and Jim Crow eras