Love
by Toni Morrison
I love Toni Morrison--she was a big figure in my college book-reading years and she's just an amazing person. Beyond her classically exceptional literary talents, she has a particular knack for writing slightly spooky, inter-generational tales, and Love falls into that bucket. (Remember Beloved? Sooo creepy). Love takes place in a resort town that has fallen onto hard times. The story revolves around a central (yet absent) figure-- the handsome, wealthy resort owner and the women who love him.
I don't think this is Ms. Morrison's best writing. Her prose, as always, is beautiful but the story lacked essential ingredients. Yes, it is spooky and interesting, but the story was difficult to follow-there was no particular character to identify with and root for, I suppose. There is a distracting narrator that we never really get to know (and her text is always italicized, which I find massively annoying). There's a young guy who falls for this young tough punk of a girl, but we don't really know him or her either.
All in all, a fine read, but not a spine-tingling one as I've come to expect from her.
But read it and tell me if you feel differently.
by Toni Morrison
I love Toni Morrison--she was a big figure in my college book-reading years and she's just an amazing person. Beyond her classically exceptional literary talents, she has a particular knack for writing slightly spooky, inter-generational tales, and Love falls into that bucket. (Remember Beloved? Sooo creepy). Love takes place in a resort town that has fallen onto hard times. The story revolves around a central (yet absent) figure-- the handsome, wealthy resort owner and the women who love him.
I don't think this is Ms. Morrison's best writing. Her prose, as always, is beautiful but the story lacked essential ingredients. Yes, it is spooky and interesting, but the story was difficult to follow-there was no particular character to identify with and root for, I suppose. There is a distracting narrator that we never really get to know (and her text is always italicized, which I find massively annoying). There's a young guy who falls for this young tough punk of a girl, but we don't really know him or her either.
All in all, a fine read, but not a spine-tingling one as I've come to expect from her.
But read it and tell me if you feel differently.
2 comments:
I agree, I've read many of her books & Love was my least favorite. Beloved is my favorite & the movie is actually pretty good too. Have you read The Bluest Eye, Sula & Paradise? Those are very good.
I loved Beloved--the movie was good too, I agree. I don't know why Oprah got so much flak at the time--remember that? I've read the Bluest Eye and Sula, but not Paradise. I'll pick up Paradise next, thanks woman!
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