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Dolors's Reviews > Love

Love by Toni Morrison
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really liked it
bookshelves: read-in-2017

Morrison directs a cacophony of voices, hazy facts and anachronistic timelines that converge into the ever-changing, multi-faceted meaning of “love�.
At the center of the story, the ghostly figure of Bill Cosey, the iconic owner of a prestigious hotel located in the East Coast in the forties; and orbiting around his powerful absence, the shifting testimonies of different women who played an important role in his life� and death.

Can a man grieving for the loss of his wife and son find solace in youth without being a child molester?
What kind of love bonds two girls to a lifetime of malicious rivalry, jealousy and yearning that sprouted from misunderstanding and shame?
How many women slaved over in the shadows, adoring the public icon of a man, both evil and saint, while racial discrimination ripped apart families and exploited their children with total impunity?
Morrison’s prose resembles a mournful chant to the fatigue of living, the burdens of loving and the permanent scars caused by loss. Offbeat lyricism from an omniscient narrator who remains anonymous until the last pages of the book brings light into the obscure rhythms of this fragmented puzzle.
The man remains elusive: friend, benefactor, father, lover and abuser. His haunting presence diminishes as the fate of those who loved him resolves itself regardless of the past.
Contrarily, the women of his life become perfectly delineated; their voices reach such perfect clarity that they challenge moral distinction and years of censure and repressed silence to achieve communal vindication.
And love, with all its cruel beauty, triumphs over despair, even when life is nothing but a tenuous reflection of the things that could never be.
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Reading Progress

April 1, 2017 – Started Reading
April 1, 2017 – Shelved
April 3, 2017 –
page 125
61.88% ""No matter what your place in life or your state of mind, having a star-packed sky be part of your night made you feel rich.""
April 7, 2017 – Finished Reading
April 8, 2017 –
page 202
100.0% ""Up here the solitude is like the room of a dead child, the ocean has no scent or roar. The future is disintegrating along with the past. The landscape beyond this room is without color.""

Comments Showing 1-41 of 41 (41 new)

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message 1: by Terri (new) - added it

Terri Very glad we are GR friends Dolors! You read such great books:.))


Dolors Terri wrote: "Very glad we are GR friends Dolors! You read such great books:.))"

Feeling is reciprocal, Terri. Thanks for your lovely, kind words! :)


message 3: by Deea (new)

Deea Hey Dolors. My comment has nothing to do with this quote, but I wanted to share with you (knowing your love for Steinbeck's prose) this letter. I found it really nice. Hope you like it. ()


message 4: by Dolors (last edited Apr 07, 2017 02:18AM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Dolors Deea wrote: "Hey Dolors. My comment has nothing to do with this quote, but I wanted to share with you (knowing your love for Steinbeck's prose) this letter. I found it really nice. Hope you like it. (..."

I had previously read this beautiful letter, Deea (I am subscribed to this wonderful cultural magazine and receive a weekly email). If somebody knows about love, that's Steinbeck. What great advice he gives to his son... Thanks for reminding me of it! :)


message 5: by Deea (new)

Deea Dolors wrote: "Deea wrote: "Hey Dolors. My comment has nothing to do with this quote, but I wanted to share with you (knowing your love for Steinbeck's prose) this letter. I found it really nice. Hope you like it..."

Ah nice, I also like this magazine a lot. I really loved the letter and it made me crave to read more Steinbeck. :)


message 6: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Sounds like vintage Morrison, Dolors! Beautiful review!


message 7: by Samra (new) - added it

Samra Yusuf so beautiful and moving,was looking toward more morrison..........you just provided one!


message 8: by [deleted user] (new)

A great review, there is deep emotions that you bring to the surface and make visible.


Teresa One day I will re-read this! Thanks for the lovely reminder, Dolors.


message 10: by Ilse (new) - added it

Ilse Loved your closing paragraph, Dolors, which so beautifully gainsays the overwhelming feeling of despair breathing from the chilling prose that I have been reading recently. A fine reminder to finally read Morrison...


Dolors Lisa wrote: "Sounds like vintage Morrison, Dolors! Beautiful review!"

It definitely is, Lisa! Thanks for taking the time to read, as always!


Dolors Samra wrote: "so beautiful and moving,was looking toward more morrison..........you just provided one!"

Glad to hear so, Samra. Thanks as usual for your supportive comments! :)


Dolors Joudy wrote: "A great review, there is deep emotions that you bring to the surface and make visible."

Thanks, Joudy, what a great remark. Morrison does the same in her books, the feelings are just underneath the surface, but made more stronger because they are not plainly visible.


Dolors Teresa wrote: "One day I will re-read this! Thanks for the lovely reminder, Dolors."

I might join you in the re-reading, Teresa. Morrison is definitely worth many re-reads!


Dolors Marita wrote: "Another of your reviews that bypassed my updates. I'm pleased that I found this lovely review on your profile page, Dolors."

So thankful for your deference, Marita. I keep missing reviews myself and have the habit of checking my GR friends profiles from time to time as well.


Dolors Ilse wrote: "Loved your closing paragraph, Dolors, which so beautifully gainsays the overwhelming feeling of despair breathing from the chilling prose that I have been reading recently. A fine reminder to final..."

Thank you, Ilse. Nothing ever escapes your keen eye. You caught up on the aspect that most captivated me about this novel: the elusive meaning of love. I have no doubt Morrison will speak to you in multifarious voices, a discordant choir that will keep you up till the late hours, musing over the real meaning of essential things in life.


message 17: by Markus (new)

Markus I love your review, brilliant as usual, Dolors, but this is not a book that I want to read.


message 18: by Cheryl (new)

Cheryl Ugh, the kind of character I read and dislike, the angst and grit, so boldly drawn, the underpinnings of sexuality and gender lines traced in that Toni Morrison in-your-face kind of way. Yep. Love your rendition of narrative pace and undertones, my friend. By the way, I have no words for this sentence: "Morrison’s prose resembles a mournful chant to the fatigue of living, the burdens of loving and the permanent scars caused by loss."


message 19: by Debbie (new) - added it

Debbie Oh Dolors, you certainly have a way with words--but that is such an understatement!! Just a beautiful review! I'm adding. Haven't read Morrison in ages.


message 20: by Seemita (last edited Jun 19, 2017 04:21AM) (new)

Seemita Such masterly encapsulation, D! The girls reminded me a bit of Unn and Siss of The Ice Palace; do they have any similarity? The fatigue of living is such an omnipresent beast that we hardly ever notice it until someone throws a new torch on it, like how Morrison appears to have done in this book. Thanks for this musical navigation, that is ever-so gratifying to follow :)


Dolors Markus wrote: "I love your review, brilliant as usual, Dolors, but this is not a book that I want to read."

I totally understand that, Markus. There's a book for every reader and for every time. I am glad this review dispelled any doubt on this one. Thanks for taking the time to read, as always!


Dolors Cheryl wrote: "Ugh, the kind of character I read and dislike, the angst and grit, so boldly drawn, the underpinnings of sexuality and gender lines traced in that Toni Morrison in-your-face kind of way. Yep. Love ..."

Oh yes, you sure get the picture, Cheryl. Morrison's characters have all the foibles you might think them capable of, but they never hide it. That cheekiness is most appropriate for Morrison's jazzy style. This is not an easy book to read, the timeline goes back and forth, and it takes a while to put all the puzzle pieces together, but when they fit, one sees the picture so clearly that the reward is way bigger than the effort. With your knowledge of Morrison, I bet you'd guess where the story is headed much sooner than I did... Thanks as usual for your perspicacious comment, Cheryl!


Dolors Debbie wrote: "Oh Dolors, you certainly have a way with words--but that is such an understatement!! Just a beautiful review! I'm adding. Haven't read Morrison in ages."

Many thanks, Debbie, you are very kind with me! I really felt a bit out of my depth with this book. It required some focusing on my part to connect the dots, and then I struggled to write about it without giving away the key factors that make this read such a beguiling story. Heh, I'll stop babbilng now... maybe you'll get what I mean to say when you revisit Morrison! :)


Dolors Seemita wrote: "Such masterly encapsulation, D! The girls reminded me a bit of Unn and Siss of The Ice Palace; do they have any similarity? The fatigue of living is such an omnipresent beast that we ..."

Simi, what an interesting connection! The women in this story are united (and cursed) by the haunting presence of the man that separated them, but in a way, they remain linked through an invisible bond, a chord of disharmony and communion that fluctuates with time, so your reference is spot-on! You just shed new light into the meaning of the story and added a new angle to read into the relationship between the female protagonists.
As I said before, what a gift your presence is, and how blessed we are to have you back!:)


message 25: by Lisa (new)

Lisa Vegan Dolors, Beautifully written and expressed review!


message 26: by Deanna (new)

Deanna Terrific review, Dolors! I loved it <3


Dolors Deanna wrote: "Terrific review, Dolors! I loved it <3"

Many thanks, dear Deanna!


Dolors Lisa wrote: "Dolors, Beautifully written and expressed review!"

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read and for your kindness, Lisa! :))


message 29: by Deea (new)

Deea When you want to read something that offers you perspective over racism, then Toni Morisson is the author. When you want to understand more what racism really means (meant), when you want an insight into what being part of a group of people who are ostracized, again, Toni Morisson is the answer. I was both shocked and impressed by both the books written by her that I read (Jazz and Beloved) and if I am not wrong, these two and this one here are part of a trilogy about love.


Dolors Deea wrote: "When you want to read something that offers you perspective over racism, then Toni Morisson is the author. When you want to understand more what racism really means (meant), when you want an insigh..."

Great comment here, Deea. You are right in linking these books together (I still have to read "Jazz") and in stating Morrison's skill to portray complex issues like racial bigotry. I truly admire her ability to bring poetry into her stories that serves as a conduit to highlight her discourse. She is an author to continue reading, and I am glad we're both on the same page, Deea! Thanks as always for your always perceptive comments.


message 31: by Fionnuala (new)

Fionnuala Whenever I read a Toni Morrison review, I'm convinced I've read the book, but that would mean I'd spent a lot more time reading Toni Morrison in the past than I remember spending, and what's even more mysterious, when I look on my shelves, I can't find a single TM book!
One solution to the mystery, Dolors, is that you convey the essence of books so well that the readers of your reviews get to read them by symbiosis:-)


Dolors Fionnuala wrote: "Whenever I read a Toni Morrison review, I'm convinced I've read the book, but that would mean I'd spent a lot more time reading Toni Morrison in the past than I remember spending, and what's even m..."

Heh, thanks Fionnuala, that is the most tactful way to say that all my reviews (hopefully only of Morrison!) blend together, i.e., that I repeat myself! I am probably guilty...but what can I do? I am that kind of person, I just hope I won't be unbearable in my older years when flaws tend to become more accentuated! ;P


message 33: by Fionnuala (new)

Fionnuala You don't repeat yourself, Dolors, that's not what I meant. But I did have a thought that perhaps TM's books begin to sound the same after a while. But you could say that of many writers.


Dolors Fionnuala wrote: "But I did have a thought that perhaps TM's books begin to sound the same after a while. But you could say that of many writers."

You're probably right, Fionnuala, but it's like the songs we like and we never get tired of listening to. They never get old. I have that feeling with specific writers: Steinbeck, Banville...and maybe I should add Morrison to the list now you've made that point...


Teresa Dolors wrote: "Fionnuala wrote: "But I did have a thought that perhaps TM's books begin to sound the same after a while. But you could say that of many writers."

You're probably right, Fionnuala, but it's like t..."


Her books may sound like that they are the same (the themes, the language), but I haven't found that they are, even when I was primed to do so, as with A Mercy.


message 36: by Dolors (last edited Jun 23, 2017 04:20AM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Dolors Teresa wrote: "Dolors wrote: "Fionnuala wrote: "But I did have a thought that perhaps TM's books begin to sound the same after a while. But you could say that of many writers."

You're probably right, Fionnuala, ..."


She's a versatile writer, Teresa, I agree with that. But I think her style is similar but never quite the same, it waxes and wanes, or at least in the 4 novels I've read by her. The one that struck me as quite original in tone and themes was Song of Solomon. She is worth being read and re-read, whatever the case...


Teresa Dolors wrote: "She is worth being read and re-read, whatever the case..."

Yes, my plan is to do that one day. I've read all of her novels, but so far I've only re-read "Beloved".


message 38: by flo (new)

flo It seems the nature of love has been explored quite profoundly by this book - powerful stories, indeed. You gave us such a brilliant portrait of this book that, despite the mellifluous sound of your words, I started to think it might not be for me, at least for now. Tomorrow, we'll see. ;P A splendid review, as ever.


Dolors Florencia wrote: "It seems the nature of love has been explored quite profoundly by this book - powerful stories, indeed. You gave us such a brilliant portrait of this book that, despite the mellifluous sound of you..."

Many thanks Flo! If you haven't read any Morrison, I would suggest Song of Solomon as a starting point. Her prose is not light, and one needs to be in a specific mood to get into her jazzy style, but I believe she is an author to explore, when the time is right! Thanks again for taking the time to read, Flo... particularly when I know it's so tight at your end.


message 40: by Fabian (new)

Fabian  {Councillor} Beautiful review, Dolors!


Dolors Councillor wrote: "Beautiful review, Dolors!"

Thanks a lot for reading, Councillor. It's great to "see" you after a while! :)


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