“… it did not make her feel generous, this juke joint barrel hooch, tonk house music. It made her hold her hand in the pocket of her apron to keep from smashing it through the glass pane to snatch the world in her fist and squeeze the life out of it for doing what it did and did and did to her and everybody else she knew or knew about.”

I wasn’t able to do this, but I think Jazz would be best read in one sitting. It doesn’t read like a typical novel. Instead, it’s more like a song, an evocative piece that transports the reader. It’s a unique literary experience that requires the reader to engage with it on a different level.

Jazz is part two in Morrison’s trilogy, comparable to Dante’s Divine Comedy. It’s like the Purgatory to Beloved’s Hell. Through a narrator, Morrison observes the suffering caused by the seven deadly sins. Some say the City is the narrator, but for me, it’s Morrison’s muse, perhaps representing the spirit of a people. This narrator weaves a complex web of stories and emotions, drawing the reader in and making them feel a part of the world Morrison has created.

The story is like a painting, with an act of violence at the center. A young girl is murdered by her lover, an older man, and the man’s wife tries to disfigure the girl at her funeral. Branching out from this central event, we see the trajectories of these characters, how they got to this point. The history, although just lightly touched on, is fascinating. Morrison gives us a personal look at The Great Migration through the ancestors of each character. We learn about important events like the Silent Parade of 1917 and the East St. Louis Riots, which add depth and context to the story.

So many intriguing themes are explored in this novel. One of my favorites is the search for a missing parent. Through different characters and unique situations that lead to the absence, Morrison shows the common need we all have to know our parents. She explores why this need is so basic and primal in us, and makes us think about our own relationships with our parents. It’s a powerful and thought-provoking theme that really resonated with me.

I don’t recommend this as a first Morrison novel. It’s beautifully crafted, but it’s very unusual in its structure and style. It requires a certain level of literary sophistication and a willingness to engage with a complex and challenging story. However, if you’re a fan of Morrison’s work or are looking for something different and thought-provoking, then Jazz is definitely worth reading. Like all of her work, it leaves you enriched and with much food for thought.

My favorite take-away from this novel was the idea of wildness. Jazz music is known for its freedom and the feeling that control is loosened, allowing something great and true to emerge. Morrison seems to be exploring all sides of this freedom as she takes her characters through the purgatory of this novel. It’s a rich and deep exploration of what it means to be free, and how we can find that freedom in our own lives. It’s a theme that I’ll be thinking about for a long time to come.

“I started out believing that life was made just so the world would have some way to think about itself, but that it had gone awry with humans because flesh, pinioned by misery, hangs on to it with pleasure. Hangs on to wells and a boy’s golden hair; would just as soon inhale sweet fire caused by a burning girl as hold a maybe-yes maybe-no hand. I don’t believe that anymore. Something is missing there. Something rogue. Something else you have to figure in before you can figure it out.”

I have been reading this book since the early 2000s, and have revisited it several times over the years, up to the 2020s and beyond, savoring it in small doses of reading pleasure.

This might just be my all-time favorite Toni Morrison line: "Don't ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it." (Morrison 135).

This is one of Professor Morrison's masterpieces. My appreciation for its beauty has only deepened with each reading. Its poetic language is haunting, filled with a mix of sorrow and joy, and flows with forgiveness and music.

Written as a follow-up to "Beloved", it is an ambitious and dizzying achievement that intimately chronicles the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the North in the 1920s. Frenetic and wildly cinematic, this is the one Morrison novel I would love to see adapted as a film or series.

Although this is an epic and momentous event in American history, Morrison meticulously recreates a cinematic Harlem in 1926 on a rather intimate scale. "The first sight of the City that danced with them proving already how much it loved them, like a million more, they could hardly wait to get there and love it back" (Morrison 32).

However, at its core, it is a juicy and lurid tale of sex and murder that takes center stage in her tragic and poetic narrative. It riffs on the violence of the blues, with narrators that shift in and out like a Greek chorus.

Like a jazz solo, Morrison improvises her tale of woe and introduces the reader to a tragic love triangle. There is Joe Trace, a cosmetic salesman; his teen mistress Dorcas, whom he shoots and kills out of jealousy and murderous passion; and Violet Trace, Joe's put-upon and traumatized wife who temporarily loses her sanity. I also believe Violet is one of literature's greatest female characters: complex, angry, and rather poignant.

Like jazz, the novel riffs on thoughts, written in a stream of consciousness, and presents surreal images that are both beautiful and bright, bringing to light the hustle and bustle of New York, as well as images that are violent and bloodied. "When they fall in love with a city, it is forever" (Morrison 33).

It is an unforgettable and violent valentine to the greatest city in the world, with an omniscient narrator who observes and comments on the love of a city that can be seen as a lover in itself: "I’m crazy about this City. Daylight slants like a razor cutting the buildings in half. In the top half I see looking faces and it's not easy to tell which are people, which the work of stonemasons. Below is shadow were any blasé thing takes place: clarinets and lovemaking, fists and the voices of sorrowful women" (Morrison 9).

With such magical lyrical passages, this book rightfully takes its place among the greatest works of American literature.

Toni Morrison has been one of my all-time favorite authors ever since I first delved into one of her remarkable books, Beloved. It is truly astonishing that I am unable to detect a single flaw in any of her literary works. Her writing style is incredibly rich and profound, going far beyond the realm of simple fiction. In her books, she masterfully portrays human nature with an understanding and depth that is truly remarkable.

The characters in her stories are described in a borderline stream of consciousness writing style, which adds a unique and captivating element to the narrative. She has the extraordinary ability to sublime the lowest, most violent, and disturbing aspects of humanity in a way that is both unapologetic and almost poetic. The way she creates the most real, incredible human beings, whose lives are so heartbreaking that they must be true, makes her one of the most challenging authors to read. Once you start reading her works, it is almost impossible to stop. Toni Morrison's talent and artistry are truly amazing and continue to inspire and move readers around the world.

Jazz is a captivating historical novel that unfolds through multiple voices.

Set in Harlem during the vibrant Jazz Age, it delves into the complex and troubled long-term relationship of a husband and wife.

In lyrical prose, the reader discovers that the husband's young lover has already passed away. Violet, the wife, takes on the narration, revealing their mutual indifference, her deep love for the city, her disdain for the deceased woman, and the shocking incident where she disfigured the young woman's corpse with a knife at the funeral.

All this information is presented in the first chapter, a grisly set of facts that manages to hook the reader.

Somehow, it works. By the end of the second chapter, a flashback transports us to the hard times in rural Virginia and shows a young couple, Joe and Violet, train-dancing their way into New York City.

At this point, the young marrieds have become fascinating and sympathetic characters, their stories a masterful blend of artful storytelling.

The plot then follows the evolution of their life-long relationship, offering a compelling exploration of love, poverty, and commitment in the USA during the crucial turning points of the 19th and 20th centuries.

It is a novel that not only entertains but also provides a profound insight into the human condition and the social fabric of that era.

One of my all-time favorite books!

I was extremely fortunate to study this book during my 6th form college days, under the guidance of a remarkable teacher. Instead of marring its beauty, she brought it to light, leading us through the more intricate prose. The beauty of the prose was all the more enhanced due to our deeper level of understanding. She also highlighted some of the more obscure elements that might have otherwise gone unnoticed or perhaps not been understood.

At the age of 16, although not entirely naïve, I was perhaps oblivious to the numerous elements and perspectives related to racism, especially in America, which seemed like a distant world. However, there is far more to Morrison's Jazz than just American prose. Unlike many other works that flaunt the typical melting pot, American Dream, and Racism themes, Morrison delves into human relationships in a genuine and down-to-earth manner.

After finishing the book, I wandered around in a daze for a couple of days, reevaluating almost everything I had previously thought. This is no exaggeration. Although some obvious questions are raised, especially regarding the lives of African-Americans, I didn't dwell on racism or poverty. Instead, I focused on relationships and the bonds between human beings.

I'm not certain if it was because of the stage of my life when I read it or for some other reason, but to me, Jazz spoke volumes. This book is truly amazing.

Charleston. 1920. Joe and Violet, middle-aged, tired from the dream of a good life they chased years ago when they immigrated to New York, a dream that was never fulfilled. Joe meets Dorcas, a much younger girl, falls in love with her, and the lost dream comes back to life. When the young girl tries to distance herself, Joe kills her. This is the main theme of the book, which is revealed to the reader from the first few pages. And here the action in the present ends and the flashbacks begin. Flashbacks without action. And as I turned the pages, I wondered how a novel could be built when all its action was exhausted in the early pages.

A thread starts from the present of the heroes and pulls towards the past, centers the story of each one's life there, turns back to the present, and the repetitions have no end. Each reference to the past comes to give a variation to the story of the present. Each story from their previous lives is an expansion of the main theme of the book.

Using the three heroes (who form a love triangle) like the basic chords of a musical theme, Morrison enriches the theme with multiple transformations, and the result is a detailed and emotionally charged portrayal of a society of people who suffered... a society of people who struggled for survival, a society of people who suffered to be treated as... human beings.

Who can really be deprived of their dream? And who can not shout "I want to be a free person"?

I can say that Jazz didn't excite me as much as The Bluest Eye, but here Morrison does excellent work with the psychological profiling of her characters.

Anyone who has endured adversity is familiar with that particular view. It's a perspective that strips life down to its bare essentials. All that remains is your breath, and at times, it feels as if it's slipping away. But even in such a dire situation, you still possess something. It might be something ugly, something without a map, something that no one else cares about. What follows is a choice. You can decide to take the remaining basics of life and build upon them. What you construct becomes something according to your own terms. This is precisely why adversity gives birth to some of the greatest art. It discards that which comes from the outside.

On a grand scale, adversity is manifested in oppression. The old paradigms no longer hold true. Either something new is birthed, or death ensues. Jazz exemplifies this, as life demands improvisation; it's a path that no one has trodden before. People who are constantly thrust into immovable structures must reinvent themselves to absorb the impact. Adaptation allows them to regain control.

Understanding the "WHY" isn't always the intention. A Toni Morrison novel is beautiful in the way it weaves in and out. You ride the words, seeing areas that enhance rather than obscure. Stay on the surface and don't drown. Just as the voice guides us through "Jazz", life calls for your touch. In a society where imitation is the norm, individuality gets eroded.

Your heritage merges with the present and becomes the future. However, the route is swiftly adjusted to accommodate the other. Recognize your part. Move, bend, and maintain your tone. Someone else isn't playing your role, but you do coexist with them. Hate silences the music. To keep the interplay lively and tonal, we must love.

Open up and learn how to live. Music can be enjoyed because one note leads to the next. Why rush? Slow down and listen. Once it's over, that moment in time and place is gone forever.

Morrison confounds us in a world where we struggle to experience. Just be. Absorb everything. The journey is seen through your unique lens. Let all that you are and all that you've ever been become your expression. Then learn to see through the lens of suffering. Infuse more and more artistry into the piece by allowing their voices to intertwine with your own. Beautiful harmonies will then be created.

Sometimes dissonance will occur. Just like in jazz, life is improvised as you progress. The exact same note-pattern-tone never repeats itself. Learn from this. Move with it. Seek the best. Make the tone return to a rich, sweet sound.

Don't let others impose limitations on your artistry. Never conform. We are here to complete, not to subtract that soul, that deep passion from our fellow musicians.

Morrison hails from a people who have mastered this art. Nevertheless, we all share life, and improvisation is necessary for everyone to create a unified expression. We all face our own forms of adversity. Utilize it to learn how to express. Embrace the experience and don't look back with regret. Always move forward. What you played in the past is in the past. The future is always a new composition. But as you go along, musical proficiency becomes easier, and the enjoyable part, like reading Morrison, is experiencing each note in the moment it's played.

There are writers who suit you and others who don't. For me, in terms of my reading tastes, Morrison belongs to the second category. I have never been thrilled with her. She has never been able to tell me all that she wanted. However, art is something subjective.

The book - like all of hers - is not bad, simply I don't like it/them.

Perhaps Morrison's style and themes don't resonate with my personal sensibilities. Her works may be highly regarded by many, but for me, they lack that certain something that would make me truly engage and enjoy. It could be the way she constructs her stories, the characters she creates, or the overall atmosphere she conveys. Whatever the reason, it just doesn't click for me.

Nevertheless, I respect the fact that different people have different preferences when it comes to literature. Just because Morrison doesn't appeal to me doesn't mean she isn't a great writer. There are many others who find her works deeply moving and inspiring. And that's the beauty of art - it allows for a wide range of interpretations and responses.

"Jazz" reads the cover, and thus this captivating story of cataclysmically fraying relationships in 1920s Harlem unfolds. It does so through syncopated riffs and countermelodies, beginning with the pyrotechnic burst of an unmatched set of opening moments.

From there, it progresses through a series of gradually lengthening solos, developing each character with a slow accrual of weight and detail to construct the primary themes. This leads to a resonant finish.

Beneath it all, an intrusive yet never fully revealed narrator feints and darts, building up sub-movements that run beneath throughout. Morrison describes this as part of a trilogy with Beloved and Paradise, split apart from a single interleaved chronology by her publisher. However, it feels more like a panel of a triptych of the black American experience, spanning from the later days of slavery through the late 20th century.

But then, I haven't read Paradise yet - perhaps a great gathering of themes is yet to come. Either way, we're clearly missing out on what could have been a single 700-page megawork comprehensively depicting the American experience.

Joe shoots his 18-year-old girlfriend Dorcas in the shoulder at a party. She had told him she was no longer interested in him and was dancing with another man. Dorcas refuses help and bleeds to death. Joe's wife, Violet, goes to the funeral and mutilates the corpse with a knife, earning her the nickname "Violent".

Violet then starts visiting Dorcas's aunt Alice, and surprisingly, they become friends, bonding over their shared tragedy. Through a web of details and flashbacks, the reader learns more about Joe and Violet's histories. We meet many characters who have played important roles in shaping their lives, and we slip in and out of these people's consciousness. The narrator of the story remains unclear throughout the novel.

With the help of 18-year-old Felice, Dorcas's best friend, the couple slowly begins to heal their relationship. The three hit it off immediately and dine, wine, and dance together. But does this relationship mirror the love triangle between Dorcas, Joe, and Violet?

Toni Morrison is an amazing writer. "Jazz" is the second book in her Dantesque trilogy. It's a complex novel that's hard to summarize. It's not just about the events but about perspective, guilt, jealousy, love, and justice. Morrison never passes judgment on any of the characters.

The jazz scene of 1920s Harlem is a constant theme. The writing beautifully mirrors the music, with the characters shifting from lamentations to sensual musings. Certain events are seen from various points of view, like the call-and-response style of jazz music. Morrison also borrows similes and metaphors from the music.

Every sentence in the book flows like poetry. I took so many notes of quotes and passages that I liked. Morrison has a way of making you gasp with the implications of what she's saying.

The contrast between New York City and rural Virginia is symbolized by Violet's caged birds and the Redwing birds in Virginia. The flight of the redwing birds suggests that Wild is near. This symbolizes that the birds in Virginia still have their instinct to flight, while Violet's birds are trapped within society's web. New York City may be vibrant, but it has its rules, especially for minorities. Toni Morrison is truly at her best in "Jazz".

Toni Morrison più che il Nobel avrebbe meritato un Oscar (anche due, un altro per la miglior punteggiatura non protagonista). Lo dico senza ironia.

Toni Morrison was an incredibly talented and influential writer. Her works were not only masterpieces of literature but also had a profound impact on society. The Nobel Prize she received was a well-deserved recognition of her literary achievements. However, I truly believe that she deserved an Oscar as well. Her stories were so vivid and powerful that they could have easily been translated into great films.

The way she crafted her characters and described their emotions was simply remarkable. It would have been a treat to see her works brought to life on the big screen. And if she had received two Oscars, one for the main performance and another for the best non-leading punctuation, it would have been a fitting tribute to her extraordinary talent.

In conclusion, Toni Morrison was a literary giant who deserved all the accolades she received, and more. Her works will continue to inspire generations to come, and her influence will be felt in the world of literature and beyond for a long time to come.

This book truly deserved a more in-depth and profound reading than what I was capable of providing it with.

It simply doesn't hold a candle to the other Toni novels that I have had the pleasure of reading up until now. However, it must be said that her characters and the way she crafts her prose are still nothing short of extraordinary.

The characters seem to leap off the pages, full of life and complexity, and her prose is like a beautiful symphony, with every word and phrase carefully chosen to create a vivid and engaging world.

Despite not being on the same level as some of her other works, this book still has a lot to offer and is well worth the time and effort to read.

I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Toni's writing or who simply enjoys a good story.