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What are readers saying about Beloved?
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Ron posted a review at 2009-07-21 07:38:15.
(Language: English)
   
I realize that those who love this book, consider it a masterpiece of American literature, and I can understand why this is so. It is a complex story interwoven with a difficult philisophical question. At the end, however, it failed to appeal to me. It may have been the non-linear story-telling which the author favored that failed to motivate my reading. Or it can be that I will, hopefully, only understand one half of the protagonist's dilemna. That is to say, I understand the love between a parent and a child and the extreme lengths one will go to protect that bond. Though I can empathise with the victims, I will never understand the constant terror and fear in which African-American slaves lived. Without that important element, I will always fail to comprehend Sethe's ultimate decision. 
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-10-28 09:03:22.
(Language: English)
Hard to read, but worth it. Take your time, be willing to be confused, and you'll come out changed. She messes with time and sequencing on purpose, to disorient the reader, mimicking what the slaves would have felt like when suddenly sold from place to place. So much to say about this book...it's like a puzzle with a million pieces.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-01 02:41:39.
(Language: English)
oh Beloved... This will always be "that book" that I never would have read had I not been forced to by my high school AP English Lit teacher. Toni Morrison says she writes "specifically for African American readers", and since I'm not African American, does that justify me not really liking this novel??? Apparently, I wasn't supposed to be able to relate to it anyway??? All I know is, I was up to my freakin' ears in symbolisms and metaphors. There was simply TOO MUCH to dissect; I didn't know where to start. Anyway, racist author and "hidden literary meanings" aside, the story itself was pretty interesting to read. I gave "Beloved" two out of five stars because it certainly wasn't the worst book I've ever read, and it will always hold a special place in my heart thanks to Laura Mullee's Beloved cartoons :-)
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Sophie posted a review at 2009-11-07 03:17:53.
(Language: French)
Un roman complexe mais bouleversant. J'ai voulu faire ma maligne et le lire en anglais. Je n'ai par moments absolument rien compris. Au final, je crois avoir saisi 75% de l'intrigue. Le plus perturbant c'est le personnage éponyme dont la nature n'est à aucun moment explicitée par le narrateur. Fantôme, hallucination, usurpatrice ? Le roman ne tranche pas, nous donne tous les ressentis des autres personnages et nous laisse sur notre faim. Je recommande toutefois la lecture du roman pour toutes les pages sur le ressenti des personnages vis-à-vis de l'esclavage. Sur un thème resassé, l'écriture de Toni Morrison donne à ressentir cette époque et m'a permis de me sentir dans la peau d'un esclave, ce que je n'avais jamais lu encore ailleurs !
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-09-21 06:15:30.
(Language: English)
A powerful book? Yes. Well written? Yes. Worthy of the Pulitzer Prize? I'm not so sure. I read this book in high school as part of my course-work. This means i had the many themes, sub-texts, and references somewhat rammed down my throat which, in fairness, may cloud my view slightly. But i have to say, i found this book extremely overrated. Morrison tackles difficult subject matter: slavery, abortion, rape, for example. She writes powerfully and certainly doesn't pull any punches. It's simultaneously thought-provoking, shocking, heart-warming, and heart-rending. It can make you feel sick to your stomach, or fill you with hope. This is commendable, and this effect alone makes it a well-written book. However, my overriding feeling was one of frustration. I felt almost as though, being a white european male, i should be ashamed of myself. Ashamed for something that i had no part in and that happened hundreds of years before i was born. I didn't feel as though i could really, truly access this book, like it wasn't written for me as i wasn't ever supposed to relate to it. Beloved provokes wildly contrasting views from each reader, and in this capacity it's perhaps worth tackling. But personally, not for me.
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Mary posted a review at 2011-12-03 05:09:35.
(Language: English)
Beloved was one book I loved. The story is sad, as all stories that tell about the injustice and cruelty towards women, children, race or creed are. Everyone should read this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-17 08:34:15.
(Language: English)
This book is based on the true story of Margaret Garner, a young mother who, having escaped slavery,was arrested for killing one of her children (and trying to kill the others) rather than let them be returned to the owner's plantation. She became a cause celebre in the fight against the Fugitive Slave laws, which mandated the return of escapees to their owners. The writer has taken the essence of the story and written her own version of it...........she merges horror and beauty in a story that will stay etched in your mind for a long time. A truly good read!
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-04 07:45:43.
(Language: English)
This book was mildly interesting, but I think the only reason I read it all the way through was because I had to do it for a class. Otherwise, things would be quite different. I really didn't like the way Morrison told the story. It started from the end and went back to the beginning as I read further. As a result, I had absolutely no clue what was going on when I started the book. She also has such a way of describing things that it feels indirect. You don't really understand what she is trying to say unless you reread sections more than three times - at least that's how it was for me. However, it did have a completely different take on slavery than any book I've ever read about it. You never see a book about slavery with ghosts in it! I also think the only reason this book got the fame that it did was because Oprah pushed it so much. Otherwise, Morrison probably would have never gotten the publicity that she did.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-21 07:10:27.
(Language: English)
Once I realized this book was based on the story of a slave woman, I was interested. When I started reading the book, I realized how well, accurate and thought provoking Toni Morrison's writing is; I was intrigued. When I discovered the symbolism I was HOOKED! Love this book, and style, but also think there is importance in knowing the dark history of the United States and learning from all of it. Always looking and paying attention to others and how we all want and need Love. I could say so much more about this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-28 10:15:36.
(Language: English)
Admittedly, Beloved is a bit of a strange novel. The central conflicts in the story are those produced by the scourge of slavery and its effect on the African American community. The past life of Sethe, the protagonist, interferes and often obstructs her present way of living. In the novel, Sethe's old decisions even come back to haunt her and Morrison hypostatizes these decisions by reincarnating her long-dead child Beloved. The novel teems with flashbacks and streams of consciousness, creatively obscuring fact from fiction, past from present, and mundane from supramundane. Overall, it's an emotional and sensitive jaunt that leaves the reader with a more profound understanding of the implications of slavery on human life.
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Jen posted a review at 2010-05-25 01:36:54.
(Language: English)
This book had its captivating moments. I appreciate that Morrison chose to use a true event for the starting point of her story. The issue I have with her writing is that it is too thought out. What I mean by this is that she doesn't let the story flow. There's too much symbolism on top of symbolism. A few subtle similes and metaphors can be good. The literary nuances shouldn't be thrown in our face, though. It makes it hard for the reader to enjoy the story, get swept up in it.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-07-29 09:03:05.
(Language: English)
This novel is one of the foundations of mothering and motherhood, and applies to our modern day culture as well. I read this twice, once for fun, and I didn't like it. It wasn't until my social science course that I read it for the second time and fell in love with it. I loved certain quotes like "They took my milk" symbolizing everything that remains to mother Sethe's identity as a mother which was non-existent duriung the African-American slave trade, as well as hinted at sexual victimization. Though Sethe is freed from slavery, she is still trapped at a symbolic level through what she did in the past, which I'm not revealing. There is also the question of what Beloved represents as reincarnation or a result of a guilty conscience. These are the questions which one must figure out while reading the novel, as well as the maternal definition of preservation.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-04 01:08:39.
(Language: English)
Powerful. Deep. Disturbing. This book is beautifully written and deals with disturbing subject matter-the impact of slavery and its abolishment and how it tears apart relationships-especially between mother and child. There is much beauty in which the protagonists reconcile with their pasts. The style is wonderfully lyrical, the narrative, non-linear, the descriptions are visually brilliant. It breaks rules of grammar every now and then and is peppered with imaginative words suchasthis. The characters are finely etched. The story is so expertly weaved together that it stands as a testament to the author's incredible skill as a writer. Personally, I found it difficult to relate to the subject matter but I still appreciate it as a great work of art. This is not a light, enjoyable read. It is much too grim and horrifying, with a supernatural element to it. Regardless, I am enriched having the read this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-02 04:23:44.
(Language: English)
Dealing with the past: In the most abstract, non-contextual, sense, Toni Morrison explores the issue of dealing with the past. Beloved is a story about former slaves. From here, you see the destroyed identities these characters have due to slavery and their own inability to cope with the past and past actions. It inhibits one to form a coherent self-identity, thus an inability to learn how to deal with traumas and go forward. Lastly, there is something to be said about community. Community is needed. It provides solidarity, the connections that people need for social support, whatever it might be. Sethe’s past actions cut that support from the community. However, the community is also at fault for their view of Sethe and Baby Suggs. Both sides eventually reconcile and that is what Morrison explores. Dealing with the past: You must reconcile what has happened with what is happening in order to have a better feature. However, you cannot do that without knowing what has happened. This is what the character Denver represents, someone willing to ignore the past and thus unable to reconcile herself and her current situation. When she is confronted with knowledge of the past and learning what has happened instead of ignoring history, she starts to reconcile her family with the community. In turn, the community begins to reconcile with the residents of 124 and make up for their past mistakes Make no mistake though, this is about the destruction slavery has caused and while sad and depressing, the end provides an idea of hope: That eventually we can reconcile what has happened with what is happening and build a better future. Lastly, I applaud Morrison for her use of the supernatural. Whether drawn from African Culture or use of Christian Symbolism, it adds to the story because it implies there is something greater than ourselves that will make us confront that which we do not want to confront.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-01 07:18:09.
(Language: English)
Merged with heartbreaking themes and sentimental tones, Toni Morrison’s book Beloved takes its readers back and forth from future to the past and absorbs the readers with its distinctive, unique style. Morrison’s Beloved takes the setting in a small house in Ohio that’s haunted by a baby ghost. A former slave who ran away from her old home, Sethe lives a quite life with her only surviving daughter Denver until her peaceful, but absent life is interrupted by Paul D, another ex-slave from her old ‘Sweet Home’ and Beloved, a mysterious girl that seems to be the resurrection of Sethe’s dead daughter. As the plot unveils, the novel travels back and forth through the characters’ memories and tells of the character’s horrifying past and troubling present. Throughout Beloved, the characters are constantly reminded of their unforgettable past and struggle to move on. Sethe, haunted by the guilt of killing her own daughter under the excuse of trying to save her kid from having to go through brutal slavery, gets enthralled by Beloved’s sudden appearance. Paul D initially seeks to find comfort from Sethe and wishes to form a family with her, but the presence of Beloved and the fact that Sethe had killed her own child frightens him and leads him to leave Sethe’s house. After Paul D leaves the household Sethe is left with Beloved and Denver, and it seems that Beloved is taking away Sethe’s energy. Taken by the guilt, Sethe misses to see the mischief happening in her house and turns feeble and frail day by day. Worried about her mother, Denver, whom matures as Sethe torments and grows frail, serves as Sethe’s only connection to the outside world, and brings in the neighbour whom exorcises Beloved’s presence. The news of Sethe’s illness brings back Paul D, and as he sees Sethe laying on the bed with vacant eyes, he realizes how Sethe has always been the one who filled him in what he lacks. With Beloved gone, Sethe, Denver, and Paul D together try to forget Beloved and work to move on for the sake of their future. “Sethe,” he says, “me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow.” He leans over and takes her hand. With the other he touches her face. “You your best thing, Sethe. You are.” (p.322) During the course of the story, Toni Morrison uses the tragedy of the slavery to imply the need for people to move on. The presence of Beloved was an everlasting tie to the past for Sethe, and with her disappearance the characters are finally able move on. Sethe had lived a life that had been solely dedicated to her children, and when Paul D finally mentions that “You your best thing”, Sethe is set free from the guilt of killing her own child. Through out the novel, Morrison masterfully transforms the abyss of slavery into a time traveling sentimental novel that’s definitely worth reading.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-28 08:11:34.
(Language: English)
I found this book profoundly moving and horribly confusing. The author has taken the stories of slaves and strung them together with a common thread of a ghost story. All of them are haunted by their slave past. The language of the book is quite beautiful. I wish I could write such amazing imagery. The continuity leaves much to be desired as it jumps from person to person and time-frame to time-frame, confusing the heck out of the reader...well me anyway. It's an excellent book but as to voting it the best book of the last 25 years? I'm not sure on that one.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-18 02:11:17.
(Language: English)
A wonderful story of magical realism - and a scathing indictment of the horrors and hypocrisy of slavery. Based on the true story of a woman who had escaped across the state line, which meant she was free, until the law was changed and a kind of slave bounty hunter was commisioned to recapture slaves. the woman killed her own child rather than have it raised a slave - and, get this - was charged and tried for THEFT, her baby did not belong to belong to her, but to her owner. In the book the dead baby comes back in the form of a young woman and all kinds of trouble comes with her. Every character is beautifully drawn, and the symbolism has tremendous impact - such as paul D's heart, which he pictures as locked away in an old tobacco tin, somewhere inside his chest, where it is both protected, but essentially useless, because he cannot share it. This is a difficult book to read, but so worth the effort.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-12-30 11:21:51.
(Language: English)
Beloved is a 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. The novel is loosely based on the life and legal case of the slave Margaret Garner, about whom Morrison later wrote in the opera Margaret Garner (2005). In 1998 the novel was adapted into a film of the same name starring Oprah Winfrey. A survey of eminent authors and critics conducted by The New York Times found Beloved the best work of American fiction of the past 25 years; it garnered 15 of 125 votes, finishing ahead of Don DeLillo's Underworld (11 votes), Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian and John Updike's Rabbit series . The results appeared in The New York Times Book Review on May 21, 2006. Plot summary The book follows the story of Sethe (pronounced "Seth-uh") and her daughter Denver as they try to rebuild their lives after having escaped from slavery. One day, a young lady shows up at their house, saying that her name is "Beloved." Sethe comes to believe that the girl is another of her daughters, whom Sethe murdered by slitting her throat with a handsaw when she was only two years old to save her from a life of slavery, and whose tombstone reads "Beloved." Beloved's return consumes Sethe to the point where she ignores her other daughter and even her own needs, while Beloved becomes more and more demanding. Paul D. and Stamp Paid know that Beloved is evil, but do nothing out of fear. The novel follows in the tradition of slave narratives, but also confronts the more painful and taboo aspects of slavery, such as sexual abuse and violence. Morrison feels these issues were avoided in the traditional slave narratives. In the novel, she explores the effects on the characters, Paul D and Sethe, of trying to repress - and then come to terms with - the painful memories of their past. Major themes Beloved is a novel based on the impact of slavery and of the emancipation of slaves on individual black people. There are several themes that remain central to the novel: Motherhood The concept of motherhood within Beloved is as an overarching and overwhelming love that can conquer all, strongly typified within the novel by the character Sethe, whose very name is the feminine of "Seth"- the Biblical 'father of the world'. This can also be seen within Morrison's other works and has led to her sometimes being cited as a feminist writer. The feminine capacity for love is maximal: "It hurt her when mosquitoes bit her baby". Further, Sethe's escape from the slave plantation (ironically named 'Sweet Home') stems from her desire to keep the "mother of her children alive" and not from any personal survival instinct. Sethe's maternal instincts almost lead to her own destruction. We can here assume the interpretation that Beloved is a wrathful character looking to wreak revenge on Sethe for killing her, despite the fact that the murder was, in Sethe's mind, an entirely loving act. Sethe's guilt at Beloved's death means that she is willing to "give up her life, every minute, hour and second of it, to take back just one of Beloved's tears". Further, toward the end of the novel, "Beloved didn't move, said, 'Do it', and Sethe complied". The strength of her love leads her almost to the point of death as she allows Beloved to take her revenge.--- History Toni Morrison wrote Beloved on a foundation of historical events. The most significant event within the novel--the "Misery", or Sethe's murder of Beloved--is based on an actual historical event. In 1856, Margaret Garner murdered her children to prevent them from being recaptured and taken back into slavery with the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. Morrison admits to "an obsession" with this account after she discovered it while helping edit a scrapbook on black history. The novel itself can be seen as the reworking of fact into something with a very emotional central message. History is woven throughout the novel. The Middle Passage is referenced along with the Underground Railway in many parts of the novel; the 'Sixty Million and More' to whom Morrison dedicates the novel may refer to the many who died during the Middle Passage. The entire concept of the slavery described in the novel: Paul D's confinement in Georgia, ideas such as the "bit" and the legislature described are all based on history. This gives the novel a powerful impact. Beloved's appearance reawakens memories of slavery among the other characters, and they are forced to deal with their past instead of trying to repress their memories. Reincarnation and rebirth are also themes in this novel. Manhood Again, the concept of manhood is important within Beloved. Paul D is the only developed example of a male character, and is "the kind of man who could walk into a house and make the women cry. Because with him, in his presence, they could cry and tell him things they only told each other". He is, however, emotionally crippled and is forced to keep his emotions locked inside a "tobacco tin"- a box "rusted shut." This is a metaphor for the way in which he must control his feelings to survive. During the chain-gang period, his hands uncontrollably shake until he can learn to trap his emotions and effectively lock them away. It takes Beloved to release him, shown by the uncontrolled repetition of "Red Heart. Red Heart..." Within the novel, the male is significantly weaker than the female, one reason being there is no other developed male character other than Paul D to test the strength of women in the novel against, all others being the past oppressors of Sethe and other former slaves. Paul D cannot cope with the extreme demonstration of love exemplified by Sethe's murder of Beloved and leaves. Still, the book ends with Paul D coming back "to put his story next to hers", a display of his courage and mature love, if crippled by his slavery ordeal. Leaving the readers without ultimate answers, Toni Morrison concludes on a hopeful note, with Paul D trying to explain troubled and past-obsessed Sethe that "[she is her] best thing." The most strongly ambiguous character within the novel is Beloved. The first interpretation of her character is that she is a supernatural, incarnate form of Sethe's murdered daughter. The second is of her as, as Stamp Paid puts it, "a girl locked up by a white man over by Deer Creek. Found him dead last summer and the girl gone. Maybe that's her". Both are supportable by the text. The concept that Beloved is the re-incarnated child is supported by her knowledge of the song that "nobody knows but me and my children" and her knowledge of Sethe's earrings, but it is also true that the characters have a psychological need for Beloved- Sethe can assuage her guilt over the death of her child, and Denver gains a playmate, or even more. The reader is forced to be active rather than passive and is made to work to discover what is going on. The emphasis is on interpretation rather than on what the author says.
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A Reader posted a review at 2011-10-08 07:33:41.
(Language: English)
Beloved is bleak and raw. It attacks like a wounded lioness; leaving the world bloody as it avenges her pride of all wrongs. Beloved is history - brutal and naked in all her faults. The damage is permanent, and Beloved won't let you forget it, no matter how much you regret it, how much you've tried to erase it. Beloved is beautiful. She is a song screaming to be sung. Beloved is a gift. Humanity deserves her, and Beloved knows it. "... we got more yesterdays than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow." The novel is near perfect. It will break you down, destroy you, wreck you. Then it will revive you, embrace you, mend you. Only to destroy you again. Beloved deserves only the highest recommendation.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-06-24 03:30:49.
(Language: English)
This story is laced with duality - the living and the dead, the past and the present, the present and the future, black people and white, children and adults, hope and despair. The lines are often blurred to favour the negative, as you might expect from a story about slaves in America, freed or otherwise.It's a challenging read, in terms of narrative and imagery. Morrison doesn't hold back and is brilliant at describing - as a result this book will make you imagine things you never would have thought of and that you would never, ever want to - and ends up extremely rewarding on that front, if you don't mind being harrowed too much.The text can be quite dense or obtuse - for some readers this is another rewarding challenge, though my relatively simple mind has quite a hard time getting around that. And let's be sure - this isn't a story to enjoy, but is definitely an experience that will shock a few times, and you may just question your own morals along the way.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-01-28 11:20:57.
(Language: English)
Beloved is a powerful story that examines the physical, emotional and psychological effects of slavery illustrated in the actions of Sethe, a slave who escapes the "Sweet Home" plantation with her four children, her sheltered and lonely daughter Denver, and Paul D., a fellow slave from her "Sweet Home" days. When the slave catchers track her down, Sethe makes a drastic decision which will come to haunt her (and I mean that literally) for years. The hateful and violent acts depicted in this novel made me both angry and sympathetic but somehow still lacking in empathy. Even while privy to the characters' private thoughts, I felt removed from them. Certainly the suffering the characters endure is horrific, but the story must also be believable and the characters real human beings for me to feel their pain. I think much of this realism was lost as the story began to rely more heavily on symbolism and the metaphysical. I became almost completely detached. I did enjoy the author's writing style and will look into reading some of her other books. I think I would have appreciated Beloved more had it not been presented as a "ghost story".
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-10-30 06:13:04.
(Language: English)
A powerful novel that carries a poetic nuance only Morrison can create, "Beloved" will place you in moral dilemmas while keeping you engulfed by the mystery surrounding the character Beloved. Morrison confronts the struggle, heartache and devastation of African-American slave familie in the early 1800s head on through a complex cast of characters, both living and dead, entwined by their own personal histories that are. "Beloved" carries a tone that shakes the foundations of possibility, leaving you emotionally drained by the tragedy of a community haunted by it's history. Go read it now!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-02 03:19:43.
(Language: English)
Beloved is one of the most emotionally draining novels that I’ve read so far, yet at the same time, the most beautifully written novel. This novel deals with a heavy and somber theme, which is, slavery. To live in a society, which whites rule over African Americans was not always an easy task. African Americans weren’t able to “love”. Their marriage wasn’t allowed because slaves were the property of their owners. Without a doubt, having children was hard to imagine. Even if you have children, they would sooner or later be taken away from you or be killed. Therefore, in this novel, a sense of love, and maternity was considered as a sin, or in other words taboo in order to protect yourself. If you are devoted and into one object, belief, or a person, you will break down when that one important thing in your life is taken away. I specifically remember Sethe’s scar on her back that looked like tree, and I thought that it represented Sethe’s incomplete family tree. She never got to know her mother, she only knew that her mother had a scar on her back; she was separated with her husband, and children. In this sense, I had to conclude that Sethe, the protagonist of this novel was courageous. However, can murder of Sethe’s daughter (Beloved) be justified? It is understandable that Sethe didn’t want her daughter to walk the same path of life like Sethe herself did, but it was hard for me to justify Sethe’s murder of her daughter. Sethe, during the book, her past and present was jumbled all together. The awful memories of her being raped, and the memory of Sethe cutting her daughter’s throat with her own hand. Because Sethe’s past and present was mixed up through the novel, it was hard to keep in track. I thought that Beloved, or the ghost that was haunting 124 was the baby that was killed by Sethe. However, I realized that the ghost can possibly be symbolizing the rage and despair of tons of African American who suffered under slavery. In this book, it seems like it is one family’s story. A mother, and a murdered daughter who are both the victims of slavery. However, I thought that it was a story of slavery, and people in general, and Sethe and her daughter’s story was just a small part of the whole slavery issue. Overall, the reading was dense, and hard to keep track of the story. However, it was the most compelling, and powerful novel that was ever written which did a great job on conveying the voices of African Americans.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-08-08 03:17:40.
(Language: English)
What separates humans from animals? Language? Technology? Agriculture? Dolphins talk. Chimps use tools. Ants farm. Freedom? Morrison shows this feature of humanity in the liberty, often only a freedom of the mind, manifested by her characters. Those that find no mental respite are not free: slaves or masters. Strange how one institution enslaves both. Character development is her strength, and some (Baby Sugg, Sixo) are endowed with the Secret to life and worth the cost of admission alone. However, I thought the magical realism actually detracted from the novel, an unnecessary plot crutch, either tell your story straight up, or if you're going, dive in headfirst like Garcia Marques. The most spirited parts of Beloved were sans spirits. Altogether I found it more consistent but at a lower level than say an uneven Bukowski, with mounds of rough dirt to sift through in order to happen upon the gold nuggets. I prefer the Bukowski. Or better yet, consistently brilliant, like Dillard.
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A Reader posted a review at 2007-10-31 01:13:50.
(Language: English)
This is one of the best books that i have ever read. Morrison interweaves the supernatural with gritty realism in a gripping tale about love - love between man and woman, between sisters, and above all between parent & child. The story starts with the appalling consequences of the passionate need of one woman to save her daughter from a life of slavery, but then spends almost 20years having to cope with the loss and the guilt. With a supernatural and pleasingly quirky twist, the mother and daughter are re-unitied but the joy of the finding her child again is short lived. Excellent! I have never read a book before that was so uniquely written which battles so well the massive themes of time and identity. The story held me spellbound from it's opening lines to final words. It seemed to satisfy a real hunger in me for 'EXCELLENT' literature!!!...xx and left me hungry for more! Poetic, haunting and in places shocking too!
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