"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

Danielle: Wow what a book. Honest, brutally at times this author writes what could of been a memoir. It’s so personal and an in depth look at racism and class. Such a sad read but so very thought provoking. A really good read and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

United Kingdom on Sep 15, 2023

Tyler Corbin: "The Bluest Eye" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel written by Toni Morrison, first published in 1970. Set in the 1940s in Lorain, Ohio, the story revolves around the life of a young African American girl named Pecola Breedlove. The novel explores themes of racial identity, beauty standards, and the devastating effects of internalized racism on individuals and communities.

Here's a review of "The Bluest Eye":

Compelling Narrative: Toni Morrison's writing is beautifully poetic, drawing readers into the lives of the characters with vivid descriptions and emotive prose. The storytelling is immersive and holds your attention from beginning to end.

Exploration of Racial Identity: One of the central themes of the novel is the quest for identity, particularly the struggle for racial identity in a society that values whiteness as the standard of beauty and worth. Morrison delves deep into the psychological impact of racism on young black girls like Pecola, who yearns for blue eyes as a symbol of beauty and acceptance.

Complex Characters: The characters in "The Bluest Eye" are multidimensional and realistic, each grappling with their own personal demons...

United States on Sep 11, 2023

Olivia Nelson: This book is so educational and so interesting. At some points the stories really made me upset but I feel that is why it's such an amazing book. It really makes you rethink things and draws out such strong emotions from the reader

United States on Aug 07, 2023

Lisa: Je devais le lire pour mon cours de littérature anglaise à la fac. L'histoire est prenante bien que pesante. Toni Morrison était un grand écrivain, ses livres sont vraiment inspirants.

France on Jun 24, 2023

M. J. Gilfedder: Morrison tackled racial problems in America with a fierce intelligence and sometimes off-putting intellectualism. But she is always worth reading. The Bluest Eye deals with an 'ugly' African American girl called Pecola and her desire for blue eyes to counteract her inferiority complex. Parts of the story are a bit of a grind and certainly disturbing but Morrison writes so well at times it is worth the effort. A powerful, clever novel and one that makes you think about the effects of racism in America on its soul.

United Kingdom on May 05, 2023

Kimberly: This is the first novel I have read by Morrison, but I was aware of her iconic status as a writer before reading The Bluest Eye. Prior to reading this book, I read and was thoroughly impressed by “Red at the Bone” by Woodson. Woodson wrote that she was influenced and inspired by Morrison, which is primarily what led me to The Bluest Eye.

Morrison’s legendary reputation is well earned. Her writing is superb and original. If someone gave me an excerpt written by Morrison, likely I could guess the author. Her writing is rich in description and raw truth. She does not placate or sugar coat. Morrison instead shocks and assaults the reader by shining a spotlight on the harsh truth. The Bluest Eye is uncomfortable, thought provoking and powerful.

If you are considering reading The Bluest Eye, be aware there are some potentially triggering themes, including: incest, child molestation, one of the characters is a child predator, and some of the characters are sex workers.

The major theme throughout the novel are the effects of pressure on women and young girls to conform to cultural and societal standards of beauty. Using a multi-generational storyline and a cast...

United States on Feb 18, 2021

Shatarupa Dhar: Synopsis:
Nine-year-old Claudia lives with her parents and her ten-year-old sister. In her nine-year-old narrative, she remembers Pecola who was placed with them by child care services. Pecola, who becomes a woman from a ten-year-old girl while she lives with them. Pecola's life with her family is shown next, where her brand of life makes her wish that she had the bluest eye thinking that it may have made her more loveable and more acceptable. But life is not that simple, as there are more hardships in the life of that little girl with unimaginable consequences.

Review:
This is my second Morrison and it doesn't get any easier. But in this case, the first book written by her, the difficult thing was to read it without it devastating me. There's this sense of impending doom even with the little bit of innocence that there is.

This one starts with a description of a family, in the midst of war and depression in the 1940s, and its way of narration reminded me of this (which seems quite silly now) children's song in Hindi - Aao Milo Seelo Saalo. We used to clap animatedly, after pairing up with another person, while reciting the rhyme in a complete sing-song voice....

India on May 11, 2020

the messenger: When you come across an author that you might like to read, it is sometimes difficult to know where to start when they have already written several books. There are two most likely options, depending on the author: one is to start from the beginning (especially if the author writes stories in sequence), the other is to jump straight to their most famous book. Toni Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel 'Beloved,' and arguably her most famous book is 'Song of Solomon;' most book lovers will come to Morrison's work through either of these. I much prefer to start with the author's debut most of the time, unless the book appears to have been completely forgotten. Authors fall here into two groups: those who take a few goes to develop their craft before delivering their best work, and then there are those who pull off something brilliant straight away (often never to match it again). If an author has a few "unknown" books before they hit their stride, I take it as a sign that I can probably skip over these (for example, Salman Rushdie wrote one book before his celebrated 'Midnight's Children' - it is seldom discussed). Toni Morrison's 1970 debut 'The Bluest Eye' has not been...

United Kingdom on May 11, 2012