Love

Wow!!! Having been a fan of Toni Morrison since the Bluest Eye I was a little hesitant when picking up her latest book Love. Will this book be another intellectual literary pursuit or will it be lyrical? To tell the truth I didn't care because I always learn more of myself from Toni's books.
I'm glad to say that this book is both: intellectual and lyrical at the same time. It's a chance for women and men to learn that love is more than a snatched kiss in the night, a hand reaching out -- love is complex. Filled with nuances that many of us recognize but have no name for. By far this was Toni's best book and I highly recommend it to everyone. Because I recognize my frailities as a human being I knew without a doubt by page 108 that the title Love was a contradiction, an irony of sorts. All of us old enough to know, think of Love as something to share, to hold, to cherish, which is what Toni wanted us to think when she titled the book Love. It took me 108 pages to discover that the definition of love began with the opening of the book. But like many people I was looking for my definition of love not Love.
My hats off to you Toni for providing me the opportunity to realize that love is intuitive.
Great work.

Morrison never ceases to surprise me. She is an American treasure. Her writing is lyrical, powerful, poetic, complex, and heart-wrenching. You will not be able to put this tale down once you start. One word of advice: Pay attention to every single detail, no matter how minute it might seem at the time. Even something like a look or a off-hand comment can later be of utmost importance. Enjoy!!!

Morrison gives us in about 100 pages nothing less than the twentieth century, as it was lived by the "colored folk" of a seaside community. A community dominated, infatuated, enriched, shocked, ruined, and finally haunted by Bill Cosey, the bigger-than-life owner of the great local hotel. The beautifully characterized voices of five women (Cosey's granddaughter, child bride, cook, daughter-in-law, even his posthumous flirt) spin the fascinating and complex web of love, hatred, dependency, greed, and shame left in the great man's wake.
A great short book, one of Morrison's best.

The description for this book is completely misleading...when I ordered it I was looking forward to reading a book about a captivating man that drew a group of women into a complex love story. But you know what this book was really about? "Love" is a story of spite. Vengeance. Or rather, the bitter aftertaste of love no more. However, I couldn't rate this 1 star because I did finish the book.
I think what kept me going through the book was the character Junior. She was controversial, repugnant in many ways, but she was the only woman not consumed by bitterness, and for that reason alone she appeared almost normal. The reason I couldn't relate to the other hateful female characters is that their animosity doesn't seem explained. The character Bill Cosey is not developed enough to really understand how he deeply impacted so many women.
I do believe that Toni Morrison has a gift for writing, but it is not with writing novels...she should redirect her talents towards poetry. She has a lot of disconnected yet evocative images, which can often be more effective in a well-crafted poem that can withstand a heavier load of abstraction. As it is, she often rambled on tangents that I couldn't follow, and eventually, I would skim her chapters of italics because I lost interest when she tried to be too artistic or philosophical.

Toni Morrison, being possibly the best writer of this generation, pulls you into the story. Although not quite as complex as some of her other books (like Beloved or Paradise), you can't help but be drawn to the characters and their plights. Her words are beautiful, so well-chosen in each sentence. Once I finished, I just wanted to go back to the beginning and catch all the incredible things I may have missed the first time around. The best author ever.

This book was somewhat confusing at times. I read to re-read passages to try to get the understanding of what was happening and then after re reading I still did not know what was going on. Her transtions from point of views leave you wondering who is speaking because there is no transition. One minute one character is speaking then the next someone else is speaking and you wouldn't know this happened untill you finished a paragraph or two. ALthough at first I was falling asleep while reading this book. Towards the end I found myself compelled to read what would happen next. All in all this is a good read.

Toni Morrison, as usual, is a fabulous author! I love reading her novels, and I've read them all. I was delighted when she came out with this book, and I was very satisfied when reading it. Her characters are wonderful, and she's the best!

This was my first time reading a Toni Morrison book. I heard exceptional things about some of her previous writings and saw her interviewed on the Oprah show. At the onset I found her style of writing quite difficult to enjoy and understand. I decided to continue and there were moments where I was completely lost and brief moments where I enjoyed it. However, the majority of the book was most disappointing to me.

Like other books by the author Love is written in poetic form. However, I get lost within the words. The story is often missed by the weaving of poetry. It's a slow build up, and then it mellows off. Sometimes I got lost in what she was trying to relay, so pay attention.