The history of literary beauty. Short, but capable of captivating to such an extent that the ground beneath one's feet trembles. I have never loved a text as much as when reading Sula - an amazing, unique writing style that is captivating, and upon encountering unexpected outbreaks, one wants to return to the sentence again and again backward. I would like to learn to write like this, to convincingly arrange the images of the main characters, to have the power to describe the environment in which the action takes place. The book cannot disappoint and amaze every reader. And it doesn't have to. Just like a song.

"When she reached thirty, her hot red eyes turned to agate, and her skin took on the color of a bruised, infiltrated, and dusty brick."

Reread (I first read this in the late ‘80s.)

In an essay within The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations, Morrison elaborates on and dismisses the initial few pages of this book, the prologue, which she refers to as a “door”. It was something she didn't utilize in her first novel and wouldn't in subsequent ones.

Similar to The Bluest Eye, after reading this, more questions surface in the mind than answers. (This is actually a good thing.) Has Sula been molded by the actions of her mother, Hannah? Or by her grandmother, Eva? What about the insular community that Sula departs from for a decade? Who is the “brilliant friend” in the duo of Sula and her dear friend Nel? Is one a conformist and the other a nonconformist, with one being good and the other bad? Are the two girls truly the same as Eva claims? Is the perceived embodiment of evil the sole factor that gives rise to its opposite within the community?

Only when penning this review did I think of Elena Ferrante’s My Brilliant Friend. However, while reading this novel, a particular passage reminded me of Ferrante’s The Lying Life of Adults: When Sula is eleven, she overhears Hannah telling two friends that she loves her daughter but just doesn't like her, and that's the distinction. Sula is confused and hurt, at least for a moment, by her mother's words. Does this incident directly lead to Sula’s (in)actions later that day and a couple of years after?

Morrison might not have favored her beginning, but it all culminates in a deeply fulfilling ending.

It is always a pleasure to spend even a moment with a master of craft, Miss Morrison.

Her skills and expertise in her chosen field are truly remarkable.

One can learn so much just by observing her at work.

She has an attention to detail that is second to none, and her passion for what she does shines through in every project.

Whether it's creating a beautiful piece of art or solving a complex problem, Miss Morrison approaches everything with a sense of dedication and professionalism.

Spending time with her is not only educational but also inspiring.

She has the ability to make you believe that anything is possible if you are willing to put in the hard work and dedication.

It is no wonder that she is held in such high regard by her peers and colleagues.

Overall, it is an honor to have the opportunity to interact with someone of Miss Morrison's caliber.

Being back in Toni Morrison's prose is an absolute delight. It's as if one is wrapped in an exquisitely soft and warm blanket of words. Morrison has a unique way with the English language that seems to be beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals. Sula, despite being only around 170 pages, is filled with an astonishing amount of depth and substance. It has the richness and complexity that one would expect from a 500-page novel, yet without any of the unnecessary fluff.

Sula is a multi-faceted story, mainly centered around Sula and Nel, who are best friends from their childhood. As they grow up, they take very different paths. Nel essentially conforms: she stays in her hometown, gets married, and has kids. On the other hand, Sula leaves town and disappears for years. Until one day, she suddenly returns. Her reappearance causes a stir in the town, and she becomes the scapegoat for the town's grievances, which are projected onto her. Scared of her strength and independence, some even label her a witch.

In addition to exploring female friendship and what it means to be a Black woman in America who refuses to adhere to social conventions, Morrison also touches upon other important issues. The book contains some of the most shocking and jaw-dropping scenes that I've read in a long time. There were at least four moments when I had to put the book down and take a moment to process what I had just read. And the ending! It's a force of nature, one that will be etched in your brain forever.

This was the book club pick for August by @thestackspod. If you've read it, I highly recommend going to listen to Traci unpack this book with author Brit Bennett. I particularly enjoyed their discussion on the role of humour in the book. So, go check it out!

Every book I read this year that isn't by Toni Morrison is against my will.

It was a year in which I had the pleasure of reading my first Toni Morrison book, and then I couldn't get enough and read 6 more of them.

There is truly nobody, absolutely nobody, quite like her.

Morrison's writing is like a flight into the clouds, filled with astonishing turns of phrase and plot twists that in any other narrative would seem nonsensical. And yet, it is unceasingly, unmercifully, and constantly grounded in the harsh reality of life. The ways in which her stories move toward the fantastical serve only to reveal to us, in full and excruciating detail, the pain and suffering that life can bring. The selfish foolishness of people, the cruel machinations of an unequal society, and the elusive moving target of contentment are all laid bare.

I am writing this having just finished her most canonical works, having given 5 stars to her four most widely read masterpieces all in a row. I have never in my life encountered an author who has affected me in this way.

The lesson I have learned in 2024 is that Toni Morrison is the great American author.

Bottom line: All I can say is do what I did: Read everything she has written. You won't be disappointed.

I will forever remember this as a book read during the time of Covid (the 2020 worldwide viral pandemic, if you are reading this in the future).

I expected to love it, like I did the other 2 novels by this author I have read (Beloved, Bluest). However, I did not. Someday I may decide I did not truly understand it, or was in the wrong state of mind. But it did not compel me the way her other novels did.

The narrative was easier to follow than her others I’ve read. In fact, it is a fairly straightforward tale of two young friends growing up in “the bottom” (delicious irony), which are actually in the untillable hills above a small town in midwestern Ohio. The characters are diverse in this hamlet. The men are mysterious, desirable, and remote, while the women are intimate and highly judgmental of each other.

Nel has the better upbringing, with a father and mother, whereas Sula comes from a strange rambling house where the men left long ago. The house is prominent in the story, especially Sula’s grandmother Eva, who lost her leg through some vague, dubious means and relies on a variety of family and tenants for her care.

There is a streak of supernatural events in all the characters, a style device that illustrates the mindset of these folks. Morrison connects it to reality, and her prose is luscious. What I appreciate in her books is the sense of being black and poor in the remote midwestern US. It is a reality I could never get into in real life, and Morrison delves deep into the heart of judgment. She just covers the way it is, unabashedly direct.

Murder leaps up almost casually, and the moral ambiguity of the perpetrators and observers was puzzling to me. But I suspect the author is illustrating the denial in the characters. One never quite gets out of their head: There is little objective reality for the reader. Morrison tried to explain this to me in the forward to the book. Apparently, this was the only novel where she gives the “outside” (i.e. white) reader some orientation before diving deep into the heads of the people of the neighborhood.

Morrison writes evocatively without explaining or analyzing the motives of her people. You will need to do that work for yourself. But it’s all in there, murder, sex, betrayal, revenge, and love lost. The price Sula and Nel pay for their freedom and stability, respectively, are contrasted and both are painful.

The book is strong and memorable. I just think I was not in the right frame of mind to get into it. I’ll continue to read Morrison; I plan to read all her books – Song of Solomon next.

(Book 349 from 100 books) - Sula, Toni Morrison

Sula is a remarkable 1973 novel penned by the Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison. It is her second work to be published, following The Bluest Eye. The story revolves around two girls who grow into women and two friends who ultimately turn into something worse than enemies. In this brilliantly conceived novel, Morrison vividly tells the tale of Nel Wright and Sula Peace. They meet as children in the small town of Medallion, Ohio.

The first reading date was on the 8th of September 2012.

The title is Sula, the author is Toni Morrison, the translator is Golrokh Seydnia, and the editor is Fatemeh Teimouri. Published by Qaleh in Tehran in 2008, it consists of 226 pages with the ISBN 9649204806. The subject matter pertains to the stories of American writers in the 20th century.

Sula, Toni Morrison's work, is about the life, death, and the mystery and secrets of the friendship between two black women in Ohio. It follows the lives of Sula and her dear friend Nel from childhood to adulthood and from adulthood to death. This novel has also won the National Book Critics Circle Award. It has the honor of being ranked 349th on the list of 1001 books to read before you die.

The date of dissemination was 10/03/1400 Hijri Shamsi and 08/02/1401 Hijri Shamsi by A. Sharbiani.

THE MOST MOVING AND NECESSARY WORK OF FICTION I HAVE EVER HELD.

Any attempt to summarize or sell you on this book, to say something about Morrison and her brilliance that hasn’t already been said, feels futile. I’m not a good enough writer. Most likely it will all sound hollow and trying.

But there is nearly no other piece of literature that has moved and built and exorcised me more than this one. It has a profound impact on my soul.

I want so badly to reject the poisonous and antiquated expectations that are always looming over my head. I often spend a great deal of my time boarded up in my room, angry at the world for producing such twisted rules and ways of being. I am also fearful that I won't be able to navigate them all. That I'll get sucked in and believe the lies, or that I'll spend the rest of my life spinning my wheels, trying to change these unjust systems that are so much bigger and older and smarter than me.

In Sula, Morrison writes about a woman who has rejected the rules. Sula Peace occupies a space outside of the patriarchy’s narrow and suffocating borders. She “devours,” she does what she pleases and goes where she wants, refusing to serve or surrender. And I want so badly to do the same. But I don't want to be alone either. Being an outlaw comes at quite the cost, to which Sula says “Lonely? Yes, but my lonely is mine.” Well, she's braver than me.

No writer has ever woven death and desire, history and myth, heartbreak and rib-rattling joy the way Morrison did. Her writing is a masterpiece.

This book is deep purple and sweltering. It jolts you awake, opens the floodgates then stands back to watch you puffy-eyed and sobbing, squinting and flipping back to the previous page for confirmation of what just happened. It has a powerful emotional impact.

This book is holy ground I swear. Almost makes me want to rethink my stance on motherhood just so I can name my child Plum. ALMOST.

I listened to the audiobook of this, and I must admit that having Toni Morrison read to me each day brought about a profound shift within me.

It was as if I had a little guardian angel whispering in my ear. Many have criticized her reading style, claiming that she doesn't read like most professional readers. Indeed, her voice ebbs and flows, often disregarding punctuation.

However, to me, her voice moved like a majestic river, reaching out to touch something deep within my core. It was a sweet rumble, a gentle purr that I simply couldn't get enough of.

I had never read this book before, and I was captivated by its exploration of friendship. After experiencing it through the audiobook, I found myself longing to read Toni Morrison's works forever.

Update: The audio remains truly amazing. But upon this second listening, I realized that this isn't solely a book about friendship. Instead, it delves into the various ways women navigate through life, whether within or outside of society.

This time around, I could sense deep in my soul that this is a book penned by a divorced woman who has come to terms with her independence and no longer needs a man.

Yet, she still remembers the emotions and experiences from before she reached that realization, and it all spoke volumes to me.

This was an outstanding book. The writing was of a superior quality. Toni Morrison is undoubtedly one of the best writers who has the ability to touch the very core of a person's spirit. The story follows two young ladies as they learn to navigate life as Black women in America.

Sula is a feisty character who dreams of leaving the small town in Ohio. However, she never fully realizes the true nature of the friendship she has with Nel. Nel, on the other hand, chooses to live a more traditional life, getting married and raising a family.

Nel realizes early on that life is what you make of it. She struggles to understand why Sula cannot see the gifts that she has. Eva is another memorable character, full of sass and spirit. The scene where she kills Plum, her son, is both touching and compelling, showing the lengths that love can drive a person to.

This book is a must-read for everyone. It offers a profound exploration of themes such as friendship, identity, and the human condition. I truly love this book and would highly recommend it to others.

In the hills above the valley town of Medallion, Ohio lies a small neighborhood called the Bottom. Here, the black residents form a close-knit community, united by their shared experience of discrimination and racial oppression. It is in this place that Nel Wright and Sula Peace grow up, their friendship strengthened by a terrible secret.

As the story unfolds, we see how Nel and Sula's lives diverge. Nel, raised in a stifling environment, aspires to be wonderful but is ultimately content with the status quo of being a mother and wife. Sula, on the other hand, challenges the rules and expectations placed on women, living an anarchistic life that disrupts the harmony of the neighborhood and strains her friendship with Nel.

The language used in "Sula" is rich and opulent, painting a vivid picture of the setting and characters. The author's descriptions of the summer, the landscape, and the people are both beautiful and evocative.

Overall, "Sula" is a tragic portrait of a woman breaking free from the constraints of society and suffering the consequences. It is a powerful and thought-provoking book that explores themes of friendship, betrayal, and the search for identity.

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.

How on earth was this under 200 pages? It's truly astonishing. One would expect a work of such significance and complexity to require a much larger volume. The content seems so rich and detailed that it's hard to fathom how it could be condensed into such a relatively small number of pages. Perhaps the author has an extraordinary talent for concise yet powerful writing. Every sentence must carry a great deal of weight, packing in essential information and ideas. It makes one wonder what might have been sacrificed in the process of keeping it under 200 pages. Were there any important details or subplots that had to be omitted? Or did the author manage to masterfully distill the essence of the story without losing its impact? It's a mystery that begs to be解开.