I happened to pick up this book at a Friends of the Library sale. At that moment, I didn't give it much thought.

After reading it, I found it to be a mild read. It had elements that were somewhat sad and yet also somewhat rich.

In fact, I finished the book a week ago. However, the last chapter has left me still milling over whether I consider it a masterpiece or a flop.

Any book that can still have me thinking a week after I've finished it probably deserves more than 3 stars.

I'm seriously considering re-reading that last chapter to see if I can understand it better this time. Maybe with a second reading, I'll be able to make a more definitive judgment about the book's quality.

Overall, this book has definitely piqued my interest and made me reflect on its content long after I turned the final page.

I'll admit that, even though I'm a devoted Morrison fan, I've shied away from three of her novels (this one, Jazz, and Tar Baby) due to the less than glowing remarks I've heard about them. (Let's not even mention that I found Love rather dull.) Well, I entered this novel as a skeptic and emerged as a believer.

The first sentence, which is quoted repeatedly here on GR, truly merits another mention: "They shot the white girl first." It's so perfect, so emblematic of Morrison's talent for crafting both elegant, haunting, and ornate sentences, and—with equal skill—these jarring, monstrous, and clipped phrases that seem so easily understandable, yet end up being so much more. Not only is it a remarkable opening to a remarkable first chapter (the scene, which is revisited at the end of the novel, is both horrifying and thrilling), but it also forces the reader into an uncomfortable whodunit exercise of trying to figure out which one is the "white" girl for the remainder of the novel (an ultimately futile exercise that makes it worthwhile rather than trite, and very fitting for Morrison's body of work). The writing, of course, is on the whole impeccable. I suppose I was more engaged with certain "parts" of the novel than others (Ruby, Mavis, Lone, Consolata), but Morrison really only has a bad sentence once in a blue moon.

Everything that Morrison does well is present here: trauma, gendered violence, faith, genealogy, (critiques of) history, racism, racialization (and how we map it onto bodies—this really reaches its peak in the Patricia section), and so on. Unlike Love, though, this didn't strike me as a novel written by someone trying to imitate Morrison. It truly delved into these nuanced topics in ways that I don't think her other novels have (not necessarily better or worse, just differently). I'm frankly still a bit amazed by it. I think I'll have to come back to this review. It's no Beloved or Sula, but then—what is? It's just a phenomenal story, an experimental way of handling it, and a beautiful way of telling it all.

If you haven't watched the documentary Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, do yourself a favor and find it somewhere.

The moment I wake up, before I put on my makeup, I say a little prayer for you-- but more on that in a moment. Reading this after reading The Bluest Eye is probably like reading Dubliners and then following it with Finnegans Wake. Well, maybe not quite (I wouldn't know as I haven't read either one), but this one is definitely much denser than The Bluest Eye and has a cast of characters as large as the Bible. It's not something you read with the TV on in the background, or while having a conversation with your spouse.

It's not unmanageable, and certainly not unenjoyable. There's a wedding scene that is simply mesmerizing, or should I say Divine, hence the song from My Best Friend's Wedding, you know where Julia Roberts sits annoyed and horrified as the whole family breaks into song. I would compare it to one of those jigsaw puzzles where the main image, on closer inspection, is composed of hundreds of smaller images. Despite it being divided into sections based on characters, you don't get a single character's whole story in their section. Just keep on reading.

You'll find that as you progress through the book, the pieces start to fit together, and a complex and beautiful picture emerges. The themes of love, loss, identity, and race are explored in such a profound and nuanced way that it leaves you thinking long after you've turned the last page. Toni Morrison's writing is truly a work of art, and this book is a must-read for anyone who appreciates great literature.

Sometimes, as a reader, you have to raise your hands and admit that perhaps you didn't do a book justice. I found "Paradise" extremely difficult to follow.

This is mainly because there is no central character. Instead, the central focus is on a town called Ruby, where only blacks live and are free from white legislation, and a nearby building known as the convent. The theme is the awfulness of men and the magical prowess of women. Well, not exactly, but the divisions here are not between blacks and whites but between men and women. The men draw their inspiration from the past, while the women are much more inclined to look forward.

I would be interested to know how many characters there are in this novel. I would guess around a hundred, and they all have significance. For me, this meant that Morrison was asking too much of the reader. No doubt a novelist lives obsessively in the novel she is writing. As a reader, this is not the case. We have the rest of our lives to get on with every day. If a character who has only had two lines reappears after a hundred pages, it's almost cruel to expect us to remember him or her. And yet, if we don't remember them here, we are punished, pushed out of the narrative. To fully appreciate this novel, I'd guess you'd have to read it in three sittings. Unfortunately, I was only managing to read about twenty pages a day. On top of that, I wasn't really convinced by any of the characters.

At the beginning, a lynch party of men sets out with guns and various other weapons to put an end to the reign of a few mysterious women living in the building outside the town. In other words, it's a witch hunt. The men have managed to convince themselves that these women are ungodly. The novel then goes backwards in time to document both the history of the small town of Ruby and the various women who have ended up at the convent. There is some cleverness in the construction of this novel – I liked how it comes full circle, which does create a lot of intrigue – but there is also a good deal of clumsiness. For starters, the characters aren't particularly memorable, with perhaps one or two exceptions. A lot of them, especially the men, seemed interchangeable. Neither is the prose as haunting and exalted as Morrison's usual work. So, although I felt I didn't do it justice, I can still say with conviction that it's no "Beloved." In fact, it's my least favorite of the Morrison novels I've read.

Paradise (1998) is a remarkable novel by Toni Morrison. It was the first one she published after winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 and concludes her "Beloved trilogy". Each of the three novels in the trilogy, including Beloved (1987) and Jazz (1992), focuses on significant historical events in the African American experience and the tough choices people had to make. In Paradise, Morrison delves into themes such as the definition of paradise, the power of colorism, the conflict between patriarchy and matriarchy, and the disruption of racial discourse.
The novel is structured into nine sections. The first section is named "Ruby" after the town that is the center of the story. The other sections are named for women involved in the life of the town and the Convent. The Convent women have troubled pasts and find a haven in the former embezzler's mansion. However, the men of Ruby, a strictly all-Black town, become intent on destroying the Convent women, perceiving them as a corrupting influence.
The opening of the novel is eerie and immediately grabs the reader's attention. It sets the stage for the violent events that unfold. The generational struggle between the older and younger generations in Ruby, particularly over the interpretation of the slogan on the Oven, adds another layer of complexity to the story. The novel explores themes of race, gender, power, and the search for a better life. Morrison's writing is rich and powerful, making Paradise a challenging but rewarding read. It is a novel that will stay with the reader long after the final page is turned.

Paradise is a profound exploration of the human condition and the search for meaning and belonging in a complex and often unjust world.

I'm not awarding this book any stars. To be frank, I truly don't comprehend what I just perused!

There were indeed moments of beauty within this book - pearls of exquisitely crafted writing. However, I simply could not follow the storyline, let alone fathom the deeper meaning.

It seems that although there are these shining literary gems, the overall narrative structure eluded me. I'm at a loss as to how to make sense of it all.

I'll be engaging in discussions with some friends. I earnestly hope they can shed some light on this matter and enlighten me, helping me to understand the true essence and significance of what I've read.

Perhaps through their different perspectives and insights, I'll be able to see the book in a new light and finally grasp its intended message.

Four or 3.5 stars in relation to other Toni Morrison books I’ve read (Beloved, The Bluest Eye), but still a five in general.

A kaleidoscopic narrative of an all-black town in Oklahoma, set in the 70s. It beautifully explores violence, religion, magic, misogyny, community and much else. It is not an easy read. At times, the multi-character perspective was difficult to follow. However, the rhythmic, dreamlike writing soon makes this disorientation not feel important. Morrison’s ability to be in so many characters’ heads is truly masterful.

My only issue was the ending. Without spoilers, I wanted the last ten pages either not to be there or to be different, somehow. But, I very much enjoyed it and always feel enriched by her writing.

Also — she wins at chapter openings.

“They shoot the white girl first. With the rest they can take their time.”

“The neighbors seemed pleased when the babies smothered. Probably because the mint green Cadillac in which they died had annoyed them for some time.”

This book is a complex and profound exploration of the African American experience. It delves into the dark corners of society while also highlighting the beauty and strength within the community. Morrison’s writing is both lyrical and powerful, drawing the reader in and making them feel as if they are a part of the story. Despite the challenges it presents, it is a rewarding read that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

My experience with Toni Morrison's books has not been a walk in the park. Her writing style is so intricate and profound that it often leaves me feeling lost and confused. It's as if I've been dropped into the chaos of a foreign train station, unable to understand the language or find my way to my destination. And yet, despite the initial struggle, I find myself drawn back to her words, eager to解开 the mysteries she presents.

I must admit that I put this book down several times during my first attempt at reading it. I even read three or four other books in between. But as I persevered and finally reached the last 100 pages, something magical happened. The story suddenly picked up momentum, and everything began to make sense.

Unlike the popular multi-volume fantasy sagas that spoon-feed the reader with repeated backstories, Morrison's work spills out in a more organic and unpredictable way. The narrative jumps around in time, moving from one character's perspective to another, and it can be challenging to keep track of whose thoughts or stories are currently on the page.

The words pour out in a rush, like a tumbling river with a momentum all its own. Reading Morrison's prose requires a certain pace, much like driving on a washboarded road. Drive too slowly, and you'll never get anywhere. Drive too fast, and you risk losing control. But find the right rhythm, and you'll be able to surf the waves of her language and experience the full beauty and power of her storytelling.

It's like a "choose your own adventure" book, except there's no index to guide you. You have to follow the twists and turns of the narrative and make your own choices about which characters to focus on and which memories to explore. It's a complex and rewarding experience, but it requires patience and a willingness to embrace the unknown.

The ominous opening line, "they shoot the white girl first," has been widely debated, and for good reason. There are so many references throughout the book to the way the townfolk of Ruby value darker skin over lighter skin that it's unclear who the "white girl" really is. Is she a literal white person, or is she someone who has been "tainted" by white blood? We never really find out, and that ambiguity adds to the mystery and depth of the story.

The townspeople of Ruby have an origin story that is deeply meaningful to them, and they re-enact it much like the biblical story of Mary and Joseph being turned away from the inn. But while they were once rejected by others, they now turn around and reject those who are different, especially the women of the Convent.

The isolation of Ruby is threatened by many forces from the outside world, including radical ideas brought in by the young people and the "greed" for expansion. The Convent, with its independent women, is seen as a particular threat, and in the end, the women are assaulted and cast out.

It's ironic that the women of the Convent end up being much like the original families of Ruby, rejected and persecuted because they are different. But in a twist of fate, they are transformed into the original Holy Family by the end of the book, having accepted themselves only to be rejected again by the fearful men of Ruby.

So, what happens in the end? Do the women die? Or do they manage to escape and start new lives? The book leaves many questions unanswered, and that's part of its charm. It forces the reader to think and speculate, to come up with their own interpretations of what might have happened.

One last thing to note is that while Morrison's writing is rich in detail, it can sometimes be overwhelming. There are so many characters, so many storylines, and so many themes that it can be hard to keep track of everything. But in the last 100 pages, the descriptions become more lush and magical, and it's as if the story suddenly comes alive. Here are a few of my favorite passages:

"Lust at first sight (p 228)" - "With something like amazement, he'd said, 'Your eyes are like mint leaves.' Had she answered 'And yours are like the beginning of the world' aloud, or were these words confined to her head?"

"Desolation on the road to solace" - "Out here in a red and gold land cut through now and then with black rock or a swatch of green; out here under skies so star-packed it was disgraceful; out here where the wind handled you like a man, women dragged their sorrow up and down the road between Ruby and Convent."

"One day a real rain will come..." - "The first drops were warm and fat, carrying the scent of white loco and cholla from regions north and west. They smashed into gentian, desert trumpets and slid from chicory leaves. Plump and slippery they rolled like mercury beads over the cracked earth between garden rows."

These passages are just a taste of the beauty and power of Toni Morrison's writing. If you're willing to take the time to explore her world, you'll be rewarded with a reading experience like no other.

There are few authors who have the ability to make me feel as intellectually inadequate as Toni Morrison does time and time again.

This novel revolves around a small community in rural Oklahoma. It was established as a haven for black families that had endured prejudice. Nearly 20 miles away, there is a former convent that has become a refuge for broken women.

The tales of these women intersect with the lives of the people in the town of Ruby. As the women gradually mend their psychological scars, the town begins to experience fissures and tension.

Ultimately, the prominent men of the town conclude that these women, who are independent of men, flaunt their sexuality, and may even practice witchcraft, are the root cause of the town's problems. Although they succeed in destroying the community of women, it remains uncertain whether they have managed to destroy the individual women.

Of course, this violent act does little to heal the town. In this novel, Morrison delves into racial hierarchies, the conflict between patriarchal systems and feminism, as well as group cohesion and the fear of the outsider.

I found this novel extremely challenging to follow. The stories intertwined and the focal point shifted without any clear indication. I am well aware that I missed a significant portion, perhaps as much as 75%, of what was truly happening within the pages of this book.

I started reading this book during Black History Month. After years of good intentions, I thought it was appropriate to mark this month with my reading. Coincidentally, I had long wanted to read something by Toni Morrison. I often picked up her books from the shelf, examined the cover, and read the back, but always put them back. I simply wasn't brave enough. The reputation surrounding her and some of her books was just too heavy. I chose Paradise for no particular reason. The name seemed interesting, and it wasn't Beloved, which scared me.

Looking back, Paradise probably should have scared me just as much. I knew nothing about it except what the back cover told me. I checked Kirkus Reviews and saw that it was one of the few Morrison books that didn't receive a starred review. I didn't read any more, but I assumed this book was lighter and simpler than some of her other works, so I, a mere fan of good fiction, might be able to enjoy it.

I finished the book a couple of days ago. I haven't been able to think much about how to write about it. Well, kind of. Actually, I have. The bigger challenge is putting words to those thoughts.

One word to describe this book is exceptional. It is daring, intelligent, and brilliant. It is tender yet malicious, rich and complex. It glides through your mind slowly, then shifts to a rapid pace, and then glides again. It is not just a book but a meal, the best meal of the year, the kind you savor because you think it could be your last. It is full of surprises.

This book is all of these things.

Perhaps it's worth discussing what I expected from this novel.

I expected to learn something about the African American experience when I read this book. I'm quite sure I did. It's impossible to read this novel and not recognize its deep roots in the African American experience. Slavery and white-man violence cast a heavy shadow over this story. But Morrison is better than that, more intelligent. She doesn't want to essentialize the African American experience; she wants to talk about something much more important: Race.

I wasn't expecting to learn something about feminism while reading this book. My assumption was that Morrison was a one-trick pony, which was really a silly assumption. No, Morrison is much better than that. She is a magician with years of experience and wisdom to impart. And so I learned a great deal about the women's experience, the need for liberation from patriarchy, the constant threat of violence, and the unending disregard by men who only want to use them.

I wasn't expecting to learn about religion and its corrupting power. But Morrison seems to understand this very well. In particular, she shows how religion can encourage schisms and produce conflict and hate. She also understands how it can redeem and inspire greatness, inspiring a desire to not be cut off from the rest of the world. Morrison is neither generous nor cruel in her assessment of religion, but she is honest, and that's wonderful.

I wasn't expecting to learn about the experience of history as a community becomes aware of itself. Goodness me, I hope that makes sense. But I'm a historian by trade, and I've studied a great deal of history, especially local and cultural histories. And I've always thought that the individual stories that make up the collective experience are the screws that hold people together and the bars that keep others out. But Morrison understands the depth of history much better than I do.

I wasn't expecting to learn about goodness, wisdom, or evil, although I suppose the battle between good and bad is at the center of most books, so I shouldn't be too surprised. But Morrison shows that goodness is rare but to be cherished. And badness is really just the benign development of goodness. Badness is rarely intentional until it becomes rationalized. I think, anyway. We often become bad when we're trying to defend ourselves from those things we think will infect our goodness. I think, anyway.

I think that might be something like what Morrison thinks too.

Anyway. This is a rich, wonderful, elegant book. Beautiful. It comes with my highest recommendation.

DNF at 40%.

This was my second attempt, and yet again, I had to throw in the towel.

It's quite disappointing as it's not a favorite Morrison.

I had high hopes this time around, but unfortunately, things didn't work out as planned.

The story seemed to drag on at times, and I found it difficult to stay engaged.

Maybe it's just not the right book for me at this moment.

I'll have to explore other works by Morrison to see if there's one that truly captures my interest.

For now, I'll move on and look for something else to read that will keep me hooked from start to finish.

Hopefully, the next book will be a better fit and provide a more enjoyable reading experience.

Unfortunately, I am not fond of this book.

I have a great love for Morrison's other works. Even the complex Beloved holds a special place in my heart. However, with \\"Paradise\\", I am simply left feeling confused.

There are an overwhelming number of characters, and we are not provided with a proper introduction to distinguish who is who. I found it extremely difficult to follow the plot of the story as I was constantly struggling with the characters.

The beginning of the book was initially very captivating and exciting. A group of nine men devises a plan to attack the Convent, where a group of independent women reside. These men believe that these women have a corrupting influence on Ruby, the town that their forefathers established.

After that, each chapter delves into the story of one of the Convent's women and some of the women of Ruby. The last two chapters finally pick up the plot that was presented in Chapter One.

Regrettably, I really didn't like this style of story-telling. It felt disjointed and all over the place. On one hand, it is intended to be a critique of how men desire to control women and their hatred towards independent women. On the other hand, these men founded Ruby for themselves due to the racism they faced in the outside world, yet ironically, they also exclude any outsider from Ruby.

I completely missed the point of this book, and as a result, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped.