pearlpool's review
4.0
read for class I LIKED THIS A LOT!! such haunting magical realism and a really interesting exploration of mother daughter relationships interacting with generational trauma. i would be tempted to argue that this is actually a horror novel, and that’s a good thing imo!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Body horror, Death of parent, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Slavery, Death, Emotional abuse, and Child death
tjmgibson's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Slavery
stormystewart's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Rape, and Murder
ms_sarah621's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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
2.5
I know that this is an unfair rating, I’m sorry. Here are my thoughts. Previously, I have read The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and loved it. It was so poetic, had some hard topics covered throughout, and fascinated me the whole time. Since Beloved is talked about and referenced constantly, I wanted to give it a go. I went in expecting similarities to The Bluest Eye, and it just didn’t hit me the same way. Beloved is still extremely well written, poetic, handled some truly awful issues, and made an impact. However, I felt that it was too much and not enough. There were some great moments of character building, building the setting and the world these people lived in, and Beloved creeped me out in the middle of the book. Yet, the time jumps, the jumps to other characters, and the point of some of the information or long descriptions was lost on me. This feels like a it’s not you, it’s me situation. I think a reread or a discussion with others could help me more. Overall, a lyrical piece of history that just didn’t mesh with me at this time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Pregnancy, Violence, Slavery, Child death, Grief, and Racial slurs
Minor: Torture, Sexual content, and Death
katielovestoread's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Rape, Murder, Violence, and Slavery
sandradee09's review
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Physical abuse
sarabaggins's review
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Child death, Racism, and Slavery
aude's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Child death, Murder, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Slavery, Racism, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty
lauren_shilling's review
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
4.0
This was a very complicated book in my opinion. I thought the writing was incredible in so many different ways, so I really enjoyed that aspect of it. As for the characters, each character was so complex, especially characters like Sethe and Denver. I'm hesitant to say too much because I feel like the synopsis is a bit vague and I don't like to get into spoiler territory in reviews. I also feel like keeping the synopsis vague is a good thing because of how complex the characters and story are. Denver was such a compelling character, since when the books starts off she is very lonely, and she can come across as a bit closed off or bitter in some ways, but also very emotional in others. I really liked Denver and seeing her strengths and her flaws and how she grew. Sethe was obviously such a compelling and complex character, as you really dive into her motivations and the meaning and background behind all of her actions. She was a perfect main character to tell this story through in my opinion. Again, I don't want to say anything about the story that isn't in the synopsis, but I will say that this book is brutally honest in its portrayal of many things, and it doesn't shy away from things that other books/authors may be hesitant to discuss. In this way, this book offers a very unique perspective on slavery and on the time period it's set in that can be hard to find in other stories. I thought it was gut wrenching and overall, a very important story. However, be aware going into it that it is so complicated and can be hard to follow at times. However, I think this is intentional and a very good way to tell this story. It's confusing and can be hard to interpret but if you think about it you can get so much out of it. The only reason I didn't give this book higher than four stars is because I felt like, even though it is intentional, some things went over my head and I needed to go back to reread some parts often in order to understand where the story was going. Despite that, though, I found this to be a very incredible book and I would highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Racism, Child death, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and Rape
Moderate: Sexual content, Blood, and Death
Minor: War
phou's review
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
!!!!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Murder, Grief, Gore, and Child death
Minor: Toxic relationship