Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

24 reviews

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Hate crime, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

aparizo704's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective 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

5.0

Song of Solomon should be essential reading for your late 20s/early 30s. Self-exploration during this time is almost a second puberty, where roots firmly planted in the communities around us blossom into more concrete relationships, and complexity in others is met with cautious curiosity, rather than contemptuous dismissal. With a national identity shaped by religion (particularly in the South), each generation is confronted with inheriting “the sins of the father”, until, at some point, one realizes both punishment and redemption are self-inflicted. Morrison is the master of creating characters who showcase the duality of finding freedom and self-love in their most destructive traits. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Violence

lanid's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abortion, and Murder

hannakutlu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Grief, and Abortion

gw7's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time.

Masterfully weaved. There were times when I wasn't sure if it was going to be, after being let down by so many supposed 'masterpieces' that were just ignorant. I don't think I've ever read such a book about inter-generational trauma and, honestly, it was convicting. Because I didn't know where it was going or what type of book it was (this was my first Morrison) she did nearly lose me a few times towards the middle of the book and then going into part 2, and I even read through some reviews to decide whether or not to even carry on, but if that's where you are but are, like myself, interested in the themes of the book, I would encourage you to keep reading.

I don't often/ever really say that a I was too dumb for a book, as I generally feel like that's rarely the case for anyone aside from literally just above our understanding non-fiction for instance, but yeah, I was too dumb for this book. Specifically the ending but also just throughout: I'm too young, too dumb, did not give enough time or thought or attention to it. But all I mean by that is that I'm sure this book will continue to unfold in my mind throughout my lifetime and I feel I could genuinely glean something new from it every re-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Pedophilia, and Murder

Minor: Domestic abuse and Homophobia

rexpostfacto's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

This was a slow read at times, but the last bit of it was a rush. 
The plot dragged sometimes but Morrison's gift of prose made it easy to push forward. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Racial slurs, and Sexual content

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Murder

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Blood

michaelion's review against another edition

mysterious reflective 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

4.5

I can confidently say: I was touched. I don't know if I was moved, but in another life I'm sure there's a version of me, either in another universe or that lives hidden in the back of my own mind now, who would have weeped. Maybe I was moved. I get it. I think I know what that feels like.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, and Classism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Homophobia, Rape, Violence, Abortion, and Murder

eve81's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, and Classism

cass_nobody's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, Murder, and Abandonment

katreadstoomanybooks's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

5.0

I read the first third and listened to the rest on audio.  I highly recommend the audiobook, since it is read by the author Toni Morrison.  Her voice takes some getting used to (she’s not a professional voice actress).  It’s a beautiful story about a family.  There’s a lot of symbolism.  Some parts were slow but I enjoyed it for the most part overall.  Morrison proves again that she is excellent at character development and running themes/motifs.

The foreword had a really poignant description of why she wrote the novel.  After her father died, she lost part of herself.  “He had a flattering view of me as someone interesting, capable, witty, smart, high-spirited. I did not share that view of myself, and wondered why he held it. But it was the death of that girl—the one who lived in his head—that I mourned when he died. Even more than I mourned him, I suffered the loss of the person he thought I was.”  This novel is how she found herself again.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Murder