"Beloved" - Caitlin's POV

A woman saw me reading this on the metro and made a point of speaking to me about it. People NEVER talk to each other on the D.C. metro. Her comment which was so important to break the traditional between-stranger-silence? "That book is WEIRD!" How right she was...


GENERAL IMPRESSIONS: What the WHAT? This was by far the strangest book I've ever read. Putting aside the mystic beliefs/ghosts/reincarnated dead children, it was even bizarre to read. You could never tell what was a flashback and what wasn't. That isn't always an issue for me but when you add in that you couldn't tell what was real, what was a hallucination/vision, and what was a dream, it got pretty damn confusing. Added to that is the most bizarre plotline ever and some nontraditional discussions of slavery and voila! you have a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel! As a history major and generally socially conscious individual, I have read some of the "classics" on slavery. I'm not sure that Frederick Douglass would exactly approve of Morrison's portrayal of slavery. Obviously, it was horrible and she portrays the complete dehumanization of black women especially well but I also wonder if some of the stuff she describes about black men helps her cause. It's like she almost believes what white people were saying about black sexuality during the rape/lynching cycle in post-Reconstruction South.

SPOILER ALERT: Every surprise is heavily suggested ahead of time to so Toni Morrison will do all of the spoiling for you.

MUSINGS: I really do hate stream-of-consciousness writing and I am very thankful it only existed in one full chapter.

GRADE SHEET:
Narrator's Likeability: Depends on the Narrator, Ranging from B+ (Denver) to D (Beloved)
Readability: C
Pace: B
Satisfying Ending: B
Originality of Style: A
Creative Character Names: B+