Never mind if this is the best or the worst by Toni Morrison. What truly matters is how an author crafts a plot, creates believable characters, and places them in the right settings with appropriate behaviors.

I won't compare this with The Bluest Eye. In her works, the people seem more alive, especially when it comes to partnerships, sorrows, and happiness.

Toni Morrison's readers are always eager to explore her life story through her six novels published between 1970 and 1992. However, these novels are more about Morrison's observations of the tragic, difficult, and painful lives of African Americans in society, rather than a detailed account of her personal life.

Born into a farming family in Ohio during the economic crisis in America in 1931, Morrison went to Harvard after graduating from high school. Since she was a fan of William Faulkner, her dissertation was about "selfhood in the writings of Faulkner and Virginia Woolf."

Morrison turned to writing due to her escape from a failed marriage and family problems. After her divorce, she worked as an editor at Random House for several years. Since then, one of the important questions in Toni Morrison's life has been: Where do black women and girls stand in contemporary American literature?

In response to this question, her great novels such as Sula (1972) about the relationship between two black women, Song of Solomon (1977) exploring the mindset of a black man in search of his past, Beloved (1987) telling the tragic story of a runaway slave who will do anything to save her daughter from the pain of slavery (this book won the Pulitzer Prize), and finally Jazz (1992), which made Morrison the eighth female writer and the first black female writer to win the Nobel Prize, were written and published.

Morrison says that we (African Americans) have witnessed others who have spoken about us, from our side, and mostly as a "curiosity." According to her, it is now time for us to speak and write about ourselves. Toni Morrison's novels are the stories of African Americans, told in the language of African Americans; a tragic description of the times of African Americans from within!

I admit it. I was truly taken aback by Morrison's Love. Not being a die-hard fan of hers, I typically tend to steer clear of her books. There is just too much violence and too much anger in them. To be honest, that shack scene from Beloved still haunts me to this day. However, what I do love is, well, love. And I discovered it here in all its diverse variations, with its scars showing proud. Disarming and warm, Morrison welcomes you in from the very beginning, making no false promises of happy endings. It's that very honesty that compels you to climb up on her lap and listen intently to the whispers about all the ways love can turn you on, turn you out, and leave you begging for more. Finally, when she gently sets you down, leaving you to wonder about all the things she purposely left for you to figure out on your own, you'll find that you simply can't help but dream of a love so great that it has the power to change your whole world... for better or worse.

\\n  February 2025:\\n

This particular book simply doesn't resonate with me. It is, without a doubt, my least favorite among Toni Morrison's novels. Initially, I gave it a 3-star rating, but now it has been downgraded to 2. I found myself completely disengaged from the characters, and the story seemed almost non-existent from the very beginning. As a result, reading through the entire book felt like a laborious task. However, there are some redeeming qualities. The writing is truly outstanding, and the setting is highly interesting. I was quite fond of the diverse and colorful cast of characters and the unique way in which their lives intertwined. Nevertheless, I can't help but think that this could have been more effectively presented as a novella.

\\n  December 2023:\\n

Toni Morrison is an incredibly talented writer. Despite the nonlinear format, which at times disrupted my immersion in the story, I would still describe this book as spellbinding. The eccentric cast of characters and the numerous faux pas that occur throughout the narrative make it far more entertaining than it would have been if the characters were more straightforward. It's one of those books that I will definitely have to read again in the future to fully appreciate its depth and complexity.

At the beginning, it is completely confusing.

As one understands more, the worse it gets.

This situation can be quite frustrating and disheartening.

You start off with a sense of bewilderment, not really knowing what to expect or how to make sense of it all.

But as you delve deeper and gain more knowledge, you realize that the complexity and difficulties seem to multiply.

It's almost as if the more you learn, the more you uncover new layers of confusion and challenges.

This can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed and even a bit discouraged.

However, it's important to remember that this is often a part of the learning process.

Sometimes, things have to get worse before they can get better.

With perseverance and a positive attitude, you can continue to push through and eventually start to make progress.

Don't let the initial confusion and the subsequent worsening deter you from seeking understanding and growth.

Keep at it, and you may just find that in the end, it was all worth it.

A book that delves deep into the themes of love and lust, exploring how both can take a wrong turn. Heed and Christine first met as lonely girls on the beach. One day, Christine offered to share her ice cream with Heed. Christine is the granddaughter of a powerful man who not only runs a luxurious hotel but also has a significant influence on the local economy. On the other hand, Heed comes from a struggling family and lives up the beach near the cannery. Their friendship was initially pure and innocent. However, everything changed when Christine's grandfather decided to take Heed as a bride when she was too young to fully comprehend the consequences.

Now, they are both old ladies living together in the family mansion, yet they are separate. Christine lives in the basement and in return for cooking and cleaning, she endures a mutual hatred that has festered for decades. Then enters Junior, an 18-year-old who has just been released from the correctional center after a tragic childhood. She is hired by Heed and immediately causes a stir all around her. The story is told by a dead employee who witnessed the childhood friendship turn sour but also knew about the other women in the patriarch's life and death.

Audio might not have been the most ideal medium as the story jumps around in time, gradually building and hinting at the most crucial details towards the end. Nevertheless, listening to Morrison narrate was truly worthwhile. I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the hotel during its glorious days of hosting jazz performers. The relationship between Christine and Heed is complex, a beautiful yet sad one, with so much lost due to the grandfather's lust. Morrison's imagery and writing are as powerful as ever, but this is indeed a sad tale. It shows how many bad things can happen to young girls, who then do whatever they need to gain some semblance of control and power. Roman, the neighbor kid, serves as a lovely contrast to the ladies. He attempts to be tough like his friends but ultimately retains his empathy for the women around him.

This is a rather frustrating and difficult novel.

It is the first time I encounter a novel by Toni Morrison, and what initially put me off a bit is the non-linear narrative, the switching of scenes from one time period to another (and then back to the first), which reminded me a lot of another high-quality, yet extremely difficult book - Sound & Fury.

I also think that I would have liked the novel much better if I had read it in the original language rather than in the Croatian translation. I don't see the point in translating proper names, especially Junior and Heed (here translated as Mlađa and Oprez). Please stop doing that, dear translators.

This is actually a story about a dead man who, even 25 years after his death, is the main cause of impatience and turmoil in his family. "Love" fascinates you, but at the same time it also irritates you. I think I should read the book again to fully "get" it. As it is, on the first reading, 3/5.

This is a GoodRead!

A good read is like a magical portal that transports you to different worlds, introduces you to fascinating characters, and fills your mind with new ideas and emotions. It has the power to captivate your attention from the very first page and keep you turning them until the very end.

Whether it's a thrilling mystery, a heartwarming romance, an action-packed adventure, or a thought-provoking non-fiction piece, a good read has the ability to touch your soul and leave a lasting impression. It can make you laugh out loud, cry your eyes out, or simply sit back and reflect on the beauty and complexity of life.

So, the next time you pick up a book, make sure it's a good read. Let it take you on a journey you'll never forget and open your eyes to new possibilities. Because a good read is not just a book, it's an experience that can change your life.

Morrison's writing is truly a remarkable experience. It feels as if you are being wrapped in a warm and comforting hug. Her profound understanding of her characters is a sheer delight to encounter while reading.

Take, for instance, another story that she weaves with great finesse. It showcases the complex nature of female friendship that initially blossoms but then turns bitter over time. This transformation occurs due to the interference of a man and the vagaries of a twisted fate.

However, the story doesn't end there. Years later, over a tragic event, there is a bittersweet reconciliation between the two friends. Morrison's ability to capture these emotions and the nuances of human relationships is what makes her writing so captivating and engaging. It leaves the reader with a sense of wonder and a deeper appreciation for the power of storytelling.

Any review I write will be inferior to what Toni Morrison deserves. Toni Morrison is an absolute literary giant. Her works are not just stories but profound explorations of the human condition, race, and identity. Her writing style is both lyrical and powerful, captivating readers from the very first page.

Her novels, such as "Beloved," "Sula," and "The Bluest Eye," have become classics and have had a profound impact on the literary world. Through her vivid characters and richly detailed settings, Morrison brings to life the experiences and struggles of African Americans in a way that is both poignant and eye-opening.

To attempt to review her work is a daunting task, as there is so much depth and complexity to her writing. But even in my inadequacy, I feel compelled to try and do justice to the genius that is Toni Morrison. Her work will continue to be studied, admired, and celebrated for generations to come.

This novel is criminally underrated and it has truly broken into my top 3 Morrison novels.

An incredibly intimate story about female friendship and platonic soul mates. It is a narrative that tugs at the heartstrings and makes one reflect deeply on the power and significance of such relationships. I cried a lot while reading it, for it truly captured the essence of how precious and vital our female friends are in this life. They are the ones who stand by us through thick and thin, offering support, understanding, and love.

Morrison, without a doubt, is arguably the greatest living American writer. Her words have the ability to transport us to different worlds, make us feel a gamut of emotions, and open our eyes to the beauty and complexity of the human experience. Her works are a testament to her genius and her profound understanding of the human condition.

Vladimir Nabokov once said that books should be read with the spine, not with the heart or the brain. It is in the spine that the telltale tingle occurs. When I read Toni Morrison's 'Love', I felt that tingle in my spine, the throb in my heart, and the cogs of my brain set to work.

Stretch out your hands and grab the palms of Toni Morrison. She will take you to Silk, to the 'Cosey Hotel'. You can smell the cinnamons and something citrus. You've been here before, but this time the company is definitely more interesting.

Set in the 1990s, 'Love' is the story of the late Bill Cosey, the owner of 'The Cosey Resort'. He is intertwined with the lives of the women around him through love or its betrayal. Cosey is dead when the novel begins, but Morrison skillfully resurrects him through five Black women who act as sifting agents. We distill Bill Cosey's image through them.

The five Cosey women include May, his daughter-in-law who is a bit looney and convinced that abolitionists are out to burn down the resort. There's also Christine, his granddaughter, and his widow Heed, who suffers from arthritis in old age and is confident that Christine is out to rob her future. Junior, a girl with merged toes who is newly out of correctional and is Heed's aid-of-sorts, and L, the cook, Cosey's friend and the primary narrator.

Bill Cosey, the son of a court-house informer, owns the 'Cosey resort', a haven for the Black bourgeoisie. After his wife's death, he marries 11-year-old Heed, his granddaughter's friend. The pedophilia is excused by the Silk community because marriage makes it socially acceptable, and surprisingly, to some extent, understood by the reader. This marriage destroys Heed and Christine's friendship, and an animosity sets in. Over time, the business goes downhill, and Bill Cosey dies, leaving all his possessions to "my sweet Cosey child" - the ranting of a whiskey-whipped mind.

The problem, I guess, is that there's too much space in the lives of 11-year-olds. Perhaps if there wasn't, Bill Cosey wouldn't have taken up so much room. It feels like a loop. The two women vie for Cosey's attention before his death, and after his death, they struggle to prove themselves as the "Cosey child", battling on as though they were champions instead of sacrifices.

At the heart of all relationship problems, not just romantic ones, lies the inability to articulate. At the age of 12, Christine sees her grandfather masturbating to her 11-year-old friend. This is a profoundly disturbing image for us to live with, let alone a 12-year-old. It's like something deep inside you lets go of its anchor. An expensive lifestyle cannot atone for such a stigma. And perhaps the most poignant thing about the story is the lost friendship due to their inability to convey to each other the trauma of that experience. It becomes a relationship punctuated by ellipses.

Reading Toni Morrison is an extremely exhilarating experience. She demands participation from the reader, and although it's highly rewarding, she sometimes loses narrative coherence. She wants you to be constantly alert to every belch and groan, which makes it feel like she's tantalizing the reader. Just flipping through the pages is not an option here.

Morrison takes her characters, chops their stories into pieces, and scatters the fragments throughout the novel, slowly revealing them through a variety of sources. You can never be sure of the accuracy of the impressions you form of the characters. The reader is left to constantly revise his theories. I'm not saying her characters are unrealistic. It's just that their reality is so distressing that you don't want to imagine it. Morrison reduces the whole novel to a single tone - that of agony.

If shame could be fleshed and clothed in vice, it would be called Bill Cosey. Along with the hotel, he inherits the guilt of betraying his community from his father. I don't want to call him the central character because Bill Cosey is not just a speck around whom the novel is drawn. He is the circle himself. I never thought I'd sympathize with him, but I did. The lack of villains is actually a bit troubling. They are all victims. You keep arduously looking for someone to blame. In this respect, the novel can also be seen as a critique of the individual success of Blacks at the expense of their ancestry.

Of all the characters, 16-year-old Romen, the Coseys' errand-guy, appealed to me the most. We first come across him recovering from a fight with his chums over his having helped a gang-rape victim escape. I wouldn't say he's a saint. He's not delivering a sermon, but he's not sneering either. In a novel that moves from darkness to darkness, you hold on to him for all that is pure in the world. He is like Dostoyevsky's Aloysha. He is hope. He's pure. He trembles on the edge of priggishness but is mercifully saved from falling right over.

If we are defined by what we seek, then Morrison's characters are not very different from us. They look for love, but in the wrong places. 250 pages later, I ended up thinking that perhaps life would be all rosy if love could be sought with a conscious desire for it. "To love, softly, gently, without props."