I was originally looking for a banned book, and that
was when I found this one. However, I
saw that it had also won a Pulitzer and quickly jumped at the chance to cross
that one off my list. Well, after
reading it, I can definitely see why it was both. Keep reading to see why…
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery,
this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus
and as intimate as a lullaby.
Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. Her new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison.
Sethe was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. Her new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
Filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope, Beloved is a towering achievement by Nobel Prize laureate Toni Morrison.
MY REVIEW
3.5 out of 5 *Stars*
“The only grace you can have is the grace
you can imagine.” – Baby Suggs
This was a book that I will not soon
forget. It started out as me, grudgingly
reading this book to get it over with.
The way the characters talked was hard to follow. I had to constantly go back and re-read
things to read between the lines and somewhat understand what was going
on. Except, the story was
compelling. The characters had
sustenance, the plot was firm, and the storyline was constant, not to mention
the powerful topic. It sucked me in, and wouldn’t let me go until the very end. This is where I see how it won a Pulitzer.
Half the time while reading, I didn’t know
whether I liked something about the book, or not. For example… The storyline kept jumping back
in time. It was interesting to find out
what exactly had happened to the characters, and by spontaneously going back in
time, the book gave different tidbits of information each time, which turned
the book into one giant puzzle. On the other hand, the transition was so vague,
it was hard to tell when they had jumped back to the present.
At times, the book was unsettling. There was the time when the spirit picked up
their dog and slammed him against the wall.
The purpose was to show how strong Sethe was, and it went on to tell how
she took a hammer and knocked the dog unconscious before wiping away the blood,
popping his eye back in the socket, and resetting his leg bone. Just the picture was a little too morbid for
me. Of course there was also the
reference to bestiality. At first, it
took me by surprise, but once Paul D thought to himself that sex with Sethe
wasn’t much different that sex with a calf, I couldn’t help but laugh out
loud. After that, it was nothing more
than a stated fact of an event that had happened. With the graphic violence, and talk of
bestiality… This is where I see how it had been banned from schools. Is the message and topic one the kids need to
grasp? Heck yeah, but as a parent, I can
see why it was taken out of schools.
Which brings me to the subject. I knew slavery was bad. I knew the things that had been done to them
were bad, but when you read a book that pulls you in, it’s like living as their
shadow and being right there with everyone.
Some of the things that were said just put a knife into my heart.
“You protected yourself and loved small. Picked the tiniest stars out of the sky to
own;” Because everyone you loved either ended up dead or sold away from
you. How mothers were considered
breeders and prevented themselves from loving their own children because they
knew they would just be sold like cattle. Then there is the drastic lengths
that a woman would go, just to protect her own children from that life. That’s what this book was centered
around. Healing, growing, and surviving.
“Anything dead coming back to life hurts.”
So now we have this book. After writing this review and going back
through all my notes, I can honestly say that I liked the book. Yes, it was written in a way that took a lot
of getting used to, and even now, I don’t understand it all. However, I keep thinking about this book, and
my thoughts aren’t negative. So yeah,
I’m recommending this book to you. It’s
one of the more powerful books I’ve read, and I never would have without this
challenge. Now, I’m curious to see how
the movie can hold up to it. Stay tuned
for that review at a later date. Till next time…
“To get to a place where you could love anything
you choose – not need permission for desire – well now, that was freedom.”
27 books down, 25 more to go!
Happy Reading, Everyone!!
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