Does anyone actually like, I mean really like, the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison? I ask this after our discussion on dialect being used as a storytelling device the other day. It got a lot of feedback and most of that feedback that involved this particular book was negative. I’m not going to say it necessarily surprised me because I didn’t really like the book either, but it was curious. So I wanted to discuss it a bit further. And by "it" I meant this book.
Now, I thought Beloved was a very important book to have read. I was glad to have read it. But I couldn’t say that I liked it. Interesting how that stuff works, isn't it? It's only happened with a few books. It was a very challenging and disturbing read. Any of you who have read the book I'm sure can understand what I mean. It's about a fugitive slave woman that kills her one daughter and attempts to murder her other children when she's caught by authorities and then spends the rest of the story haunted. See? Disturbing. And the dialect was very difficult to get through. More difficult than any other book that I can recall right now actually. But I cannot say that I particularly liked it.
But, if I recall correctly, the reason I picked up the book in the first place was because it had gotten so much critical praise. I mean, it won the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Times declared it to be the one of the best works of fiction in the last 25 years. It said these things right on the back cover.
But almost everyone I talk to thinks this is certainly NOT one of Morrison’s best works. So that begs the question then, what do the critics see in it that almost everyone else does not? Is it the subject matter? But it’s not like Morrison’s other books don’t deal in grim and disturbing subject matters as well. What do you all think? Or who out there agrees with the critics? Who thinks this IS her best book? All opinions welcome!
5 comments:
I've read Beloved twice, both for classes in college. I remember it being insanely difficult to understand, to follow what was happening, when something was a flashback, etc. That being said, I don't think the book was badly written, just that it is complicated and takes time to go through. I wouldn't say it's my favorite Morrison book, but that's because I know how much work it takes to read this, which means I'm not picking this up to read unless I really psyche myself up for it. I do however think this is one of Morrison's best books. It's not the most accessible so I think that will keep it off a lot of people's "must-read" lists, mine included. I think the prose is beautiful, the characters are well-rounded, and the story itself, while complicated, is well-told.
Sorry to ramble on. I didn't realize how long this was turning out to be.
oooh, v thought provoking topic! Can't wait to see what folks think -- I haven't read it so I have nothing to offer unfortunately.
I'm currently reading Beloved (p. 89) after having seen the movie a few years ago, which confused me. So far I'm loving it and I think it's flowing along beautifully; there's something magical about Morrison's writing that I'll never get over. But yeah, I'll dip in again when I've finished reading (I may change my mind completely).
@Red, great post! I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. I felt that most of the book was very heavy, if you get my meaning, and I think that is ultimately why it is given such praise. And also why it is so difficult to follow. I agree that it was difficult to understand what was a flashback and what wasn’t. I got confused many times. I feel a lot with Pulitzer Prize winners that they’re picking books people SHOULD read to be literary and whatnot but not necessarily good overall books. Like, they want the books to be very complicated just so they can kind of feel superior in some ways. I have been let down actually by several Pulitzer Prize winners. Kind of like they’re trying too hard. I don’t know. I’m rambling. Like I said, I think it was an important read but…I don’t know, there’s just a but there, haha.
@FBT, Yes please do say what you think when you’re done! It’s interesting that you think it flows beautifully because I remember thinking it did not, but I think that’s because I found it so confusing and, as I said, the dialect was very difficult for me.
I agree that sometimes it seems that the Pulitzer committee just picks books that are difficult so they can seem smart. But I do feel like there is something to Beloved beyond just being difficult. I'm having trouble putting it into words but there's something to it that makes me say this is more than just a difficult read. There's something else there. But I don't plan on picking it up again for awhile so there's always that...
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