Reviews

Paradise by Toni Morrison

julie_anson's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

amandatacklestbr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.5

loreopoly's review against another edition

4.0

it wasn't anything like what i expected. i have to say that i think i missed a lot but i liked how ethereal and vague she was with so much of the story line- letting the reader fill in the blanks. i'm sure everyone has a completely different vision of what the message is. i plan on reading it again at a later date to see if i get a different impression.

franzis_buecher's review against another edition

wasn't in the mood

logrhys's review against another edition

challenging mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

vegantrav's review against another edition

3.0

I think this novel tries to do too much with too many characters and too many narrative stands. It reads less as a complete novel and more like a series of interconnected short stories. The supernatural/magical realism elements fall flat: they are underdeveloped and contribute very little to the story. While well written, this novel, for me, is not among Morrison's best work. It isn't a bad novel, but it's not great.

akamuva's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

arysuh's review against another edition

Il a l’air terriblement dense. Ça parle de viol : pas en état de lire ça à ce moment-là. Une autre fois peut-être. 

lesserjoke's review against another edition

3.0

A complex work that weaves back and forward in time and around a large cast of people associated with the fictional all-Black rural township of Ruby, Oklahoma. The structure of this book reminds me somewhat of Catch-22, but with less of a central protagonist, a more difficult set of themes, and a much heavier narrative tone. (It literally opens with a mass shooting at the local convent, and things don't exactly brighten from there.) In fact, I've found it very hard to consistently follow the action and keep track of all the different characters, although there are moments when the plot slows down to focus on some specific predicament at length that are viscerally breathtaking -- as in the early chapter of Mavis fleeing her abusive husband in the dead of night before he can manage to turn their surviving children against her and internally struggling over her culpability in the recent deaths of their infant siblings whom she left in a parked car while shopping. As these examples illustrate, the novel overall is grim, grim, grim.

If I ever read this story again, I will try and do so with a physical copy of the text in front of me, as it may be easier to process that way than on audiobook (despite author/reader Toni Morrison's evocative narration of her own words). For now, though, my experience with the title seems too disjointed to feel the full impact that the writer likely intended. Impressionistically, the somber mood from this kaleidoscope of scenes will linger, but I personally would have benefited from more of a clear throughline connecting everything together.

[Content warning for gore, rape, racism, sexism, self-harm, and induced miscarriage / abortion.]

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frehkuls's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense slow-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

4.75