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Beloved

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Beloved by Toni Morrison is a haunting and complex story that delves into the horrors of slavery and its lingering impact on individuals. The book weaves together themes of love, motherhood, guilt, identity, and the supernatural, creating a dense and poetic narrative that explores the lives of freed slaves post-slavery era. Morrison's writing style is described as rich, poetic, and masterful, blending magical realism into the storytelling to create a touching tale of a woman grappling with her past and the return of her deceased daughter.

Characters:

The characters are richly developed, with Sethe embodying complexity and trauma, Denver experiencing profound growth, and Paul D representing shared histories and struggles.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by lyrical, poetic prose, with shifts in perspective and time, blending magical realism with a deep exploration of emotional and historical themes.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot of the story revolves around Sethe, a former slave, whose life is haunted by her past actions and the ghost of her deceased daughter, Beloved, exploring the themes of love and the lasting scars of slavery.

Setting:

The setting includes post-Civil War Ohio and the Sweet Home plantation in Kentucky, highlighting the contrast between the past and present of the characters.

Pacing:

The pacing is uneven, with a slow build into character background that mirrors the trauma being explored, sometimes causing confusion for the reader.
124 WAS SPITEFUL. Full of a baby’s venom. The women in the house knew it and so did the children. For years each put up with the spite in his own way, but by 1873 Sethe and her daughter Denver were it...

Notes:

Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved in 1988.
The novel is inspired by a true story of Margaret Garner, a fugitive slave who killed her child to prevent her from being recaptured into slavery.
Sethe, the protagonist, is haunted by the ghost of her deceased daughter, also named Beloved.
Beloved tackles complex themes such as motherhood, trauma, freedom, and the legacy of slavery.
The novel is known for its rich, poetic prose and its non-linear narrative style, requiring readers to engage deeply with the text.
It blends magical realism with the harsh realities of slavery, creating a unique reading experience.
Beloved is often considered one of the greatest American novels and has been included in multiple 'best of' literary lists.
The narrative shifts perspectives frequently, providing insights into the characters' inner lives and histories.
The haunting elements of the story symbolize the unhealed wounds of slavery, suggesting that the past can never be fully escaped.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings include graphic depictions of violence, sexual assault, and themes of infanticide.

Has Romance?

There are romantic elements, especially in the relationship between Sethe and Paul D, though they are overshadowed by darker themes.

From The Publisher:

Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding New York Times bestseller transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby.

Sethe, its protagonist, 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. And Sethe's 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.

Ratings (128)

Incredible (33)
Loved It (53)
Liked It (21)
It Was OK (14)
Did Not Like (5)
Hated It (2)

Reader Stats (277):

Read It (138)
Currently Reading (2)
Want To Read (113)
Did Not Finish (2)
Not Interested (22)

6 comment(s)

Incredible
1 week

It was a haunting, heartbreaking but also beautiful and powerful.

 
Incredible
3 months

One of my favorite books.

 
Loved It
3 months

Slavery is a word which brings the horrors of life along with it. How could a person be so cruel to treat another in such a manner? And How can a person be so tolerant to be treated so cruelly?

It was a terribly sad story of slavery and dreams of Seth to be free from slavery , not only for her but even for her kids. The narration is in twisted manner where the story goes back and forth and slowly the horrors of it dawns upon us.

Seth is born as a slave and marries a slave. Her mother in law Baby Suggs is freed from slavery as her son (Seth's Husband) works for her. Actually they are treated well in the farm "Sweet Men" but the story turns when the owner dies and ownership is handed over to another relative who treats them bad. And Sweet Home Men decide to run away. Well some succeed, mainly Seth succeeds with a pregnant belly and delivers in the half way but reunites with her mother in law Baby Suggs and kids who were with mother in law. No, its not so happy as it sounds, the real horror comes next and it changes everyone. Even us , the Readers.

 
Incredible
3 months

Dark, moving tale of the impact of trauma throughout generations

 
Loved It
5 months

Is it completely off to consider

Beloved the quintessential American novel?

I’m struggling to even know what to write after reading this book. It’s so captivating and well-written, but also extremely distressing.

Beloved centers on trauma, stressing the necessity of facing trauma, and, eventually, learning to live despite it.

 
Liked It
11 months

The book that got me into Tony Morrison.

 

About the Author:

TONI MORRISON is the author of eleven novels, from The Bluest Eye (1970) to God Help the Child (2015). She received the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and in 1993 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. She…

 
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