Toni MorrisonThe Bluest Eye

cant wait to read

An amazing, gut-wrenching, sad book, which should be required reading for all Americans, yet I gave it 4 stars because I didn't enjoy it at ALL.Toni Morrison does not flinch from the barest of truths about racism - both in terms of the way beauty has been historically portrayed in a fair-skinned, blue eyed, blonde idealistic way, and in terms of the historical and present day racism facing African-American children in America. As I read this book, I happened to see an ad for new dolls with natural black hair, and I was so glad.Morrison tells the story of poor Pecola, a set upon, tragic little girl with a damaged mother and a vicious, abused father, Polly and Cholly in a series of stories that intertwine. Pecola comes to live with another family with two fiestier, funnier little girls. This somehow makes her even more tragic. Morrison shows how chance encounters affect the characters view of themselves growing up, and how this in turn hurts their children. She uses language that no one else dares use, and is critical of the way that some African-Americans have willingly enabled a racist culture that holds their own children back while prioritising others.Sexual abuse is another central theme. I can't help but think that this is in part autobiographical. I loved it, but hated it too. It made me so angry and so sad, but I am glad I gave it my time. I don't think I will ever be able to forget this book.

This is the first book I've read by Toni Morrison. The language and prose are phenomenal in bringing the narrative to life.At first, I wasn't sure about the writing. For example, Toni heads several chapters with paragraphs that has no spaces and seems to fall short of a meaning however, this is all very much part of the overall theme of the lives of a poor black family in the 1940's with the emphasis on the protagonist Pecola who prays for Blue eyes so she can be like her white schoolmates.Themes such as incest, rape and feeling like an outcast are well-addressed. I lingered in the 'Afterword' chapter as Toni expressed and summarized the writing of The Bluest Eye in such a way that I will be reading this novel again with these moments in mind.

ashamed to say this was my first Toni Morrison book but won't be my last. I loved the authors way of describing people and their simple complexities. It was insightful, thought proving and overall and enjoyable read (although slightly disturbing in places)

I loved, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, and thought I'd try The. Bluest Eye, as it was recommended to me by a friend.The opening chapter is profound and heart-stopping, and as the book unfurls in the first half, I loved it. It describes the life of Pecola from the point of view of her friends, who are a similar age growing up in poverty in America in the 40s (or 50s?) as African Americans. It describes the racism and perils of familial, social and economic issues of the time.However, as the book flips into the second half, it becomes very sexual in nature - its graphic accounts of the rape of a small child made me feel sick, it went into great descriptive depth from the point of view of a paedophile and needless to say, I didn't enjoy it. Not only that, but it really loses its way entirely (in my opinion) The narrative changes and it feels rambling and overly descriptive.Not a fan. I had to skim the final few chapters to get through it, in the hope of regaining the original story.I thought I'd read Beloved, but I think I'll skip it.I really felt this book was overly hyped...

This isnt a book. It is an experience.It is a book that requires digesting.Stylistic and eloquent, Toni Morrison manages to articulate the intangible, capturing the individual experience in perfect synchrony with the human experience without devaluing the unique perspective of each character and the deep rooted spiritual connection shared with a vast demographic of readers each with their own identity. This book reviews age, innocence, self definition, gender, culture, tradition and society in a unique and thus far unrivalled way. I cannot recommend this book enough.I picked it up thinking it was a walk in the park, a book that would take me a number of hours to read... I was wrong. This sorrowfully brilliant book changed me. I have never been a Toni Morrison fan...but this book...this book is incredible.Enjoy,Ama LiveP.S. I have purchased it 3 times... Each time I lend it out...it never comes back as it is sent on...!