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Kelly (and the Book Boar)'s Reviews > Beloved
Beloved (Beloved Trilogy, #1)
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Kelly (and the Book Boar)'s review
bookshelves: smort, liburrrrrry-book, oprah-told-me-to, read-in-2015, i-read-banned-books
Sep 28, 2015
bookshelves: smort, liburrrrrry-book, oprah-told-me-to, read-in-2015, i-read-banned-books
Find all of my reviews at:
I FINISHED!!!!!!
I realize this is a classic and a Pulitzer Prize winner and yada yada yada, but oh my goodness am I glad to be done.
Dear Oprah, what’s going to happen to me since I hated it????
That’s what I was afraid of.
Going in to this book I knew nothing about it except for the fact that it was on the Banned Books List and that Oprah said I should read it . . .
I did manage to finish, but WHAT. A. SLOG. There are only about 47,000,000 reviews out there and I kind of feel like I sacrificed 1,000 years of my reading this instead of just two days so I’m not going to hash and rehash every detail I didn’t like. Really, let’s face facts. No matter what reason I give for not liking this one there’s a good chance I’ll get trolled for daring to have an unpopular opinion so why bother? I will say that Beloved is the only book I can remember reading where I was in love with the story but hated the way it was told. (Sidenote: Beloved is realllllly strangely fitting if you’re someone still looking for a ghost story to add to your October reading list.) I think Toni Morrison’s writing style is one that you’re either going to love or hate. Obviously I fall in to the hate it category, but I’m glad I can say I finally read her. As for Beloved being touted one of the best books of all time???? Thanks for nothing, Oprah!
I FINISHED!!!!!!
I realize this is a classic and a Pulitzer Prize winner and yada yada yada, but oh my goodness am I glad to be done.
Dear Oprah, what’s going to happen to me since I hated it????
That’s what I was afraid of.
Going in to this book I knew nothing about it except for the fact that it was on the Banned Books List and that Oprah said I should read it . . .
I did manage to finish, but WHAT. A. SLOG. There are only about 47,000,000 reviews out there and I kind of feel like I sacrificed 1,000 years of my reading this instead of just two days so I’m not going to hash and rehash every detail I didn’t like. Really, let’s face facts. No matter what reason I give for not liking this one there’s a good chance I’ll get trolled for daring to have an unpopular opinion so why bother? I will say that Beloved is the only book I can remember reading where I was in love with the story but hated the way it was told. (Sidenote: Beloved is realllllly strangely fitting if you’re someone still looking for a ghost story to add to your October reading list.) I think Toni Morrison’s writing style is one that you’re either going to love or hate. Obviously I fall in to the hate it category, but I’m glad I can say I finally read her. As for Beloved being touted one of the best books of all time???? Thanks for nothing, Oprah!
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Reading Progress
September 28, 2015
–
Started Reading
September 28, 2015
– Shelved
September 29, 2015
–
65.23%
"I can't remember ever spending so many hours reading and making so little progress . . .
"
page
212
"
September 29, 2015
– Shelved as:
smort
September 29, 2015
– Shelved as:
liburrrrrry-book
September 29, 2015
– Shelved as:
oprah-told-me-to
September 29, 2015
– Shelved as:
read-in-2015
September 29, 2015
–
Finished Reading
September 30, 2016
– Shelved as:
i-read-banned-books
Comments Showing 1-31 of 31 (31 new)
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Tadiana ✩Night Owl�
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Sep 29, 2015 10:00AM
I can't wait for your review to tell me why I should stop feeling guilty for not having read this book. :D
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I'd say it's coming today, but since it took HOURS to read like 30 pages it might not be : (
Kelly (and the Book Boar) wrote: "I'd say it's coming today, but since it took HOURS to read like 30 pages it might not be : ("Ha! Based on this data and my buddy read math formula, if we were to have read this together, I would have posted my review sometime in the year 2022.
Jeff wrote: "Ha! Based on this data and my buddy read math formula, if we were to have read this together, I would have posted my review sometime in the year 2022..."Ha! I powered through the last 40 pages during my lunch hour behind a closed door. I mean we're talking like 10 hours of my life I'll never get back that I spent on this dang thing and my version was only 274 pages.
Great review! You're not alone, I DNF'd this sucker.::getting cozy in the shame corner::
Thanks Alissa! You can join the countdown of someone telling me to "lurn how to right instead of jest postin' pitchers" ; )
I want to know more about why you didn't like it! Was it really just the writing style? What is it about the style that irked you (not having read any of Morrison's books myself)?
Yes, it was her writing style. She's VERY wordy to the point of redundancy and did a lot of the wibbly wobbly timey wimey - which is something I tend to have a love/hate relationship with. I didn't realize EVERY main character's history was going to be told so when I was already struggling through and found myself reading a recap told by A DEAD CHARACTER 3/4 of the way through I thought I was going to yank my hair out. I also thought this was supposed to be sooooo emotional and make me have all the feely feels but I didn't feel anything. I think I read it wrong : (
Interesting, thanks! I glanced through Beloved in a bookstore way back when Oprah was promoting it. I know it didn't appeal to me, but I can't remember why. Old age and all.
I hated this shitfest of a book too. I even tried to watch that movie or show or whatever it was and didn't like it either.
Shelby *wants some flying monkeys* wrote: "I hated this shitfest of a book too. I even tried to watch that movie or show or whatever it was and didn't like it either."BWAHAHAHAHA! Tell me how you really feel about it ; )
Kelly (and the Book Boar) wrote: "Shelby *wants some flying monkeys* wrote: "I hated this shitfest of a book too. I even tried to watch that movie or show or whatever it was and didn't like it either."BWAHAHAHAHA! Tell me how yo..."
LOL! I was being sweet. :D
I actually have that one from the library right now too. Maybe I'll give it a shot if I get through The Chocolate War and Persepolis. Thanks!
What a trooper!I still haven't gotten through Heart of Darkness or Brothers Karamazov, and it's not from trying.
Vivian wrote: "What a trooper!I still haven't gotten through Heart of Darkness or Brothers Karamazov, and it's not from trying."
Oooh, I own Heart of Darkness too. Glad it's not on the Banned Book list so I don't feel any obligation to read it soon!
Heart of Darkness is tough slogging. I read it in college (maybe twice? I was an English major), and tried to reread it again a few years ago and bogged down in the first 20 pages. I think I gave it 4 stars because literature. I really should reread it and give it an honest evaluation. :)
" The writing is just really good and the alternate world is fascinating.'"yeah, that's me and most Pulitzer winners.
Great review! I am sorry that you didn't enjoy the book. As I mentioned earlier when it comes to Toni Morrison, you have to work for her books and because of that you either love her or hate her. I remember having a debate over Maya vs Toni in my 11th grade English class and my teacher is exactly like Oprah so Toni won.From my teacher I learned that you have to read Toni Morrison more than once and you have to dissect her book for everything that she writes and for me that is too much work. I hate authors who write too many big words and I dislike books that removes the fun out of reading. I don't read for analyzation, I read for pure entertainment regardless if its garbage.
P.S. The Bluest Eye is shorter and the writing is straightforward but I was disappointed by the book from the way my teacher describe it for me so you may enjoy it more than Beloved.
I agree Matthew. I got the whole point of how a person's past can haunt them and that the atrocities of slavery are things that can never be forgotten, but the writing style just didn't work for me which was a bummer. I was also really lucky in school to always have classes that offered a choice between 5-10 books so I never felt forced into reading selections. I'm sure he's probably passed away by now, but THANKS MR. DEVORE for pushing that curriculum!
Kelly,Thank you for the comedic (while still being respectful) & insightful review. I was contemplating reading this one but redundancy and purple prose are not my jam. I think its best if I pass up "Beloved"
Thanks JaHy!I was talking to a friend the other night (who, of course LOOOOOVED Beloved) and she said I might like The Bluest Eye more (which confirmed QNPoohBear's comment above as well). It's only around 200 pages, so I may give it a try before officially writing off Morrison as a "not for me" author.
Beloved isn't a ghost she's an abuse victim. If you read this book like a horror novel you're going to be disappointing because that's not what it it. It's a story of regrowth, abuse, and the psychological torture associated with slavery, not a ghost story.
If a troll is so brilliant he wants to point out how I read a book wrong, but can't wrap his brain around the term "haunting story " having multiple meanings, maybe he should go back to troll school.
Oh good lord. Zero ratings, zero reviews and the ONLY book he's added is Beloved. I have a feeling young sir is spewing what his teacher told him while looking for some "inspiration" for a book report.
I had to read it three times for school, and every time I only hated it more.
MLE wrote: "I had to read it three times for school, and every time I only hated it more."Ha! I'm waiting for my kids to get to high school and have to read all of these. They can ease their suffering by laughing at how I choose required reads for "fun".
Heart of Darkness is actually a good, interesting, quick read - you may like it. The movie "Apocalypse Now" is a modern adaptation of the story. If you watch the movie (extended, directors cut version) first, then read the story, you may find it more compelling.
Her style is definitely love it or hate it. I loved it, but I can definitely see why someone wouldn't like it.
