Beloved
- Downloads：3164
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-10-28 00:20:58
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Toni Morrison
- ISBN：1400033411
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Lucy Jane Marcum
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Rips your heart out
Kaya
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Toni， it’s not you， it’s me。 This is my fourth Morrison novel in the past three months and I’ve finally hit a wall。
anjali pajjuri
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Brilliantly haunting exploration of the horrors and psychological aftermath of slavery。
Jefferson Fortner
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This very complexly constructed novel is truly powerful。 I have read several of Morrison’s other novels， and I have not always been convinced that her dense， shifting narrative style worked for all of her material， but this time it is pitch perfect。 Memory is fragmented and bears down upon the characters' thinking in an example of post traumatic intrusions。 The impact of what all of the characters suffered under slavery haunts each of them。 But no one is as haunted as the main character， who liv This very complexly constructed novel is truly powerful。 I have read several of Morrison’s other novels， and I have not always been convinced that her dense， shifting narrative style worked for all of her material， but this time it is pitch perfect。 Memory is fragmented and bears down upon the characters' thinking in an example of post traumatic intrusions。 The impact of what all of the characters suffered under slavery haunts each of them。 But no one is as haunted as the main character， who lives with the spirit， and then even the spirit turned flesh， of her dead daughter。 The destructive， haunting emotions and dreadful consequences of their lives and their actions is palpable for her and for all around her。 There are moments of joy and celebration， but these do not do enough to ease the pain。 This story is intense。 。。。more
Anna Abney Miller
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Probably 4。5。 Genuinely painful and powerful， I did struggle with a few sections （a failing more on me than on Ms。 Morrison; I understand why she wrote the sections as she did， even if I struggled）
Elrik
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Boring， convoluted， hard to follow。 Yes I’m sure it’s great literature， and I was deeply touched by some images she painted。 But I read to escape， to fall through the hole into another world。 This world here spat me put， closed its doors and put barbed wire around itself。Again， I’m sure it’s a great book， and the plight of POC is so unimaginable it hurts。 But it was little episodes that quivered with life， the story itself hard to follow， avoiding anything I could identify with， fever with。 So， Boring， convoluted， hard to follow。 Yes I’m sure it’s great literature， and I was deeply touched by some images she painted。 But I read to escape， to fall through the hole into another world。 This world here spat me put， closed its doors and put barbed wire around itself。Again， I’m sure it’s a great book， and the plight of POC is so unimaginable it hurts。 But it was little episodes that quivered with life， the story itself hard to follow， avoiding anything I could identify with， fever with。 So， sorry， but that was a waste of my time， only finished it because we’ll discuss it in book club。 。。。more
Emily
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How do I put into words what I felt after reading Beloved？Well， I filled a notepad with all the quotes of exquisite， lyrical prose dripping with both literal and metaphorical brutal truth - gorgeous words spelling out the most shocking atrocities。 A quote from the beginning of the novel stands out; when our protagonist， Sethe， is remembering the natural beauty and the man-made horror of the plantation from which she escaped， she ponders， "It never looked as terrible as it was， and it made her wo How do I put into words what I felt after reading Beloved？Well， I filled a notepad with all the quotes of exquisite， lyrical prose dripping with both literal and metaphorical brutal truth - gorgeous words spelling out the most shocking atrocities。 A quote from the beginning of the novel stands out; when our protagonist， Sethe， is remembering the natural beauty and the man-made horror of the plantation from which she escaped， she ponders， "It never looked as terrible as it was， and it made her wonder if hell was a pretty place too。" Morrison's words ring in my ears as I am trying to think of how to talk about this book。 Beloved is a literal ghost story， but one that doesn't employ gothic horror as such。 It calls into question， What is the cultural purpose for ghosts？ Particularly spirits that aren't amorphously "evil，" but a haint that has a specific identity。 Morrison's choice to personify the nightmarish reality of slavery， giving it a name and a personal history， and not relegating Slavery， with a capital S， into the collective subconscious of Beloved's characters and readers alike， means we all have to confront it。 Sethe lives with， in both a literal and metaphorical sense， the monstrous memories of the depravity she lived。 She doesn't get respite from the constant， unrelenting， house-quaking sorrow and guilt and fear she has。 And we， as readers in the 21st century， aren't allowed to indulge in subtextual brutalities。 In Beloved， Morrison made slavery into a person who lived and breathed and left very real， physical scars when she was slain。 I can't think of any work of fiction before Morrison's books that accomplished such a feat in such a poetic， yet visceral way。 Toni Morrison is a virtuoso of the English language and a master of the novel。I was talking to my friend who read this book with me， and we both said the same thing: I cannot say I "liked" this book。 But， I can say it is one of the most beautiful， horrifying， and resonant books I've ever read。 。。。more
Aleena Zaufishan
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It was beautifully written。 The concept and the way the story was told kept you engaged and gave you chills。 However the first chapter is very confusing if you don’t have a key to it， and at times it felt as though Morrison used too much figurative language where the reader couldn’t decipher what she meant。
Jamie Jones Hullinger
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Rounding up from a 3。5。 This is my first novel by Toni Morrison。 I know。 It has taken me far too long。 I can appreciate the brilliant power that her writing posseses。 I will definitely be reading more of her work。 I found the story to be original， disturbing and powerful。 My reason for not going 4 stars is because I needed better distinction between character narratives and past/present。 I found myself getting lost。
Mike Flanagan
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A very challenging read （at least for me） both in terms of substance and style， but well worth the effort。
Alexandra
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3。5 ⭐Finishing this novel was no easy thing， firstly because of the the subject matter which details a reality difficult to stomach and process， this history of cruelty， pure evil and torture， but full of intent which unfortunately seems to spreads its tentacles even today through various forms of abuse and systemic discrimination。Secondly， because of the writing。 It's my first time reading a Toni Morrison novel and I oftentimes found myself confused， a bit impacient or frustrated to get over so 3。5 ⭐Finishing this novel was no easy thing， firstly because of the the subject matter which details a reality difficult to stomach and process， this history of cruelty， pure evil and torture， but full of intent which unfortunately seems to spreads its tentacles even today through various forms of abuse and systemic discrimination。Secondly， because of the writing。 It's my first time reading a Toni Morrison novel and I oftentimes found myself confused， a bit impacient or frustrated to get over some paragraphs and chapters which were， I'd say， too much on the train of thought， stream of consciousness side。 That is a personal preference of course。Nevertheless， I am content to having finally read something written by one of the greatest authors of our time and more so， Beloved， this Eurydice level type of tragedy， an insight into the workings of the human spirit。 。。。more
Julia
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Fantastiskt språk och gripande historia。 Beutiful language and a touching story。
Elliot Earles
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Has every element that would give an author the right to be pretentious and pompous， yet never crosses that threshold。 Missing a start merely for not being my style， and a little too much fantasy or ambiguity for my taste。 Objectively a great book， yet one that most people won't like， so it's kind of conflicting there。 Has every element that would give an author the right to be pretentious and pompous， yet never crosses that threshold。 Missing a start merely for not being my style， and a little too much fantasy or ambiguity for my taste。 Objectively a great book， yet one that most people won't like， so it's kind of conflicting there。 。。。more
Gaines Post
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Today I finished reading Beloved by Toni Morrison。 I’m feeling rather speechless， but I also have an urge to say something。 I’m just not sure what。 So full of competing emotions right now。 Part of me wants to just shut up and say， “You have to read this book。 Everyone has to; especially Americans， but not just Americans。 That’s all I have to say。” And perhaps I should。 A friend on social media the other day posted a link to someone’s tweet， though I do not know what the original source of the q Today I finished reading Beloved by Toni Morrison。 I’m feeling rather speechless， but I also have an urge to say something。 I’m just not sure what。 So full of competing emotions right now。 Part of me wants to just shut up and say， “You have to read this book。 Everyone has to; especially Americans， but not just Americans。 That’s all I have to say。” And perhaps I should。 A friend on social media the other day posted a link to someone’s tweet， though I do not know what the original source of the quote was; sorry -- anyway， it said， “One of the problems is that slavery is taught as the history of Black people and not the history of white people。” Absolutely。 Amen。 I grew up in America， in the public school system， and I can say that that was indeed my experience， almost entirely。 But is Beloved about slavery？ Well， yes of course， in part。 However -- and this is absolutely vital to point out， I feel -- you shouldn’t think of it as “a book about slavery。” Don’t generalize or categorize things like that。 Just don’t。 Because it’s also about motherhood， about daughterhood， about fatherhood， about husbandhood and wifehood， about siblinghood， about loss， about gain， about death， about survival， about blunt pain， about soft love， about yearning， about darkness， about lightness， about blood， about horror， about overcoming， about being overwhelmed and giving up， about not giving up， about coming to terms， about defying those same terms and rising above， about gazing into the pit， about human bonds， about so many other things。 Many of which probably went right over my head， given my limited experience。 The book is also about history， yes， and is certainly set against the background of events and situations past （as well as events and situations ongoing， tragically， but to which we must all admit and of which we must all become aware and more aware）。 Slavery is the history of all of humankind; not a single one of us is not affected in some way or other by the fact that humans have stooped so low as to think they can actually own other humans as property and， even worse， that it is their right to do so。 This disgusting， horrible act and the attitude that enables it are part of our society， past and present; they are part of our current， ongoing reality。 They shaped events that continue to shape us all， each and every one of us， to this day。 We cannot sweep them under the rug or pretend we are past them; they happened。 The consequences are not just past， but present。 We must own them。 We must learn from them。 As an American， it is part of my history。 As a whiteperson， it is part of my history。 As a human being， it is part of my history。 It is part of the history of every person on this planet; it doesn’t matter what country you come from or what your particular government’s policy toward slavery was back then or is now。 It continues to affect us all， like radioactive fallout from a nuclear bomb， riding the Earth’s currents， seeping into our bones and blood and awareness。 It’s something I must own and realize that I own。 Not everything we own is pretty。 But we own it nonetheless。 So， rather than refusing to recognize our ugly parts， we should look at them， with honesty and sincerity， and acknowledge that they are there。 That they are part of us。 You can read this book and focus on the darkness， but there is also light in it。 My advice is not to choose one or the other。 One thing that has absolutely blown me away is the author’s perceptiveness and insight into how people think， how we react， and what we do and feel under certain pressures。 Her prose feels so personal and real; it’s as if she herself lived in the late 1800s。 Because even though this story and millions like it are part of my history and hers， given we are both Americans and we are both humans with this shared past， it is so much more personal and。。。 immediate。。。 for her than it ever can be for me， for so many reasons。 I’m making assumptions here now， fair warning， because I don’t know anything at all about Morrison’s family history or personal life; all I know is that she had been an editor and writer for years， decades， before she wrote this book。 But as a woman， she understands more about the pain and wonderfulness of motherhood than I ever will， whether or not she herself has ever had children; and as a Black person， she knows and feels more about what happened to Black people in America， both during and after slavery， than I ever possibly can， no matter how much I listen and read and whether or not any of her own ancestors were slaves。 It’s part of the American experience， sure， but as a whiteperson， I grew up oblivious to most of it， despite the best efforts of my very enlightened parents and several well-meaning and hard-working teachers。 Ignorance is something we don’t just shake overnight; we have to do some hard yards to peel back the onion layers， one at a time， and even then， there are some depths of experience and understanding we’ll just never reach in this lifetime。 But I’ve only listed a few things this book is about。 Abuse， for example; I could write pages and pages about how this book is about abuse and neglect and rape， and trauma and the resulting stress。 And yes， absolutely， it is about those things。 Acutely so。 There are other things it’s about， too， and I want to talk about them， but I fear if I do， it will give too much away and spoil the story for you。 Some things have a much bigger impact if they are surprises。 So， I won’t talk about the characters or what happens to them and so on; not here anyways。 However， I will say that if for no other reason， you need to read this book for the language。 The writing is。。。 well， “top notch” feels like an understatement。 I’ve never read anything like it， and it’d do it an injustice to try to compare it to the writing of any other author。 To put it mildly， this novel has put me in awe of Toni Morrison， and now I want to read more of her stuff。 It doesn’t matter what she writes about。。。 I want to read more of it。 Her way with words， her imagery and descriptions， her structural mechanisms。。。 wow。 Just wow。 Seriously， this book is powerful。 The story is powerful。 The words in it are powerful。 It’s an eye-opener on so many levels。 It makes me furious。 It makes me sad。 It makes me lament for humanity， but at the same time， it gives me hope。 If we can all learn from our collective past， then perhaps we can do the work， one layer at a time， of moving together toward a better future。 First we have to acknowledge where we all came from though。 And we have to see -- truly see -- the people around us， clearly for who they are rather than through some filtering veil of fear or insecurity or selfish desire。 These are the prerequisites。 Alright。 Well， that was quite the ramble。 I’m not all that happy with what I’ve written， but hey， I’m still reeling。 And it’s a start at least。 I copy+pasted this from a blog post I wrote at https://www。otherspect。com 。 。。。more
Ethan Hepworth
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*4。5 starsThis one was not at all what I expected it to be。 I didn’t realize it was a ghost story。 Really a moving piece of fiction overall。 The deep psychology of the characters and how they each dealt with slavery was excellently conveyed。 She does not hesitate to deal with the many tragedies and atrocities committed by white slave holders in the south。 Having her characters deal with the trauma of those awful experiences twenty years later was an interesting and I think powerful choice。 I did *4。5 starsThis one was not at all what I expected it to be。 I didn’t realize it was a ghost story。 Really a moving piece of fiction overall。 The deep psychology of the characters and how they each dealt with slavery was excellently conveyed。 She does not hesitate to deal with the many tragedies and atrocities committed by white slave holders in the south。 Having her characters deal with the trauma of those awful experiences twenty years later was an interesting and I think powerful choice。 I did think the point of view， especially towards the end， could be a bit hard to track。 Definitely a great piece of writing though。 Leaves you with a lot to think about。 。。。more
˗ˏˋ z。 ♕ ˊˎ˗
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this was a hard book to read but it’s important。 as a black woman， personally i’m so tired of reading trauma stories for school。
Eileen Bushelow
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Skimm Reads
Jefferson Lexus Jonson
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It’s entirely fitting to label “Beloved” as a horror novel。 Horror， after all， deals with the unnatural， the inhuman。 But aside from ghosts， the supernatural， and the mystery behind the both titular character and the novel， we experience a deeper horror between the pages of the book—one that should be remembered as history， a lesson learned。Beloved tells the story of Sethe， a former slave who resettled with her daughter in the outskirts of Cincinnati。 Her house is haunted by what they presumed i It’s entirely fitting to label “Beloved” as a horror novel。 Horror， after all， deals with the unnatural， the inhuman。 But aside from ghosts， the supernatural， and the mystery behind the both titular character and the novel， we experience a deeper horror between the pages of the book—one that should be remembered as history， a lesson learned。Beloved tells the story of Sethe， a former slave who resettled with her daughter in the outskirts of Cincinnati。 Her house is haunted by what they presumed is the spirit of her eldest daughter， Beloved。 It was not until Paul D， a fellow slave at Sweet Home， that they were able to drove the spirit away。 Days later， we are introduced with a woman who happens to be named Beloved。Along the story， we later find out the trials and tribulations that slaves had gone through in Sweet Home that it drove the likes of Sethe and Paul D to escape。 We also later find out how Sethe， to escape the white men out to get her back to slavery along with her children， she must kill all of them。 She manages to kill only one， and by that act the white men were horrified and left her alone。 She buried her child with a stone marked “Beloved” because it’s the only thing she hears from the priest。Later， in the story， both Beloved and Sethe are consumed with their relationship to the point that Denver had thought of it as toxic。 There’s a point in which Beloved grew while Sethe shrink as time goes by。“Sixty Million and more” says the dedication。 Triumph to that dedication is an understatement—if not at all fitting for Beloved as a novel。 It perfectly encapsulates the strife in that dark period of history: where colored people are treated like animals who crawls on four—traded， sold， mortgage， etc。， the physical pain from hard labor and mistreatment from white folks。 These are vividly depicted in the novel unapologetically。 And there shouldn’t be no apologies at all。 History， no matter as horrifying， should be truthful and remembered。Beloved also deals some of the major themes that comes with black slavery。Relationship between Mother and ChildrenIn its simplistic sense， the novel illustrated black mother’s instinct。 Sethe grew up motherless。 As the novel presented， she was no daughter—she never knew her own mother。 Her guidance in being a mother comes from her mother-in-law， Baby Suggs。 From this perspective， Sethe only dreamed of a perfect life for her children， where no white man would steal her milk to feed white babies。 She once has thought how she was able to nurse white babies while she can’t the one’s she owns。This maternal passion later developed into something dangerous。 It resulted to her killing one of her children:“How if I hadn’t killed her， she would have died and that is something I could not bear to happen to her。”Sethe meant here that she doesn’t want her children to experience the dehumanization she experienced as a slave—that she’d rather kill all of them than let the white men get them。“Your love is too think，” says Paul D to which Sethe replies “Love is or it ain’t。 Thin love ain’t love at all。”Psychological Effects of Slavery“Rememory” is a recurring topic within the novel。 Paul D and Sethe tries to escape the horrors they’ve experienced in Sweet Home but could not help themselves “rememory” these instances。 Slavery had caused physical and emotional pain， the fragmentation of self-identity and culture， that they try to repress these traumas within them。Beloved， the character， becomes a central reminder on how they have repressed these traumas and how “rememory” them pains them。Morrison may have departed but the message of her novel still echoes in our time。 Her genius in giving shape to trauma of horrific past erases the dubious， overwhelming， shapeless ideation of it—we begin to better fathom it and empathize it。 The assertion for racial justice is as important as ever as racial violence is prevalent now more than ever。 After decades and centuries， history is still here to remind us how far we have cried and how far are to cry for。“Disremembered and unaccounted for， she cannot be lost because no one is looking for her， and even if they were， how can they call her if they don’t know her name？” 。。。more
Chockletter
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I know this is supposed to be a "classic" but I couldn't stand this book。 I felt the writing was horrible and the whole ghost/mysticism aspect was way out of reach。 I know this is supposed to be a "classic" but I couldn't stand this book。 I felt the writing was horrible and the whole ghost/mysticism aspect was way out of reach。 。。。more
Eliana Chow
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The kind of story that seeps deep into the bones even when the mind will never fully understand all that it means， or all that it could mean。
Dolly Mastrangelo
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FabulousSuch an endearing story。 You fall in love with these character wanting only the best for them。 Are they forgotten？ Or do they live on？
Nick
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I wish I could put into words the feeling this novel gave me; however， I don't think any words can do it justice。 I just got a feeling that crept over my heart every single page and， by the end， I was speechless。 It's truly an experience that I will cherish for a long， long time。 I wish I could put into words the feeling this novel gave me; however， I don't think any words can do it justice。 I just got a feeling that crept over my heart every single page and， by the end， I was speechless。 It's truly an experience that I will cherish for a long， long time。 。。。more
Sue
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I so looked forward to reading this book。 What an utter disappointment。 So much so that I gave it more time than I normally would to acknowledge that I had no clue what was going on。 Once I did get a slight grip on "the plot，" I still found things confusing due to no-warning changes in timeline and point of view。 Gave it 2 stars only because I stuck with it for 1/3 of the way through。 I so looked forward to reading this book。 What an utter disappointment。 So much so that I gave it more time than I normally would to acknowledge that I had no clue what was going on。 Once I did get a slight grip on "the plot，" I still found things confusing due to no-warning changes in timeline and point of view。 Gave it 2 stars only because I stuck with it for 1/3 of the way through。 。。。more
Carolyn
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How to describe this multi-faceted novel？ Loaded with interesting characters and their fascinating， at times tragic stories， it is a beautifully written novel， beautifully read by Toni Morrison herself， if you are lucky enough to hear her audio version of the book。 But oh my， the topics she handles in this one story of escaped slaves from Georgia who end up in Cincinnati to start a new life。 Only it’s not so easy。 Tensions within the black neighborhood complicate their lives， not to mention a my How to describe this multi-faceted novel？ Loaded with interesting characters and their fascinating， at times tragic stories， it is a beautifully written novel， beautifully read by Toni Morrison herself， if you are lucky enough to hear her audio version of the book。 But oh my， the topics she handles in this one story of escaped slaves from Georgia who end up in Cincinnati to start a new life。 Only it’s not so easy。 Tensions within the black neighborhood complicate their lives， not to mention a mysterious female stranger， who may or may not be a ghost。 Against the background of the current day （1873）， the backstories of the slaves are told in snippets， initially， so that the reader must actively start to piece together what happened。 And eventually the various stories are told， gently but powerfully。 Morrison’s reading was masterful。 Her voice soft， with a beautiful cadence， was mesmerizing as she read her Pulitzer prize winning novel， written in 1987。 I had not read Morrison， but will look for her books and the audio of each one， so I can hear her works in her own voice and also read the beautifully written words as well。 Beloved is a powerful and moving book， and I recommend it。 。。。more
Siim
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Joyce's Ulysses meets Proust's Remembrance of Things Past， but instead of a white European strutting the streets， it's about （no real） escape from slavery。 This was a tough read。 It is lyrical， it is a waxing and meandering depiction of the memories of slavery， by those that unfortunately lived it， with all its gore。 There is gore， and you won't like it。 There is beauty， on all the pages。 You will have to stop and enjoy it。 As a book， it is very hard to read， although probably everybody should a Joyce's Ulysses meets Proust's Remembrance of Things Past， but instead of a white European strutting the streets， it's about （no real） escape from slavery。 This was a tough read。 It is lyrical， it is a waxing and meandering depiction of the memories of slavery， by those that unfortunately lived it， with all its gore。 There is gore， and you won't like it。 There is beauty， on all the pages。 You will have to stop and enjoy it。 As a book， it is very hard to read， although probably everybody should at one point in their life。You should read other， better reviews， before you decide to read it。 。。。more
Ana Paula
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Não sei bem o que dizer sobre esse livro: ele é profundo， um pouco assustador e terrivelmente real。 E nada disso é ruim， mas me identifico tanto c os sentimentos que levam cada personagem a agir como age， que fico paralisada。
Vanitha Narayan
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“There is a loneliness that can be rocked。 Arms crossed， knees drawn up， holding， holding on， this motion， unlike a ship's， smooths and contains the rocker。 It's an inside kind--wrapped tight like skin。 Then there is the loneliness that roams。 No rocking can hold it down。 It is alive。 On its own。 A dry and spreading thing that makes the sound of one's own feet going seem to come from a far-off place。”― Toni Morrison “There is a loneliness that can be rocked。 Arms crossed， knees drawn up， holding， holding on， this motion， unlike a ship's， smooths and contains the rocker。 It's an inside kind--wrapped tight like skin。 Then there is the loneliness that roams。 No rocking can hold it down。 It is alive。 On its own。 A dry and spreading thing that makes the sound of one's own feet going seem to come from a far-off place。”― Toni Morrison 。。。more
JP Meldrum
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Complex in its voice， intimate in its characters， disturbing in its imagery， epic in its narrative， and more richly sensually romantic than anything I’ve ever read。 Beautiful， powerful。 filled with weight and light as a feather。
jasmine ❤️🔥
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wow。 really good！hopefully i don’t bomb the final beloved quiz 😋😋
Vicka Ferrari
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