Sula

In thrilling and deeply intricate Sula (Penguin $11.95) Toni Morrison divulges into the complex fabric of a black town in Ohio, "The Bottom". The main characters, Sula and Nel, seemingly merge into the same character and interestingly shared the role of narrating the story. Sula, the title character, is young African American girl in the beginning who lives in a house filled with colorful characters like her promiscuous mother Hannah, allowing her to develop the arrogance, promiscuity, and unchecked honesty along with a hint of insanity that separates her from the community. Somehow this upbringing allows her to connect with her companion spirit Nell who in a very strict structured household. The paths of these two girls separate and Morrison, using elaborate scene that often time s shock the reader conveys the difference between the two girls only in the end to return to the same premise that they were indeed still so close.

"Shadrack's holiday"

What day is today?

Could it be Suicide Day

Let's look for Shadrack

"Sula's return"

Sula came today

She arrived with robins

Back after ten years

"Eva's Plum"

Eva's little Plum

He loves music and drinking

Come back to the womb

Toni Morrison's Sula unveils the tribulations in the lives of Sula and Nel. They are inseparable during their youths exploring the activities of their town, the Bottom. Throughout the young days of Sula and Nel, they are exposed to disturbing events and sexual tendencies that would later shape their lives. The setting unveils the setting for the turmoil of Sula and her family which Sula leaves and returns to after a ten-year absence. Her return creates a disturbance for the townspeople for she whores the men from their wives. Sula prominently displays her feminine strength as she defies the social ethics of society with her sexuality. She is shunned with the label of a "bitch." This challenging novel confronts the reader with powerful language, blunt honesty, little sugarcoating. The shock may be too much for some but the reader will be moved without a doubt.

"Plum"

Plum, my sweet darling child

You can't crawl back in my womb

So burn child, burn child

"Sula"

She came, she seduced me

Her sultry curves, her wild burning body

She left, she walked out

"Shadrack"

He stood there, he saw

The accident, or was it a murder?

But he remained silent, "always"

In this emotionally charged novel, Toni Morrison weaves together the lives of several intricate and painfully human characters. Sula, the title character, and Nel have been best friends since they were young, though they come from drastically different families. Despite growing up together in their small African American town in the 1920s and 30s, they develop into quite different women. Sula, after moving away for a decade, becomes an agonizing combination of her mother's intense sexual nature and her grandmother's arrogance, while Nel follows the path of most women in her town. She marries young, only to be left for another woman - Sula. This painful, yet often heartwarming relationship is set against the backdrop of Sula's disturbing and unconventional family, the secret of an accidental death, and other eccentricities of their home, the Bottom. Although sometimes hard to take, Sula manages to captivate the reader in its tangled webs of anger, lust and lifelong friendship.

Two so different

One friendship to make them whole

Together one mind

Gone away for years

Now home, everything changes

But it's all the same

Nel watched Chicken die

Just like Sula watched her mom

Two girls of one mind

REVIEW

Toni Morrison presents this stunning novel about two close African American friends, Nel and Sula, in the secluded town Medallion, Ohio. Both grow up together through their childhood years, but select their individual paths of their future. Nel decides to remain in her hometown, raise the perfect family, and become an essential part of her community; in contrast, Sula takes on a completely opposite path and chooses to leave her hometown to become involved in the city life, later returning to her hometown as a radical citizen seducing married men and counteracting the societal expectations of a woman. Both characters, whose friendship was bonded together tightly initially, depart from each other to encounter their own devastating faults and sufferings for their own choices, shown towards the end of the novel.

Through the life of the women, Morrison successfully depicts selfishness, depression, and the horrific number of killings involved during the 1900s.

HAIKUS

(1) Sula burns with love
Seduction conquers her soul
She dies in sorrow

(2) One-legged Eva
Loves the drugged Plum too dearly
Kills to prevent pain

(3) Too many Deweys
No individual selves
Childhood is their life

The first time I read this book I was amazed by Morrison's manipulation of the English language. But I had trouble with the idea that Sula was inherently evil. Granted, she did some evil things but what is more important is perhaps to look at the idea that she had no other way to live her life. Her role models weren't exactly upstanding individuals. Eva and Hannah both were free with men and perhaps that is why Sula does not understand Nel being upset when she sleeps with Jude. Mostly I think Sula is misunderstood. The novel is a beautiful one that expresses Morrison's ideals about women and the friendship that can occur from two adult women.

Toni Morrison writes a forceful and emotional story of good vs. evil surrounding two friends, Sula and Nel. Morrison follows their friendship throughout the years, through deaths, departures, and affairs. Nel, raised by her mother to be proper and obedient, is perceived well in society, compared to Sula's stained reputation after she betrays her friend by having an affair with Nel's husband Jude. Apart from the vulgar and graphic description of Sula's sexual affair with Nel's husband and the morbid, though tiring, theme of death by burning, Morrison provides an interesting twist to the right vs. wrong theme. Sula, on her deathbed, asks Nel to question her "goodness," and Nel realizes that she is not as good as society perceives her to be. She allows Sula to feel guilty about swinging and letting go of Chicken Little, which results in his drowning, while she watched without any sorrow.

Eva's Message

You watched the boy drown

She whispers on her deathbed

Does she speak the truth?

Nel's True Feelings

Placid like the sea

That buries the drowning boy

I feel no sorrow

Shadrack's Holiday

January Three

National Suicide Day

Shadrack's claim to fame

Toni Morrison fans won't be let down with "Sula." Morrison's trademark and claim to fame are how she takes the events of life, some common and some not, and tells an unforgettable story using rich vocabulary and mesmerizing imagery. As with most Morrison books, the ending is not particularly happy and satisfying. But for some reason, I feel happy and more enlightened about the world around me once I've read one of her novels. With "Sula," the old adage, "What goes around comes around," comes to mind. And, what comes around is usually ten times worse that what goes around! "Sula" will stir your soul.

Although, Toni is known for the Bluest Eye there is nothing like Sula! From the first sentence you become entranced by Sula and the town they live in. It is a short read but so rich! Sula is the woman you love to hate but wish you could have an ounce of her spirit. A true free spirit in the every sense which is why she is talked about so much. I can only imagine Sula's of that time in the early 20th century were looked at as Mary Magdelene and especially as black women. I have read so many Toni Morrison books and this one is my all time favourite!

Before having read this novel, I actually thought it would be "garbage". But boy was I wrong. This novel was assigned to us as a classroom reading assignment, and at the end of the reading we were assigned to produce a project on the Novel. Being a person who is only into authors such as Tom Clancy and , I would have to give it up to Toni Morrison. Her novel, Sula, was a totally different prospective of English literature. The quality of the novel overall is incomparable; there is an excellent use of language, imagery, symbolism, as well as irony. Morrison pieces the Novel together in such a manner where she utilizes poetic language and a creative story line. The characters bring this story line to life with their unique personalities and views.

An excellent example of Morrison's use of symbolism is: "...the great wing of an angel pouring a wet lightness over him. Some kind of baptism, some kind of blessing he thought." At this point in the novel Eva begins to pour kerosene over her son Plum to light him on fire. Eva, here, is trying to release the pain from within Plum, she wants to relieve him of his eternal burden from drug usage and his return from war. The use of the word "baptism" depicts an event of new life, as Eva wants to give Plum a new life and rid him of his sin. There are many more superb examples of Morrison's language throughout this novel.

By reading this novel, my group members and I believe that this novel has opened our minds because it has exposed us to a different style of writing. It may be great to read all of Shakespeare's plays, and compose Edgar Allan Poe's poetry, but by reading a novel such as this one will enlighten a students mind and may help them become more mature people because of the content that is exposed in this piece. Rather than taking this book away from the Miami-Dade school system, it should be mandated for high school students to read this novel. This is a great novel which can help enhance the views of students and help them mature themselves in life. By far, this is probably one of the most magnificent pieces I have read throughout my journey of high school literature.

I was given an assignment in my women's literature class. This assignment was to read Toni Morrison's book Sula. Sula is a must read! This book; however, is not appropriate for those under the age of eighteen due to extreme graphic detail and use of language. Despite this, Morrison is brilliant in her analogy of the racial barriers during the first part of the twentieth century. Morrison weaves a compelling story that examines one woman's quest to find freedom. The Ohio town Medallion sets the back drop for Morrison's story. African-Americans are segregated, and live in the "bottom" of Medallion. The name "bottom" is more descriptive of social standing than actual location. This is where two young girls, Sula and Nel are introduced. They are drawn together through common circumstance. Nel comes to represent the role of dutiful wife and mother. Sula rejects the constraints of society. She pursues a path of moral indifference; void of remorse. This attitude eventually leads to the demise of their friendship and Nel's marriage. On her death bed Sula remembers, "[...] we were two throats and one eye and we had no price." (LBW 2059). In the end, the two friends are left alone.

I recently formed a book club with a few friends and co-workers of mine and Sula was our first book to read and review. I thought it was an interesting read. The friendship that Sula and Nel had as girls was reminiscant of when I was quite young and had close girlfriends in grade school with whom you could share secrets and form lasting memories with. The book shows how these 2 girls started out on a similar plane and how circumstances and choices took them down drastically different paths in life. I love Toni's eloquent writing style but to others it was too much "work" figuring out what was actually going on. There were a few unanswered questions and the reader is left hanging. For instance, why was Chicken killed? Why didn't Jude ever return? I have theories on these questions but I don't want to ruin it for future readers. To me, unanswered questions are foder for the imagination - you have to come to your own conclusions. If you like metaphorical writing and books you can think about after you are done reading, I recommend this book.

Toni Morrison's eye-opening SULA, is a book about the growth of two young women, in the late 20's continuing into the 30's. Nel Wright and Sula Peace are childhood friends who grow up together, but live very different lives. Nel Wright is the daughter of Helene Wright, a straight-edge woman, who raised Nel to be "obedient and polite" (Morrison18). Unlike Helene, Sula's mother Hannah is a promiscuous single mother who fails to hide her sexual behavior from her young daughter. Their different childhoods influence each woman's future. Years later, Sula returns to their hometown, Medallion, after college and living her life in a big city and tries to relate to Nel, a mother and wife. This story of childhood friends meeting again after life-altering years shows the love and happiness that people find in different places.

She saw the fire burn

As her mom danced in the flames

Why did she not help?

Shadrack is crazy

National Suicide Day

He is so alone

Hannah and Eva

Very different women

They are family

Toni Morrison lunges to the heart of the culture present at the heart of the African American societal woes in the early 1920s to the 1960s in Sula. Her depiction of life is desperately unyielding to the desire of relief for which the reader begs as she reveals the ultimate human faults. The main character of Sula for which the book is named, does not enter the narrative until after her childhood best friend of Nel is brought into view. Nel has been taught by her mother to understand that life is constructed of manners, depriving her of the same freedom afforded Sula by her loose mother. Sula and Nel develop a strong bond of friendship which is tested by love, hate, death and eventually betrayal. Sula acquiesces to possessive nature of women with their men after she unknowingly seduces Nel's husband Jude. Ultimately the true nature of the novel is revealed as the destitution of life with all of the horrible mistakes, tragedy and prejudice is cleansed by time.

Haiku

Possession and lust

To whom does the blame belong

Promise is fallen

Women's wrath from pain

Takes on form of false pity

Revealed in vengeance

Toni Morrison's stimulating novel, Sula, presents an unusual look at life in a closely-knit black community beginning in the years following the First World War and ending with the start of the Civil Rights Movement. The protagonist of the novel, Sula Peace, befriends a girl named Nel Wright, who comes from a very different family. Together they embark on childhood adventures in a small town in Ohio. Later Sula disappears for ten years to go to college and experience a different kind of life while Nel remains in the same town to raise a family. When Sula returns she is transformed into the target of much criticism, isolation, and hatred.

Dotted with unusual, but well-developed characters, Sula is an interesting read that brilliantly explores the lives of black women in the first part of the twentieth century. Morrison's writing evokes exceptional images and emotions propelling the reader into deep thought about life, death, love, and friendship.

Haikus

Sula Peace, Nel Wright
Independent souls find strength
One distant, one accepted

Up in the Bottom
Life is simple, planned, peaceful
Despite hushed secrets

After reading The Bluest Eye I expected better from Toni Morrison. This book was o.k but not what the back cover promised. I usually read the back cover and expect the book to follow it at least loosely. This book promised that Sula and Nel would reconcile, they never did. Sula died the day that her friend visited and they got into an argument then, there was no reconciliation. That and the fact that after being caught with Sula Jude leaves Nel and never returns. This doesn't sound like any man I've ever known. This was an unrealistic portrayal of a man. And what made Sula sick, the reader is never told why Sula was sick or what she was sick from. It is also never explained why the girls decided to kill Chicken what had he done to them? Overall I like the book there were just some points I didn't understand.

This book, Sula was a thrilling book. It will keep you reading for days until you finish it. events take place that you will never have thought would happen. You never know what might happen next because when you "think" you now what's gunna happen then it doesn't happen, something better happens instead. I recommend that you buy this book so that you can be in the same amazement as I was when I first read this book. My thoughts as well as words go to the author.

To the modern-day White American, Sula, a novel by Toni Morrison, is about the depressions of being a woman, or rather, the depression of being a black woman. The trouble Sula, the title character, has as she tries to get along with the society she lives in, stems from the fact that she doesn't try. She is not willing to change herself for anyone, especially not for critics who don't really know her. Morrison tells the story of two childhood friends masterfully, with nuances subtle enough to evoke every emotion in the reader. The novel is sad, touching, and heart warming all at once. What makes this novel what it is, aside from the author's talent, is the reality in it. It is the combination of different and seemingly unrelated elements that makes Sula about every woman, instead of just one.

Haikus on Sula

The story of friends

Through the eyes of another

Never touched me so

My loss, like hot wax

Dripping on a river bed

Leaves me no regrets

Deweys, running round

A mess on the kitchen floor

The joy of children

What make this story interesting and grabs our curiosity into the book is first Sula, the main character of this book as we can see from the title, does not show up till the middle of the book. And also when she starts to get involved in this book, she doesn't start off with a big role which make this book unique and extraordinary. The other characters around Sula also adds the amusement to this book that every characters have eccentric characteristics. The story develops by Sula and people around Sula's frictions and events in order of Sula's growth.
"National Suicide Day." this story is about African Americans during the 1920s when they were considered as poor and particularly this book focuses on the lives of African American women. The book enters the story from a guy name Shadrack making a day call the National Suicide Day which is the day when everybody once in year can kill themselves. Sula is a granddaughter of Eva's and that family is not normal. Eva's family is rich eventhough they are black; however, there is a little mystery about Eva that she is missing one of her leg. Through Eva's family's lives we can see all sorts of weird relationships of people. Mother and child's relationship, friendship, and relationship between lovers, these relationship appears quite awkward to us that it is confusing if its lack of love or possession. so that it could be seen not realistic that the actions are exaggerated and overdone, but on the other hand the emotions in the book is so real that we can feel the characters. Therefore it is not completely magical, actually it is very realistic. Toni Morrison, the author of this book, did a fabulous job on showing the mood of depressing era to the audience. As Sula grows, as she gets involved to the society which is the "real world" the changes of her emotion leads us to realize how hard it is to live pure. Toni Morrison really dug our feelings from our bottom and put them into words. It made me want to read other writings of hers.

There is much sorrow in Toni Morrison's moving Sula, which begins in the city of Medallion, Ohio in 1919. Eva Peace has three children, including Sula's mother Hannah, leaves them one day, and returns to them 18 months later with money to support them with. Hannah is burned to death in a fire, and similarly Plum (Eva's son) is set on fire by Eva. Sula Peace, a black woman brought up in the segregated area of Medallion, escapes one day for college. Her childhood friend, Nel Wright, makes a different decision and gets married, has kids, and stays in their hometown. Sula returns as a rebel. Sleeping with almost every man in town, including Nel's husband Jude, she is viewed as the devil along with Shadrack, a World War II veteran who long ago created a National Suicide Day. But is she really the devil or just a black woman making a statement about her life in America? Morrison answers this in her touching and powerful novel.

Haikus:
Nel is sensible.
Sula and Nel's good friendship.
Sula's rushed actions.

Waiting for labor.
Since 1927.
Destroy the tunnel.

Reading the book Sula, by Toni Morrison, is to say the least an eye opening experience. I read this book for a college in the schools honors English course, to gain perspective on different cultures and writing styles. As a basic summary, the book follows Sula, Nel, Eva and Shadrack in 1919 through 1965 and examines their experiences and relationships. Nel and Sula are the friends that "knew that only the coffin would lie in the earth; the bubbly laughter and the press of fingers in the palm would stay aboveground forever" (66). As the years move on in the novel, Sula goes to college, and then comes back to the Bottom and binds the town together in resistance to her. Through out the story, there are several things that caught my attention. The re-occurring themes of the elements water, air, fire, and earth are what drive the action in the novel. Apart from the elements, the contrasts that Nel and Sula are so different bind them together as one entity. While Sula is gone and Nel is married, Sula comes back and shares Nels' husband like the two women used to share everything as girls. The companionship that Nel seeks while Sula is away from a man she only realized at the end of the novel really was that Nel thought "All that time, all that time, I thought I was missing Jude" (174). This novel takes the perspective of a male character, and projects the actions onto the women in the novel. The book takes many different perspectives on gender roles, and how the actions of the two genders are seen as by the town. I love the double meanings of everything in this book from Sulas' birthmark above her eye, to why the characters choose to make the choices they do. This book examines many issues through writing style that may offend and anger some conservative readers. If your looking for an interesting read that may challenge your perceptions, this book is definitely for you.

Toni Morrison pulls the reader into the lives of residents living in a poor town in the 1960's called the Bottom with her powerful and original novel called Sula. Morrison sees the world in a light inconceivable by any other. She includes even the slightest of details to make the reader's visit to the Bottom all the more real. Each character has their own extremities that Morrison startlingly connects. The novel closely follows the life of two characters named Nel and Sula who can only be described as exactly opposite. Throughout the course of their childhood, the nature of each girl seems to keep each other in check. Whether it takes the extremely submissive nature of Nel or Sula to chop off the end of her finger is at the discretion of Morrison. Only a reader ready for a roller coaster of a novel should dare to grace the pages of Sula.

Haiku

Nel and Sula's relationship:
What is this friendship?
Can loving be betrayal?
Are friends forever?

The Plague of Robins:
The sky is black
From too much of a good thing:
A worm's worst nightmare

"Sula" is the first book written by Toni Morrison that I have read. It will not be the last. This book is set in the mostly Black community, The Bottom, overlooking Medallion, Ohio. It is a study of the relationship between Sula Peace and Nel Wright. With an exceptional use of words that tug and pull at you, force you to listen and think, Miss Morrison brings Sula and Nel to life right before your eyes. In a friendship that spans twenty years, Sula and Nel meet as young children and during that time, "innocently" cause a tragedy that one forgets, the other perhaps does not. As young women, Nel marries and remains in The Bottom while Sula goes off to college, and for a time, moves from city to city. It is Sula's return to The Bottom and one unforgivable event that tears the two friends apart.
It is only long after the death of Sula that Nel comes to the realization that they had not been as different as she had allowed herself to believe, one girl good, one girl bad. They had just been "girls together" and each of them, in her own way, had endured endless struggles to survive in the world as black women.

In a deep study of the human heart, Toni Morrison shows the trials and tribulations of two women in her novel, Sula. With painful and striking detail, Morrison takes the reader on an exciting ride through the lives of women in the town of Medallion. By explaining how much Medallion and the people living there changed over time, Morrison is able to set the stage for the history of black people living in "the Bottoms" of Medallion. In "the Bottoms" Sula Peace and Nell Wright become unlikely friends, so close they think the same way. Over time, and with the coming and going of men in their lives, Sula goes to college and becomes a promiscuous modern woman, while Nell becomes the classic suburban housewife. When their worlds come crashing back together, the story becomes more realistic and painful, with many convoluted messages.

A Unique Friendship

Growing up is hard

Yet Nell and Sula are friends

In their private world

One Side of Medallion

Life in the Bottoms

No one understands the pain

Personal sorrow

A drama in the genuine style of Toni Morrison, Sula leaves nothing to be desired, as far as great literature goes. A story of the lives of two African-American women living on top of a hill called The Bottom, Sula depicts the difficulties of escaping ones past. From their childhood growing up in The Bottom, to their adult lives, the hardships encountered in Nel and Sula's lives are extraordinary at the least, and their varying approaches are equally intriguing.

A novel that keeps the reader going `til the last page, and most definitely an authentic page turner, Toni Morrison proves that she deserves a place among the great novelists of the 20th century. Her unique writing style enthralls us; she manipulates the reader's emotions as if she were born to do so. Surely this novel remains one not to be forsaken.

[ Haiku ]

( Sula's Way )

Deceiving Cunning

Follows a separate path

Remember her ways

( Shadrack )

Insane and foolish

With suicide noose and song

A lonely offbeat

Sula by Toni Morrison is a novel about two little girls and their friendship as they grow up. Sula Peace comes from a home where men are used for sex and then tossed out, and her friend Nel Wright comes from a good home with a caring mother and father. The girls become best friends through captivating adventures as they deal with bullies and their impoverished lives in Bottom, the small black town in Ohio. Sula is a rebel while her friend Nel conforms to the societal norm, creating foiling characters that keep the story interesting and make it difficult to put the book down. Morrison's free usage of sexual behavior also seizes the reader's attention and the harsh but reality based situations that arise in the novel are scintillating.

Haikus

Sula and friend Nel

Friends but different people

Live separate lives

Strong black evil girl

Sleeps around with lots of men

She can never love

Stealing Nel's husband

Sula betrays her friend's trust

Sula's death ends all

Toni Morrison's captivating drama, Sula, follows the life of Sula Peace, a woman living after World War I in a town called Medallion. Filled with racism and themes about love and betrayal, and good vs. evil, Sula contains many memorable characters and events. The novel dramatizes the lives of many generations of townspeople, including Shadrack, the outcast war veteran and the promiscuous Peace family, along with many others. As Sula goes through the adventures of growing up, she befriends a girl named Nel and the two become best friends, two parts of one whole. Things change for the two friends when, after being away at college, Sula returns to Medallion, and is greeted by hatred from the townspeople. Sula lives her life differently from the routine, conventional lives of others, making this such an intriguing novel with much to be learned from Sula's actions.

Eva loathes Sula

Sula watched her mother burn

Hannah was scalded to death

Shadrack lives in town

National Suicide Day

is his claim to fame

Toni Morrison's tragedy SULA follows the life of an unconventional and rebellious individual, Sula Peace, and her experiences with other members of society. Located in Medallion, a town divided by race in which the black citizens live on the hills known as the Bottom while the whites inhabit the lowland valley. With little regard to what occurs in the valley, Morrison explores the inner workings and unique experiences in the Bottom, specifically from the view of Sula and her friend Nel Wright. Both girls grow up very close and witness the numerous relationships and deaths of several family members. From Eva Peace setting her son on fire to Hanna Peace's permiscuous lifestyle, the actions of these characters put the quality of the plot into question. But the most powerful theme within the novel is Morrison's contrast of the lives which Sula and Nel decide to pursue. Sula returns from college to discover that Nel has abided by social expectations and married, while she has followed an alternative lifestyle and must deal with the town's reaction to her return. The disturbing and unrealistic story behind SULA undermines its overall quality, but Morrison is still capable of bringing intriguing moral themes into view.

Haikus

A young Sula grows,

Holds on to her vanity,

Only to be shunned.

Their paths had to part,

Both in search of happiness,

But found loneliness.

My group and i think that Sula by Toni Morrison is a spectacular and very interesting novel. Morrison's style in Sula deeply specifies her one and only subject, which goes to mostly african american women as well as women of all races. To our opinion Sula clearly tells us that nobody should depand on somebody else's actions to change or make things work better for you. Self determination is a very important quality and should be a part of everybody's character.

We personally think that Sula should definitely be a part of the high school curriculum. Sula grabs students attention and its poetic style makes it easy for teachers to also teach literature.It also helps the students expand their vocabulary to a higher level.It teaches about culture, people and places of the 1920's and on and how situations were handled when in struggle.Another important reason why Sula should be part of the high school program is because, students at such age should alredy be mature enough to take the indecent moments with a serious and grown up attitude.

I think this novel Sula was very interesting at a point and it made you feel the way some of the characters felt.At another point the book lost interest, some of the things were really confusing but i got back on to it. The one part of your book that made me think and feel for the characters is the part when Sula sleeps with her best friend Nel's husband Jude and she actually caught them.Not only did Jude walk out on Nel but Sula and her was not talking at all after that. They were both the opposite of each other and thats what made them interesting.Another thing that was interesting about Sula was what she did when her mother was just burning up, and when she got older and came back to the bottom what she did to Eva. I think that that was very messed up.Other than everything else the book was o.k and it did make a lot of sense, it made you put yourself in the characters position. So you go on making those books but try a little harder to draw the teenager's attention. I have a question. Did you just make this book up or did you take facts out your life and put it with other things? Well Toni Morrison talk to ya later!

Toni Morrison explores the relationship of two young girls who grow up together in a small black community called The Bottom in Medallion, Ohio but grow up to live radically different lives in her novel Sula. Morrison's novel is centered on the friendship between Sula Peace and Nel Wright, both only children, that starts with the two meeting as young girls and finding in each other an understanding and entertaining companion. The novel follows the girls through adolescence and eventually to their parting of ways: Nel decides on the conventional life and gets married and has children. On the other hand, Sula moves away from Medallion to go to college. How will Nel react when Sula, now a stylish, promiscuous, independent woman, comes back to Medallion after ten years of absence?

Toni Morrison does a fine job of exploring and defining the indestructible friendship between Sula and Nel, while showing the vulnerability of each character and the consequences of the two different paths the women follow in adult life.

This book is one of my favorites, and I can't even begin to determine why. Toni Morrison's style is superb, embracing the reader like the arms of a lover. She manages to bring out the profundity of everyday life that most of us are blind to in all our rush and cynicism. Embrace this book as it embraces you; don't just brush over it because your lit professor told you to do so. Be free within its world.

This was a powerful felt book - I thought it would be difficult to follow - I must say it had me right from the start. Could not put down. All praise to Toni Morrison one of the best voices in Literature. I actually felt Toni was reading the book to me. So glad I follow my heart and picked-up this book - I will read more of Toni's work for sure! Thank You.

Toni Morrison's provocative SULA begins with the life of two singularly different African-American children, Nel Wright and Sula Peace, who unite to become "two throats with one eye." Nel Wright comes from a respectable family with a stereotypically good mother. Sula Peace, on the other hand, grows up with an openly sexual mother, a grandmother with one leg, three foster children named Dewey, and other newly wed boarders in a constantly bustling house. The girls grow up together, loving the same things, defending each other, and basking in this glowing friendship. The two girls face their hardships as Morrison enthralls the reader in this page turner with her gripping and lyrical writing. Morrison's small-town story looks honestly at the power of friendship in the midst of family, race, and love.

"Shadrack meets Sula"

The only visit

He kept her belt for all time

Constant loneliness

"Friendship"

Girl's different background

Grow to be bound together

Strongest love ever

"National Suicide Day"

Follow noose and bell

Way to expect dreaded death

Tunnel kills many

"Sula's Dreams"

Leaving the Bottom

Going to a big city

Getting a degress

I just finished this book for my U of Chicago Humanities class. I am now writing here to avoid having to write the paper. I hate this book. It is so completely full of the pretension that Toni Morrison's books are always full of. She pretends to be so deep and so in tune with the common man/woman. The truth is, she has a degree from Howard, teaches as Princeton (one of the most elitist institutions in the country) and sometimes a course at my school, and is making millions off being in Oprah's book club. She can go bore someone else with her "getting down to her roots." This book and her other books disappoint me. People look at her works as being representative of African-American lit. For god's sake, read Alice Walker or someone WORTH reading!

Sula, like any book, can be discussed in in terms of allegory. No doubt this book is rich in symbolisms. However, the most striking feature for me is the rich characters. The book is full of people who are unforgetable and real to the point that it is simply a pleasure reading about them going about their daily lives, talking, cooking, fighting, and making love. This is one of the books that makes you feel alive.

This work does not need another review. However, I am going to write one anyway. I read this book during college and I couldn't put it down. There is so much that needs to be discussed in this work. I have read some of her other work. However, this one resonated with me.

Sula is a novel exploring the themes of identity, evil, love and loyalty in a black community called the "bottom". These themes are explored through the profound friendship between two young girls named Sula and Nel. Nel choses a traditional life consisting of being a mother,wife, and upstanding citizen. Sula, on the other hand, tries to forage her identity by leaving the "bottom".
When she returns to the community ten years later, it is as a woman who is almost the opposite of what the community values. She is not interested in conforming to societal norms and, instead, makes up her own rules.
How does one's individual identity effect the community identity? The reaction of the "bottom" and her friend Nel to the new Sula creates a moving and powerful novel which forces you to question your own morality. As Sula says near the end of the novel, "About who was good. How you know it was you?"(146).

Not for readers with weak stomachs, Sula, the moving and yet morbidly detailed novel by Toni Morrison is the dramatic tale of two black females growing up in a segregated Ohio town. The novel, which starts around the time of World War II, traces the lives of Nel Wright and Sula Peace, who are two childhood friends. The novel gives insight into the unbreakable bonds that the girls form as children. Morrison traces the lives of these two characters through their growing up, transitioning into the divergent paths that the two blaze in their search for womanhood. Nel resides in the place where she was raised. She marries a man named Jude, and starts a family. Sula on the other hand, escapes the small town life by going to college, and then comes back to Ohio as a rebel and a sex maniac. The novel traces these former friends (now strangers) and depicts the consequences of their actions in an almost painfully realistic fashion.

Plum is suffering,

Eva's heart cannot take it,

She burns her baby.

January third,

Shadrack's coming down the road,

Follow the parade.

Swing the little boy,

Watch him giggle as he flies,

He takes his last swim.

Toni Morrison's SULA has to be one of the most inspirational novels of all time. I say this because it clearly demonstrates the struggles,trials,and tribulations of the black woman.Even though it is based upon life for women in the 1930's .It goes on to prove that even though time changes and evolves people basic rules of society remain the same.Then and even now,women were asked to stay in ther place,be a good house wife, tend to her children,and most importantly avoid being independent,and successful.In SULA,women tend to the same expectations. There,just like today were two basic types of women. The conventional woman(stay home wife) and the independent woman(collage graduate,loner,husbandless)Toni Morrisons demonstates the advantages and the dis-advantages of these types of women comabined them with chrisis and eventually got SULA.A wise choice that granted her a well deserved award and a hell of a novel.

Toni Morrison's Sula is a moving novel about knowing one's true self while dealing with issues such as race, family background, and relationships. Up in the Bottom, which is the hilly area of Medallion where the colored community inhabits, the freindship between conservatively ordinary Nel Wright and emotional yet independent Sula Peace develops and evolves greatly over time and with the events that they experience as they mature. Morrison's own life as a child growing up in a mildly-racist town is incorporated into the story and is an aspect which greatly enhances her work, as well as her unique writing style. She has the ability to mesmerize and captivate the reader with her intriguingly beautiful wording and flowing dialogues. Sometimes, though, it is easy to lose track of what is going on with Morrison's overly descriptive ways, but overall she is a fantastic writer and Sula is indeed a worthwhile piece.

Toni Morrison's intriguing novel "Sula" captures the reality of life in a black community following World War I through the start of the Civil Rights Movement. Morrison focuses the novel around the friendship between two inhabitants, living in The Bottom, whom although both consisting off the same race, have very different backgrounds. Their diversity brings about many moral issues and proves a key factor as the novel unfolds, the friendship transforms, and the two women diverge into separate paths. Nel stays at home and marries, whereas Sula disappears from the Bottom for ten years to return as a subject of promiscuity, scorn, and hatred of society. Through well-developed characters and exceptional imagery, the novel proves an interesting read that effectively portrays the course of a friendship when interrupted by desire and sorrow.

Haiku on Nel

Pain, hate, sorrow, rage

Released through an evil sin

Life changed forever

Haiku on Sula

A rose on her face

With thorns, she pierces their hearts

As she seduces

Haiku on Sula

Racy and sinful

Outcast to society

She is all alone

Toni Morrison's Sula has stunningly descriptive and at times utterly enjoyable passages, but at less than 200 pages, the novella falls victim to an overabundance of themes clinging to a minimal plot. Ms. Morrison attempts to weave the themes of race, gender, and love throughout the narrative, but it seems haphazardly done and not all that affecting once you finish the book. It is quite easy to point out each theme, but none seem all that interesting or all that uniquely told. Her habit of dispatching her characters in flames is rather disturbing, and if the form of death is supposed to be a metaphor for something, I missed it. Her at times graphic language does not seem to arise from anything more than an attempt to shock readers. Spanning the years between 1919 and 1965, the story deals with two young black girls growing up together in the predominantly black mountain community of The Bottom. The girls, Nel and Sula, seem complete opposites: Nel, raised by a strict and ever-watchful mother, lives and functions according to social expectations in a traditional home, while Sula was raised pretty much by accident by her mother, grandmother, and the assorted tenants that share their home, and seems to lack any sort of social consciousness. Nevertheless, Sula and Nel become fast friends and remain so, until Sula's eventual return from a ten year absence. Upon her return, she mortifies the community through her casual seduction and subsequent disposal of everyone's husband, and eventually dies. As a human being, Sula seems flat and underdeveloped. Nel is equally adrift; I think she may represent the "ideal" black woman, and her flaws and misfortunes are a comment on what women get if they do exactly and only what they are told to do, while Sula seems to be the opposite, representing what happens to women who ignore all rules. However, if both are meant to be allegories, the fact is not readily apparent, since Ms. Morrison attempts to jerk the reader between hatred for Sula, contempt for Nel, pity for both, and ends in utter confusion about what Ms. Morrison expected her audience to think of all this tragedy. This book is definetly not light reading, and would not be first on my list of heavy reading either. I am unable even to evaluate Ms. Morrison's effectiveness in achieving her purpose, because I cannot even figure out what it was.

HAIKUS
Oh Ms. Morrison
What lack of focus and tact
Quit jerking us `round

Ideal woman Nel
Avant-garde Penelope
To Sula's Helen

This is a wonderful book. I don't think that it's important that you understand EVERYTHING, as long as you can understand the emotions that Ms. Morrison is trying to portray. And that is EXTREMELY easy to do. This book, to me, is truly poetic in some spots, and it speaks to me, and I'm sure it will speak to you, too. It's truly destined to become classic black literature!!

Sula, by Toni Morrison, was a new reading experience for me. It was assigned to me and my classmates to read over a certain period of time. This book should definitely not be judged based on its cover. Sula was an intriguing novel that grasps the reader from their seat and brings them into a world that is not much different. There are so many themes surrounding this book that it shouldn't be considered a book, but a work of art. Toni Morrison has a literary style that will impress students in elementary school. She can transform a grotesque line such as, "...the body of the headless soldier ran on, with energy and grace, ignoring altogether the drip and slide of brain tissue down its back.",into an image that the reader can actually see in front of them.

The subject of whether this novel is appropriate as a high school textbook came up and even though Sula has its share of risky situations, I believe that they reflect today's society and the type of world we are living in. The reason why this novel is being turned away by high school teachers is probably because of the strong sexual content. This isn't anything new to teenagers. Teens these days are growing up in a world where sex is all over the place, whether it is in ads, radio, or television, it is there for everybody to view. There is also the explicit language and I believe that this language isn't used in the novel just to take up space, but to turn a line into a from of expression. The use of this language makes a line more powerful and leaves the reader with an even better image of the type of person a certain character is. Sula is a novel that should not be slept on and personally I believe that this book appeals the likes of many adults as well as teenagers.

Sula is troubling, powerful, poetic, intense, magical, gorgeous and devastating. Morrison explodes binaries, celebrates "sistergirl" bonds and comments interestingly on the love of mothers for their children and the hardships of African American communities. Sula should be on every high school book list- but usually is blaringly absent from curricula. However, Professors in university are well aware of this novel's force and range and univ. lit programs are likely to include this fantastic, jarring, intensely human work in their curriculum. Sula makes Beloved seem like little more than a simple ghost story. Morrison's craftsmanship here is jaw-droppingly brilliant. Don't read it once, read it several times...every reading will reveal more!!

Not one of my favorites but never-the-less it still showed Toni Morrison's literary ability to express each character and the intensity of their journey. Sula was a quite storm but her wrath was a tsunami. I recommend this book; a good read.

This is a book about identity in a brutal world. Like the protagonist, Morrison conducts experiments on her characters, many of them cruel, just to see what comes out. She has a great poet's language and instinctive framework to carry Sula gracefully along on its revelatory and disturbing journey. Those who, in their youth, have ever stood apart and adrift from family or society and cast a cold eye upon the world may find something they would rather forget, but remember they need.

Despite its similarities to Morrison's other novels, Sula is a powerful novel that deals with the themes of good versus evil, family, friendship and racism in a poor community. In Sula, Morrison is able to portray good and evil in a not so "black and white" way. Her complicated friendships and relationships leave the readers questioning who was right and who was wrong. Morrison's ability to develop such vivid and lively characters allows her to develop clear and powerful themes throughout the novel

Sula by Toni Morrison tells the story of two women, Nel and Sula, who were childhood friends in a Black community. The story follows Nel and Sula till the death of Sula while the town serves as the backdrop with scandalous infidelities and drunken men. Sula returns to town after years of being away and her friendship with Nel remains strong but all that shatters when Nel caught Sula having an affair with Jude, her husband.

Morrison portrays Nel and Sula's friendship with realism and passion but the novel emphasized too much on sex and cheating spouses. However, with a combination of friendship, race, and love, Sula will surely leave a profound impression on the reader about the culture of the 1920-1960s.

Haikus for Sula

Friends from childhood

Until Sula slept with Jude

Nel forgave her

Scandalous in town

Sula was hated by all

She was the devil

I know it is almost blasphemous to put down Toni Morrison's writing in this day and age. I just did not like this book. I found all the character's despicable and for that reason could never connect with any of them. This is a short book but I had to really push myself to finish the book. This was my first try at Toni Morrison and probably will be my last. I see where her prose is a big hit but if the plot and characters are no good then no amount of prose can save a book.
Sorry, no Toni Morrison fan here.

The quality of the novel overall is exceptional, there is an excellent use of language, imagery, as well as irony. The novel is put together in such a way where the author utilizes poetic language and a creative story line. The characters drive the story line with their unique personalities and views.

We feel this novel is appropriate as a high school text. Students are a lot more mature than the school board or some administrators give them credit for. Students of the Miami-

Dade school system are exposed to much harsher and crude material on a daily basis. We believe this novel can only open the minds of students due to the fact that it exposes them

to a different and unique style of writing. This book has become very controversial in the school system, many don't agree with its content while others such as ourselves believe this and other novels like this can only enhance the growth and maturity of the student body.

Toni Morrison is so much more than Beloved. In every book, she takes us into another aspect of the human experience. She reveals different phases of America's Black history, but her books are, more importantly about the human race.

I read this piece for an assignment in an online class. Sula was an amazing read and I would really recommend it to any adult. I love the depictions of race and the differences in the neighborhood first described as inhabited by black people and then by white people. This totally sets the mode of the story and it gets more interesting as you read on. Medallion is described as suburbia for which the black people lived at the "Bottom". I believe this is an excellent example of racial segregation. Morrison uses two characters, Sula and Nel, to depict slavery and the difference in choices made. One succumbs to societal roles and the other fights. This starts as a small difference of views and drives a wedge between the two friends. This story is a classic Toni Morrison and has become on of my favorites.

Toni Morrison's Sula is the bewitching tale of the growth and maturation of two young ladies, Sula and her companion, Nel. Their trials and tribulations, growing older "up in the bottom," experiencing racism, death, murder, and sex, provide an exciting saga of the coming of age of two young ladies from the other side. Though raised together, the two women must go their own ways in life and then must come to terms with their separate and intertwined pasts in a heartwarming reunion. The novel then ends with a twist, reminding the reader of the interconnectedness of ones past with ones surroundings and environment.

Innocence of kids

Life way up in the bottom

Sula Nel and sex

Raised in a racist world

Produced different women

Who did come to terms

Toni Morrison's Sula is the story of two African American friends in a small town. Nel chooses to stay near home and start a family; Sula chooses to leave for college and the city. When she returns ten years later, her loose, untactful nature horrifies (yet also unifies) the town and eventually ruins her friendship with Nel. Eventually, Sula's health fades and Nel is forced to come to terms with her friend.

Sula is a disturbing novel full of thoughtless violence and sexual dalliances. For example, Eva, Sula's grandmother, burns her son to death because, he was trying to "crawl back into her womb." Sula's mother also burns to death, though accidentally, as Sula watches. In many places, the violence seems to serve little purpose in terms of the plot, and the characters do not always have reasonable motivations for their actions, which makes them somewhat unbelievable. Ultimately, the book does not live up to Morrison's lofty reputation.

(1) Sula is quite loose

She sleeps with Ajax and Jude

People don't like her

(2) This book is quite odd

Why do the characters keep

Burning til they die?

**contains some spoilers**

I wrote this literary for an English paper, which is why it's so long:

Literary Critique of "Sula"

Toni Morrison's "Sula" takes the reader on a turbulent ride of vague themes and inconsequential plot lines. But while there is much to be admonished in "Sula", there are a number of redeeming aspects; unfortunately the sum of these aspects do not come close to bringing salvation. Changing character focus and molding of a main character without the courtesy of proper exposition leave the reader of "Sula" feeling confused and cheated. By analyzing Toni Morrison's failings in the areas of character utilization, appealing plot, and general readability a greater appreciation for better written works can be had.

Toni Morrison's "Sula" is the story of a small close knit African American community set in Ohio in the early to mid 1900's. The hill top community known as the "Bottom" is the exhibit of many compelling characters and subject of trials and omens. The reader is introduced to the bottom at the end of it's existence and is then lead through time, on a journey to discover the late heart and soul of this community. The people in Sula include the crazy, the dying, the surviving, and the stones. The main characters, Sula Peace and Nel Wright, are the eventual focus of the story, but several supporting characters pervade throughout the novel.

"Sula" begins with an apt introduction of character and setting. Shadrack, Helene Wright, Eva and Hanna Peace, all key supporting characters, are all given a grand entrance into the story. The stories of Shadrack, Helene Wright, Eva and Hanna Peace are one of the redeeming qualities of "Sula". These characters serve as clues to the personalities and sentiments of the town and main characters, Nel and Sula. You learn about these characters; their struggles, their triumphs, and their growth. But, after spending nearly one third of the novel identifying with these supporting characters, you are taken to the relatively unspectacular world of two pubescent girls. This abrupt transition of character focus resulted in a dramatic loss of depth which the novel had enveloped you in. Dominant characters are downsized to the role of lack luster exposition for Sula and Nel. And a loss is had for the readers interest in the supporting characters who, for the most part, have told their story in it's entirety.

In the story of Eva Peace we learn of her struggle to keep her family alive and fed; a story which relates more to Hanna Peace than it does to Sula Peace or Nel Wright, and only vaguely to the development of Sula's personality by showing the type of people Sula was raised by. And when set into focus a second time, Eva's only contribution to the tale of Sula's main characters is granting the reader knowledge of Sula's emotional detachment. While this information is important to convey to the reader it is done via a very obtrusive and elaborate method in which, foreshadowed by a series of omens and dreams, Hanna Peace, Sula's mother, died. Such disjointed attempts at story progression and ultimately inconsequential plot lines plague "Sula".

In the story of Helene Wright, Morrison describes an incident on a train in which Helene is chastised and affected so deeply she resolves never to be made to feel a certain way again,

It was on that train , shuffling toward Cincinnati, that she resolved to be on guard--always. She wanted to make certain that no man ever looked at her that way. That no midnight eyes or marbled flesh would ever accost her and turn her to jelly. (Sula 22)

This rousing resolution begged for a revisiting by either Helene or her daughter Nel, but none ever came, again leaving the reader with no reason to maintain an interest.

By altering the story to rely more and more on the stories of Sula and Nel Morrison puts great pressure on the ability of these two girls to carry the strength of the story to it's conclusion, a pressure that buckled the initially strong stirrups of this story after some poor character development was relied on.

Sula takes the essence of her mother's neglect and promiscuity, her own emotional detachment, and he grand mother's willingness to go to extremes to get what she needs and returns to the Bottom as a person containing all those elements. Morrison provides no description of how this character was molded into the woman she returned as, she only provided the ingredients for the mold. This left the entirety of Sula's progression to adulthood as an unknown; something open to the imagination of the reader which was a critical flaw because it gave the impression that this progression was not important enough to describe. This combined with aforementioned disharmonies of the story made reading "Sula" a hurdling exercise in that the reader was made to fill in the gaps.

The final hurdle one must over come when reading "Sula" is deciphering the some of various meanings and symbolisms used throughout Sula which are made more apparent by the final words of the narrator.

In the end Toni Morrison's "Sula" fails to deliver on a complete and fulfilling novel. The combination of unharmonious story telling, ultimately irrelevant exposition, and uninspired use of otherwise fantastic characters served to squelch any remnants of affection left for this novel from its initial success.

When I first read Sula, I thought, next! Then I reread it recently, and I felt sorry for myself that I did not understand it the first time. The book blew me away this time. I think that should be a policy for all books people don't understand; wait five years, then read it again, and I swear, you will read it with new eyes.

Toni Morrison's heartbreaking tragedy Sula is the gripping tale of two childhood friends, Sula Pearce and Nel Wright, whose paths lead them into completely different adult lifestyles and are who destined for a chaotic and tumultuous relationship when they are reunified after years of separation. On the one hand, Nel, following in the footsteps of her mother, remains in her hometown of Medallion, marries, and becomes a respected member of the community. On the other hand Sula rebels against the "social norms", escaping Medallion to go to college and chasing after men. Needless to say, both women relate to each other in a completely different way when they are reunited, and they must ultimately pay a price for their choices in life. The story can bring a tear to one's cheek, laughter to their mouth and an ache in their heart all at the same time. Sula is an excellent and highly recommended read.

Haiku:

Sula Pearce steals Jude

Nel catches them in the act

Jude leaves with Sula

Plum is burned alive

Eva did the dirty deed

They all burn like Plum

Toni Morrison's Sula is a tragic novel that follows two best friends, Sula and Nel, through their difficult lives. Morrison uses vivid images to show the friends divergent and harsh lives and eventual betrayal of Nel by Sula. Nel decides to live her life as a homemaker and takes pride in her man while Sula goes away to college and lives in the big cities of Chicago and Detroit. When Sula comes back to town after ten years her loose moral code temporarily throws the town asunder. The town quickly reacts by becoming a close knit community that despises Sula for seducing their men in a minute and then leaving them just as quickly. Sula's unchaste mannerisms give the town a common enemy to loath and instead of breaking up families with cheating husbands Sula's actions just bring them closer together. When Sula dies Nel tries to forgive and forget while the town around her eases back into normal life without Sula.

Toni Morrison is an impressive writer and does not fail the reader in Sula. Her dark and masterful words convey an image of the Bottom that is not soon forgotten but possibly not for the best reasons. While obviously a skilled writer Morrison can overwhelm the senses with certain vile scenes in Sula coupled with her skill in creating such a clear picture of that vile scene.

Main ideas Haiku:

Clever seductress

Sula sways everyone's man

Brings town together

Nel so sad and scared

Can not get over husband

No understanding

Very gruesome times

Someone is always on fire

Life on the bottom

I'm trying to figure out what is the hoopla on Toni Morrison. I've read The Bluest Eye, Sula, Beloved (could not finish), and Song of Solomon (I did enjoy, except for the ending), and can not get into her stories.
Sula is about two childhood friends, Nel and Sula. Sula leaves and comes back 10 yrs later and dances to the beat of a different drummer; like her mother Hannah (the apple does'nt fall far from the tree). Upon Sula's return birds symbolize the irony that takes place and Nel must deal with the question of "Why did you do it Sula, I was good to you."
I did not find anything spectacular about the book other than learning some new words. Ms. Morrison has a vast vocabulary. If you read anything by Ms. Morrison you may want to keep pen and paper, dictionary, thesaurus, and a Toni Morrison reader nearby to at least try and get a grip on her message. Sula was boring and did not keep my interest.
I recommend Song of Solomon, which was a pretty good book and not that difficult to understand. Read Sula at your own risk.

Wow. I read this story for a Womens Writers Literature class in college, and it was one of the most powerful stories I've read. The imagery she uses throughout the story really sticks with you...and it leaves you feeling almost empty. You actually feel the pain and suffering. I recommend it to everyone.

Sula isn't the most famous of Toni Morrison's books, but it may be the best. It reveals humanity at its most raw and vulnerable. The only other Morrison book with this kind of power is Beloved, and the less publicized Sula moves with all the passion and compassion of the acknowledged work of genius. Sula and Beloved both belong on any list of greatest books ever written.

Toni Morrison, one of America's greatest writers some say, has a very subtle way of pulling you in and keeping your interest. This book is about two young women and the hardships they share and face as they grow into women. They each chose a different path into adulthood, but are binded by thier small town as well as thier friendship. The climax results in a choice they have to make, that will ultimately mend, or end thier friendship. This novel is generally an 'easier' reader compared with some of Morrison's other "deep" stuff.

My biggest mistake in reading this book was doing so directly after i had read the incredible 'beloved'; 'sula' was written much earlier, while morrison's style was evidently still developing. nonetheless, it is an excellent book--well defined characters, endlessly intriguing themes, and written in a fascinating style. often it seemed that morrison should have made this book much longer- she seemed to draw many implausible connections that could have been connected with more explination. for example, she constantly talks about what wonderful friends the two women were, rather than show why they were so close. but don't be put off by my rambling. read it.

Morrison weaves these characters masterfully in her tale of two black women--Nel and Sula. Throughout the novel the reader is given characters who each hold different ideas about how a person/woman should act. While Sula (the character) presents herself in a way most might find inappropriate, Morrison never gives a difinitive answer as to where her sympathies lie. While I am contented to side with Sula, I can never forget the values of the other characters and how they contrast with Sula's. But, all in all, this confusion of morals, sympathy, and love is the beauty of the book. And without any of this commentary, the end presents a story one simply CANNOT miss--absolutely beautiful!

I would recommend most of Toni Morrison's work to anyone regardless of age, race, or gender. Her novels are about growing up, girlhood, womanhood; the ups & downs and oftentimes rocky relationships between black men & women...between black women/black men/white women/white men . Yes this book is about 2 black women and their experiences growing up black as friends-but anyone male or female black or white can relate to economic themes, cheating in a marriage, a friend letting you down, mistrust, alienation, an eccentric parent, being unconventional, self-doubt, etc... What this book is about crosses all racial/cultural/gender lines. Someone wrote that they usually avoid Toni Morrison's work as they are "white and male." What if we all felt this way? Imagine all the great books we'd all miss out on! Reading is about broadening your horizons-coming out of "the box"...Reading "transports you" shakes you up, engages you, transforms you; makes us re-evaluate ourselves and the world we live in. I have read almost anything I can about Auschwitz, Hiroshima...Native American Non-Fiction, Gay/Transgender-ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FICTION/NONFICTION, books about midwifery....(the list is infinite)-yet I am childless, heterosexual, young, black & female. I read anything and everything I can. You cannot call yourself a reader and have a myopic point of view concerning race or gender. Reading surpasses race and gender and Miss Morrison's work-especially Tar Baby, Song of Soloman, Beloved, & The Bluest Eye-are worthwhile for reading more than a few times...

Yes I did enjoy Sula however I would recommend the novels mentioned above in addition to Sula. Reading literary criticisms along with Ms. Morrison's work was very helpful to me because-like most EFFECTIVE GOOD DECENT ENGAGING AUTHORS-what she writes has so many other meanings BELOW the surface other than what the reader initially BELIEVES he/she READS/SEES ON the surface...the Bible/spirituality, Mysticism, the Supernatural, Folklore, Existentialism, Gender Themes...the list goes on and on. She's not for the reader who is looking for a creampuff, goofy, EASY, thrown together B.S. type literary experience. From 13-113 black white asian hispanic jewish baptist catholic gay bi str8 male female rich or poor Ms. Morrison's themes appeal to and can apply to anyone and almost everyone anywhere in the world.

Loved this book. I always enjoy books read by the author and like all of Ms Morrison's audio books this one did not disappoint. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading or listening to novels. The story is wonderfully thought provoking and entertaining.

Oprah must have just realized that she had somehow overlooked this gem by Toni Morrison; a huge oversight. I haven't read everything by Toni Morrison. I read Sula first, and it spoiled me for anything else. I've read other books by Toni Morrison, but none that I've read so far come close to Sula. Ms. Morrison's beautiful use of language, exploration of the human heart, and dissection of a community in this book have not been matched by herself or any other author that I've read. The dogeared condition of my copy of Sula speak to how often I've re-read this work. It is more like a beautiful poem than a work of prose.

I uderstood the book just fine. The problem I had with the book is the way the characters were portrayed, I didn't care what happened to them. I think the writer tried to create empathy for them, but didn' t pull it off.

In reading this book, I was very enlightened and interested in the relationship that Morrison portrayed between Nel and Sula. Through the trials and tribulations that these women went through, their friendship lasted until the end. Basically, both of these women choosing different paths and evolving their friendship into something great and everlasting is remarkable. At times this book was shocking and hard to accept. This is Morrison reaching out, and making the reader feel connected. You can't help but feel for these characters.

The book was a charm in the beginning until she began to skip around and I forgot what I was reading about. Although what Toni describes in the life of African Americans at the time was a personal opinion, she really made African Americans seem really stupid. Dont get me wrong some of us were piss poor at the time of the Civil War, but we were really not as dumb as she depicts. She has won her prize due to her outstanding creativity with bouncing around in her stories. After reading about Nel getting married, I did not feel compelled to pick the book up and continue. I really would not recommend this book unless you are taking a class, like me. But then again if you like ignorant drama, and outlandish metaphors Sula is definetly the one. I have not read any of her other stories but this story would not stop me from reading them.

Great book that keys in on certain themes such as freindship, and betrayal. It takes you awhile to sit and analyze the book but all in all after you realize what is going on it fits together like a puzzle. Excellent book and i reccomand it to anyone.email me with your comments

OK, I admit it--I had to read this book for school, and I doubt I would have discovered it otherwise. I really didn't see how it could possibly relate to me: I'm a middle-class white girl from a big city. But you know, this book is about a lot of things: the difference between good and evil, and who gets to decide which is which; the relationships people have when their families fail them; the loss of a friendship when two women let a man come between them. What woman couldn't relate to that? And I also say that this is a book for any feminist who struggles with the conventions of society. It presents you with options: be like Nel, and accept what society offers, or be like Sula and make your own rules.

This book from beginning was unclear. Toni seems as if she had nothing better to do when she wrote this book. Her writing was unclear. What was the meaning to have Sula turn out just like her mother. The whole book was just stupid.I didn't like it and would not reccomed it to anyone. Its a boring book.

Perhaps for the use of a few words in each line, an economy that always brings grandeur to a work of fiction, Toni Morrison makes one visit the black town of Medallion Hall and meet Sula and Nel, two young girls whose lives are going to take the rest of the book to explain. Not as the difficulty I found reading Jazz, as Gabriel Garcia Marquez`s No one writes to the Colonel and The Old Man and the Sea, Morrison shows a wonderful mastership of the written art. I recommend it as a tender, human book. Undoubtely one of Morrison`s best works.

THIS NOVEL CAUGHT MY ATTENTION SINCE THE BEGINNING. IT BROUGHT OUT A LOT OF DIFFERENT EMOTIONS AND THOUGHTS IN ME. IT HELPED ME IDENTIFY MYSELF WITH SOME OF THE FEMALE CHARACTERS AND MADE ME THINK OF HOW COMPLEX AND BEATIFUL WOMEN ARE IN NOVELS,FICTION AND REAL LIFE.

A number of students including myself have read Toney Morrison’s Sula. When it comes to the content of this novel most of us will readily agree that the novel does a fine job illustrating racial issues during the early part of the twentieth century. Where this agreement usually ends is on the question is Sula a good book. The answer to this question is the same as any other book, some are convinced that Morrison is a genus at illustration, others maintain that she is long winded and her writing can be confusing.
I agree that Sula is a hard book to read and that Morrison’s content is a little much for the average reader. In addition, I feel that Morrison’s use of detailed descriptions made Sula to complex. Ultimately I felt Morrison could of either wrote a smaller novel, or kept it the same length by adding more to the story itself. Some might object of course, and praise Morrison for her long windedness. These critics would argue, who am I to disagree with a Princeton professor after all I am just a college freshmen. Yet I would argue that I am the guy that bought her book and overall, I have a right to be disappointed.

This book moves quickly. Morrison is a master of words and it really shows in this book. For any fans of Black literature, this gives the reader an idea of the superstitious aspect of Black life in a way that only Toni Morrison could give. A must read!!

Toni Morrison's Sula is an utterly enjoyable read, haunting and tender at the same time. It about a "deep kind of love" that involves sacrifices and devotion,the stuff that we all strive to, that perfection of existence but can never be reached.

One of my favorite books of Morrison. She yet again creates a beautiful novel that makes the reader think about how women find power, keep it and the effect it has on their community. Very interesting portrayal of two childhood friends and where their lives take them.

Toni Morrison is an amazing writer. She can describe a place in time with such detail and captures the essence of that time that could only be better described if you were actually present in that time. I appreciate that quality in this book because I recommended it to my daughters and they get an actual feel of a time they will never know about except to read one of Toni's books.
I can identify with so many characters in this book personally or by association.
Great Job!

Just completed reading this book by Toni Morrison and I could not put it down. I experienced many lows while reading about the characters in the Bottom and very few highs. The two women, Sula and Nel represent opposites as they developed in life from childhood to adulthood. Although opposite, these two women attracted like magnets with very strong energy between them even at death!! This is a must read for all!!! You must take your time when reading this book in order to understand all of the metaphors.

I wouldn't recommend reading this book if you absolutely could avoid it. It's quite dull throughout most of it and isn't very entertaining. The message throughout the novel is obvious however and that is the part of the book that I did enjoy. This is not a book that I think men would enjoy at all -- if anything, it is a poor excuse for a feelgood strong woman novel.
Toni Morrison writes well -- her descriptions are detailed and somewhat interesting, but I almost struggled to get through this book.

Sula was a wonderful book- i read it this year in my 10th grade honors english class and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although graphic and slightly disturbing at times, if you look, you will find the meaning behind each and every word Toni Morrison has written. The incident with Plum's constipation demonstrates Eva's love and her willingness to do what is necessary to ensure both her survival and the survival of those she cares about. A fascinating story about love, friendship, motherhood, sacrifice, determination, and defining oneself, Sula is a novel brimming with wisdom.

After the last sentence of this book I was at a loss for words. Partly because it was one of the best written books I have ever read. Also because I was somewhat confused. Sula was an internal challenge for me. Everyday, after turning its pages, I would find myself getting lost in its depth and poetic beauty. After reading Sula, Toni Morrison is my favorite author. Every single sentence rolled from my tongue. Sometimes it didn't even matter where the content of the book was going. I was drowning in every single sentence. One page would take me a half an hour to read. It was that good!

I had to read this for a class at the University of California,
Santa Barbara, and it was really a life changing experience. A must read for every girl torn between being "good" and just being, for every girl who knows that the purpose for her existence is weightless. Fabulous read, very short for how much is crammed in there, and the writing is gorgeous. This may sound cheesy, but Sula is there in me and in you too!

The book Sula is all too liberal in its character portrayals and the context in which it describes The Bottom, an underpriveleged African-American area, which the blacks of Medallion, Ohio were swindled into accepting from white landowners. Throughout the book, Morrison portrays The Bottom's characters as immoral lowlifes who have every tendency to committ heinous criminal acts in everyday situations. For example, a mother's pouring of kerosene on her baby and burning him to death. Also, the rampant sexual activity of women of all ages demoralizes black women as prostitutes. The entire style and prose of the work is something suitable for the new regime of social communism being paraded in our public schools, as if the author and leading teacher's unions conspired to create such a biased and controversial text for no reason other than to extend racial hatred and prolong social misgivings.

Reading Sula, it is evident that Toni Morrison is a genius at work. The reverberations of thought and feeling upon finishing this novel are atonishingly far reaching and abundant. I have to write a paper on it and I dont even know where to start, not for the fact that I dont understand, its for the fact that there is so much amazingly intense information and room for character analysis that its spellbinding. I recommend that everybody read this book, it is truely a wonderful and unique experience.

I received an assignment to read Sula, by Toni Morrison for my English class. I would definitely recommend it to others because it is a very educational book to read. It is also interesting because it tells a story of more than just one person. You get to look into the lives of Sula, Nel, Eva, Hannah, and Shadrack who all lived in the bottom. I enjoyed how it showed the friendship between the two girls who became such good friends, and then they went their separate ways. The novel to me was very dramatic, and emotional. Especially when Sula stood on the porch, and watched her mother burn to death. It was very detailed in describing the way things were happening. If you have a chance to read it, I would suggest it for being a very good book.

I had a great time reading this book. Saturday morning with a cup of tea I sat down with this book and didn't get up until I had finished it. It's easy reading and a good story. You can really see and feel the characters. It's just one of them books you read for entertainment.

Such prose is not southern gothic - it's simply nonsense. Do not mention Faulkner in relation to this author - that is insulting a literary treasure. In fact, novels of this mediocrity should never be discussed as literature at all.

I won't repeat what others have said about Morrison's lyrical and literary prose style (good) or her lack of character development in the novel (not so good). Rather I would caution potential readers not to attempt the audio version of this book. Morrison herself is the reader, and her breathy, whispery style does not translate well to listening in the car. Her voice drops off at the end of most sentences making it almost impossible to hear all her words. Very frustrating, to say the least.

I read this book during the summer of my senior year in high school. It is a very powerful book, with an interesting story line. You learn to love Sula. However, there was a scene that may not be appropriate for younger readers. I loved this book and read it quickly. I would read Toni Morrison's other novels based on Sula. Her writing style is very vivid and captivating. I would recommend this book to others.

Morrison's second novel is artfully written. She introduces us to an array of characters and allows us to think about who they are and why they have a place in the novel. While the book is thought-provoking, the idea that Sula is "evil" is a bit heavy-handed. Above all, Sula is about how our relationships with others makes us who we are.

Morrison's examination of how people depend on one another, consciously or otherwise, is full of tension and mystery. Readers are left wondering about the exact circumstances that lead the action to its end. Furthermore, the use of religious imagery adds to the study of what is truly evil in our society. The friendship of Sula and Nel brings many questions to mind about what we really value in our own friends.

Sula is my favorite Toni Morrison novel. In fact, it is one of my favorite novels of all time. Morrison paints a complex picture of human development and behavior. Her two protagonists are strong and different. She, like Jean Toomer in "Cane," has a fierce understanding of pain and how her reader might experience pain. Her language is sublime; her story, compelling.

Unfortunately the book was in much worse shape than advertised. Major water damage, as if it had been read and dropped, in a bathtub. Damage is both to cover-front and back, and the pages inside. Disappointed.

I read this book in a creative writing class and man did it ever give me a look into truly what a dysfunctional family was. This book is another must read and honestly you could read this in a day. Sula is a no nonsense woman about town who even causes disturbances in nature when she comes around and even sleeps with her best friend's husband and doesn't even apologize. Talk about Springer material! But in the novel, you gotta envy her tough approach and how if she wants something or wants to go somewhere she does it with absolute reslove. Great novel and one of Morrison's shortiest.

Sula by Toni Morrson is a scandalous story about Sula and her friend Nel and their experiences growing up in a racist time in a colored town in Ohio called the Bottom. Sula's father dies when she is very young which forces her mother to move back in with Sula's grandmother in order to raise her. Sula's mother, Hannah, never remarries but throughout the novel makes love to many local men. Sula's grandma, Eva, is the matron of her household. Eva witnesses the death of two of her children by means of fire. After Hannah's death, Sula models her mother's behavior and ends up sleeping with many men. She eventually dies from illness, being outlived by Eva and her best friend Nel.

Sula scandalous,

Maker of love with many men,

Lover of Ajax.

Down to the Bottom,

Racially separated,

Sula and Nel walked.

I had a great time reading this book. Saturday morning with a cup of tea I sat down with this book and didn't get up until I had finished it. It's easy reading and a good story. You can really see and feel the characters.

What a disappointment. Self-absorbed writing that sometimes serves no purpose for the story. The writing often seems nothing more than an attempt to write poetic prose. Character development is inconsistent. Morrison makes grand statements about characters that are not only unsupported, but she has actually provided evidence against her assessment.

I don't mind vulgarity in writing if it serves a purpose. The vulgarity of Eva's scene with her infant son's constipation, however, was completely unnecessary. Is was just plain gross and out of place with the rest of the story.

Just because it has Morrison as author does not make it good. Even the best miss the mark sometimes. Morrison's Sula misses by a mile.

This novel traces the history of a black community since 1919 to about 1965. I will say there are two main characters, of course she adds more details to one than the other, very specific, too graphic, almost pornographic (unnecesarely) some parts are so crude that makes you fell sick, the message is confusing. I don't know if she wants you to feel some sympathy for the community or feel discusted.

I thought the book was a really easy breezy read. However it lacked depth to me. I couldn't get totally lost and engrossed in this novel like i love to do when i read
good Fiction! I was unfortunately let down a tad with this one. It was just "Okay" to me.

I have never had any interest in Toni Morrison, but I had to read Sula for a literature class & I'm so glad I did. Although the characters are terribly disturbing at times, they wonderfully created & developed by Morrison & the story is beautifully told. Sula is a very interesting book in many ways & it made me want to read a lot more Toni Morrison.

The only good thing about this book was that it was a quick read. Otherwise I found it a horrible and annoying book. Sula does a horrible thing and instead of taking ownership, apologizing and admitting she was wrong, she whines and makes excuses. She blames it on her childhood yet she is thirty years old. Even though a bad childhood can be tough, at a certain point you have to learn right from wrong and take responsibility for your own wrongdoing.

Sula, a book that talks about the issues of being a black women is a really good novel to read.One of the reasons I recommend it is because of its realism and its themes - death, sex, friendship and poverty.I also think that its characters are very good, its easy to identify with one or both of them. I really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good literature.

I'm embarassed to say that I paid [money] for this book, and I actually finished it. However, the only reason I finished it was because I spent [money] on it. I couldn't wait for the book to end, and I saw absolutely no reason for this book to be written. Complete waste of time and money.....

SULA was the first of Ms. Morrison's books I had the pleasure to read, and I was hooked from the first page. Her use of language and imagery are evocative of Virginia Woolf, but her style is all her own. She paints a haunting and beautiful picture with her words that readers will remember long after they close the final chapter. A must-read for any fan of great literature.

I belong to a book club. This was one of the books selected. I was a bit skeptical at first. I can say that this was my favorite book that I have read in the club. We have read over 30 books so far and I am so glad someone picked this one. This is a treasure.

I do not like this book at all. I had to read it for my college English class. It was a complete waste of my time. I got in arguements with the teacher about whether Sula is a heroine or not. She cheated with her best friend's husband and destroyed their marriage. She watched her mother burning in fire without doing anything to save her life. Her mother died of a severe burn. Sula is a very contemtible character to me. In addition, the language of this novel is very crude and uninnovative. For example, the author used descriptions such as "Christmas came down like a dull axe, too dull to cut through but too shabby to ignore." In the end of the book, Sula died in a hospital, a very pathetic death. No one came to see her except her best friend, whom she had betrayed before. I think books with stories like this should not be celebrated. Sula as the main character lacks moral standards and principles. I just could not believe that it has won the Pulitzer Prize. Please please please do not read it!!!

The Bluest Eye is one of my favorite books of all time. Sula is also a great read. The insights about relationships are some of Morrison's best, the prose is clear and beautiful, and some of the events will stick in your brain for a long time.

I'm sure I would have loved this book. Unfortunately, the audio recording was not loud enough for me to distinguish the words being spoken. I have a "moderate" hearing impairment. I always listen to my books while I drive, as I travel a great deal on business. Even with my audio in full volume, it just didn't work out. Guess I'll have to resort the print version someday when I'm retired. The one-star rating I assigned is a single vote of confidence that the author probably produced a good work.

This was my first Toni Morrison book, and has remained my favorite. You have not experienced fiction until you have read this book, or any of her books, for that matter. I'll just say she writes purely and poeticly, I couldn't give the story away.

Toni Morrison proves herself to be the D.H. Lawrence of the black voice--that is, minus the elegance. The most interesting attribute of this work is its dialogues. The characters talk very funny and, like, real.

Sula is a book written by Toni Morrison.This book is about the lives of two black heroines who took different paths in life.The books deals with subjects like death, sex, friendship and poverty.I really like this book and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys good literature.

This has to be one of the worst books I have ever read. I don't understand what the big deal is. I read it long before Oprah had it on her show - I regret the day I decided to read it. Do yourself a favor and skip it, or see for yourself how awful it really is. Clearly from other reviews some people like it, but I don't see how.

Morrison SHOULD NOT narrate her novels. I have heard several of them narrated by her and they all are terrible. She whispers and shows very little emotion for the characters. Sula is hard to follow and is not entertaining or captivating. I would not recommend reading it.

When I first began to read this book, I was expecting some empowering and life changing novel. Instead, what I got was 174 pages of complaints about how tough life is. The novel had portions that were actually disgusting to me. It was extremely poorly written and if it wasn't for Oprah no one would even bother with it.

This is the worst book I have ever read in my life, and I am not exaggerating. Evidently, Sula is a strong, independent woman because she sleeps with her friend's husband, and doesn't stop having sex even after her friend walks in on them. Because she does what she wants, she is an empowered woman. That is just disgusting. As a woman, I am ashamed of the women who justify such irresponsible and downright selfish behavior. Someone like Sula should be condemned, not praised. Morrison clearly wants us to love Sula, but I absolutely loathe her.

I have read a lot of books, but this has to be one of the worst that I have ever read! I found it to be terribly slow and very hard to get interested in, not to mention that there are several parts that are downright offensive. Don't waste your time, there is much better reading out there!

This book was the worst book I have ever read. It has absolutely no plot and is poorly written. The book is full of unrelated character which were randomly thrown into the book. The book randomly changes characters,and after each character change the characters personality completely changes. The book is EXTERMELY BORING. This book should never have even been published. I would strongly recomend avoiding this book if at all possible.