ianthereader0's review
4.0
Juneteenth • Book • Review
In honor of Juneteenth being today, I decided to finally pick up Beloved by Toni Morrison. I have previously only read The Bluest Eye by Morrison, which was one of my favorite reads of last year. Similarly to The Bluest Eye, Beloved is a gut-wrenching, brutal, honest look at some of the true horrors that African Americans have faced in the history of America. Beloved is a novel that seamlessly shifts back and forth between past and present tense, first person and third person, and character perspectives. While this could be a bit jarring at times, I believe that this metamorphosing narrative allowed for a more comprehensives and layered observation of the chains that slaves were forced to endure: both physical and emotional. Never in a book have I been forced in such an extreme way to realize the dehumanization and atrocity that slaves had to endure, and how it radically altered any future they could imagine for themselves or their children even years after they had gained their freedom. I found myself tearing up at multiple instances, and feeling a great sense of hollowness paired with an unshakable sensation of guilt at even more. I think that, despite all of this, there is some hope, as characters slowly begin to understand that their lives, desires, and emotions do truly matter. Each character is haunted (in one way or another) by the ghosts of their past, and each character must struggle to loosen the tethers that bind them to their painful history.
I can’t say that I necessarily enjoyed reading Beloved, but I think it is an incredibly important and valuable read. It was hard to follow at times, and because of that I am going to deduct a star, but I still believe that everyone should read this book. It is ugly, but it is true, and it’s relevance echos still today.
In honor of Juneteenth being today, I decided to finally pick up Beloved by Toni Morrison. I have previously only read The Bluest Eye by Morrison, which was one of my favorite reads of last year. Similarly to The Bluest Eye, Beloved is a gut-wrenching, brutal, honest look at some of the true horrors that African Americans have faced in the history of America. Beloved is a novel that seamlessly shifts back and forth between past and present tense, first person and third person, and character perspectives. While this could be a bit jarring at times, I believe that this metamorphosing narrative allowed for a more comprehensives and layered observation of the chains that slaves were forced to endure: both physical and emotional. Never in a book have I been forced in such an extreme way to realize the dehumanization and atrocity that slaves had to endure, and how it radically altered any future they could imagine for themselves or their children even years after they had gained their freedom. I found myself tearing up at multiple instances, and feeling a great sense of hollowness paired with an unshakable sensation of guilt at even more. I think that, despite all of this, there is some hope, as characters slowly begin to understand that their lives, desires, and emotions do truly matter. Each character is haunted (in one way or another) by the ghosts of their past, and each character must struggle to loosen the tethers that bind them to their painful history.
I can’t say that I necessarily enjoyed reading Beloved, but I think it is an incredibly important and valuable read. It was hard to follow at times, and because of that I am going to deduct a star, but I still believe that everyone should read this book. It is ugly, but it is true, and it’s relevance echos still today.
scabral's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, Sethe que vida a tua!
Pode um livro que se sentiu como um murro no estômago ter 5 estrelas? Pelos vistos sim.
Foi uma leitura dura e complicada que, por vezes, me entristeceu muito. Já esperava que assim fosse dado o tema, mas houve alturas em que tive mesmo de o largar por um dia.
All in all, foi provavelmente o melhor livro que li nos últimos tempos.
“….tu e eu temos mais ontens que qualquer pessoa. Precisamos de alguns amanhãs.”
Pode um livro que se sentiu como um murro no estômago ter 5 estrelas? Pelos vistos sim.
Foi uma leitura dura e complicada que, por vezes, me entristeceu muito. Já esperava que assim fosse dado o tema, mas houve alturas em que tive mesmo de o largar por um dia.
All in all, foi provavelmente o melhor livro que li nos últimos tempos.
“….tu e eu temos mais ontens que qualquer pessoa. Precisamos de alguns amanhãs.”
flute_frog_7's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
robhughes's review against another edition
5.0
Harrowing in a way that avoids sensationalism; sensitive and with a surprisingly happy ending, well maybe not happy. It couldn't really get any worse if you can count that as happy?
mckayladuggan's review against another edition
5.0
id like to thank that insufferable book i read before this for making this an easier read because it was so good
juliettevanhou11's review against another edition
medium-paced
5.0
loved toni morrison is the smartest person who has ever lived