pipercurda's review
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
morrison is so good at writing real, flawed characters. both hard and exciting to read.
caprielle's review
4.0
“you should take heartbreak of whatever kind seriously with the courage to let it blaze and burn like the pulsing star it is unable or unwilling to be soothed into pathetic self-blame because its explosive brillance rings justifiably loud like the din of a tympani.”
“it was only then that he noticed the rain-- soft, steady. The sun still blazed so the raindrops falling from a baby-blue sky were like crystal breaking into specks of light on the pavement.”
“thank you. you showed me rage and frailty and hostile recklessness and worry worry worry dappled with such uncompromising shards of light and love it seemed a kindness in order to be able to leave you and not fold into a grief so deep it would break not the heart but the mind that knows the oboe's shriek and the way it tears into rags of silence to expose your beauty too dazzling to contain and which turns its melody into the grace of livable space.”
“he turned to economics- its history, its theories- to learn how money shaped every single oppression in the world and created all the empires, nations, colonies with God and His enemies employed to reap, then veil, the riches.”
“I refuse to be ashamed of my shame, you know, the one assigned to me which matches the low priority and the degraded morality of those who insist upon this most facile of human feelings of inferiority and flaw simply to disguise their own cowardice by pretending it is identical to a banjo's purity.”
“it was only then that he noticed the rain-- soft, steady. The sun still blazed so the raindrops falling from a baby-blue sky were like crystal breaking into specks of light on the pavement.”
“thank you. you showed me rage and frailty and hostile recklessness and worry worry worry dappled with such uncompromising shards of light and love it seemed a kindness in order to be able to leave you and not fold into a grief so deep it would break not the heart but the mind that knows the oboe's shriek and the way it tears into rags of silence to expose your beauty too dazzling to contain and which turns its melody into the grace of livable space.”
“he turned to economics- its history, its theories- to learn how money shaped every single oppression in the world and created all the empires, nations, colonies with God and His enemies employed to reap, then veil, the riches.”
“I refuse to be ashamed of my shame, you know, the one assigned to me which matches the low priority and the degraded morality of those who insist upon this most facile of human feelings of inferiority and flaw simply to disguise their own cowardice by pretending it is identical to a banjo's purity.”
shaniac's review
An honest and true testament to how the damage done to a child can manifest in terrible ways in adult and leave a trail of hurt and confusion with everyone they meet.
rockette8's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
A little too short to really love the book. I'm not sure I understand the bit about the Benjamin Button part. But I love Toni Morrison's prose. This was short and succinct, but the words were still heavy and weighted.
A little too short to really love the book. I'm not sure I understand the bit about the Benjamin Button part. But I love Toni Morrison's prose. This was short and succinct, but the words were still heavy and weighted.
music_and_books_lover's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
hannahmurphy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
cook_memorial_public_library's review
5.0
A 2015 staff favorite highly recommended by Mark.
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sgod%20help%20the%20child%20morrison__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
Check our catalog: http://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore/search/C__Sgod%20help%20the%20child%20morrison__Orightresult__U?lang=eng&suite=gold
lisa_mc's review
4.0
Toni Morrison's writing grows more spare with every book, but also more evocative and more beautiful. Spare doesn't equal simple, though, and "God Help the Child" involves several complex stories despite its short length.
The book centers on Bride, a successful and stunning woman whose life is thrown into turmoil (again) by a series of events, some of which she had control over and some not. Raised by a mother left alone and turned cold and distant because of Bride's striking blackness, Bride nonetheless figures out how to gain her mother's approval, and later how to make her own way in the world.
The narrative is told from multiple viewpoints, but those viewpoints converge on Bride to show all the facets of her life. As with all Morrison books, the themes of race, love and family pervade, and the grittier parts of society and human nature are not glossed over, but a spirit of optimism runs through the book as well.
The book centers on Bride, a successful and stunning woman whose life is thrown into turmoil (again) by a series of events, some of which she had control over and some not. Raised by a mother left alone and turned cold and distant because of Bride's striking blackness, Bride nonetheless figures out how to gain her mother's approval, and later how to make her own way in the world.
The narrative is told from multiple viewpoints, but those viewpoints converge on Bride to show all the facets of her life. As with all Morrison books, the themes of race, love and family pervade, and the grittier parts of society and human nature are not glossed over, but a spirit of optimism runs through the book as well.
tianxiao_shi's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Racism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Violence, and Death
kathleenlouiseg's review
5.0
I find that one of the things I love about Toni Morrison is that I feel so much for the characters in her novels. This book is not very long but I ended up deeply invested in Bride and Booker, their love story and how their pasts have haunted them.