Reviews with content warning for Gore - Beloved

This is definitely a book I'm going to re-read at some point. I just know it is one that I am going to continue thinking about for a long time. I found this book to be eye-opening and so full of depth and complexity (hence why I want to come back to it - even when I've just finished reading it). There were chapters and sections of this that absolutely enraptured me, especially the scenes where Sethe is describing the 'whitegirl' in the field who helped her birth Denver, or Paul D after leaving 124 and living in the cellar, or Baby Suggs' celebrations in the field - I could keep going for a while. Why I'm not rating this higher is simply the writing style which I've had a problem with in the past when reading Morrison's work, it just doesn't always gel with me, but in saying that, I enjoyed her writing here much more than I have previously. I oftentimes found it exquisite - a perfect mix of poetic, lyrical, flowery and restrained, clear, and authentic. I am looking forward to re-reading this to see what I pick up on that I may have missed (I know there will be a lot) on this first reading.

Content Warnings

flara's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious sad tense 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

3.0

Beloved tackles many difficult themes, given its historical context (black community post-American Civil War). This was rather mysterious and confusing read. I found the pace quite slow, which wasn't helped by the 'mystical' mood and language used throughout. I struggled to distinguish what line belonged to which character; if what was said was an actual line or if it was a description, and so on.

Spoiler

I didn't go into this blindly. I knew the basic premise of the book and therefore had high expectations. I did not expect it to be about a ghost that haunts its dysfunctional family and later materialises in flesh (and then dissolves into thin air altogether at the very end).

Certain passages are quite graphic and potentially triggering for some. I suppose that the supernatural elements offset some of the cruelty, but it just wasn't the right fit for me.

Content Warnings

brianareads's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-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? No

2.0

Content Warnings

notthatcosta's review

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challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.75

I had read about Margaret Garner last year and it has stuck with me ever since. I was deeply moved by the ingenuity and vision it took to take that story and build a wider world around it that encompasses the horrors of slavery with themes of motherhood, family, shame, religion and community in a way that is tender and gut wrenching but also cathartic.

This book is difficult to rate because so much of my enjoyment of it stems from the lore around it and the inspiration, much of which comes from the forward of this edition. The book itself is of course excellent, but at times difficult to follow.

Although the more abstract passages and the tragedy of Beloved, Sethe and Denver as characters made it difficult to get through, this is a book that will remain with me for some time, I feel.

Content Warnings