Customer Reviews

The Bluest Eye

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3 star:		(57)
2 star:		(33)
1 star:		(48)

 

 

The Bluest Eye, the story of a young girl's tortured life, is not a story you can "like". It reads like your worst nightmares, very disturbing and very graphic. It takes a strong stomach to get through this novel. But, this is just what makes the book a masterpiece, that Ms Morrison can draw such powerful feelings from readers. Toni Morrison has grown as a writer. But this book, her first, takes you to a world most didn't know existed and evokes almost unbearably strong emotions. A must read for lovers of great literature. This is not a book you read for pleasure. It's a book you read for the power of the written word.

I will admit to some apprehension prior to picking up this book. I had heard that Toni Morrison, although a brilliant author, is a little hard to understand. And there's nothing I hate more than wading through a book full of abstract poetic descriptions and thick symbolism that goes right over my head. Despite all this, I pulled up my bootstraps and dived right in. What was to follow was quite a surprise.

The Bluest Eye tell the story of the Breedloves, a poor black family living in Lorain, Ohio in the early 1940s. Each chapter tells something different -- the journey of the dad, Cholly, from curious young boy to a drunk and unloving father; the history of the mother, Pauline, and her dreams of movie stars and romance; and the childhood of the children, Sammy and Pecola, and how they deal with life as they've been given. Full of hardships and unfairness, the Breedloves have been through tough times most of their lives. And young Pecola's wishes of blue eyes and blonde hair in order to be loved and respected by others is a testament to the unjust world they lived in.

My fear is that this review won't do the book justice. There is so much written here that left me with feelings of sadness and horror, but also of hope -- hope that our world now has moved on from the racism of the past and will eventually surpass it. The Bluest Eye is highly moving and sensitive, and written in an addictive easy and lyrical style. I may have missed an important part of the book, any underlying symbolism or meaning that Toni Morrison was trying to convey -- I don't know. All I do know is The Bluest Eye is a darn good story, and I'm extremely glad I read it.

Like all of Morrison's work, Bluest Eye is beautifully crafted. It follows a more clearly linear path than most of her more recent writings. But (as is appropriate for its subject matter) it doesn't have the sense of redemption or spiritual uplift that graces much of her other books, especially Song of Solomon. Read it, learn from it and appreciate it, but don't count on it to cheer you up.

I was assigned this book nine years ago during a women's literature class. The story moved me in ways that I can't explain. I grew up in a solidly middle class (primarily white) community, and Toni Morrison introduced me to a little girl who was simply foreign. I was haunted by The Bluest Eye. Bits and pieces of the story would come to mind at odd times over the next year or so, until finally I decided to visit the small town in Ohio where The Bluest Eye is based. So, about 7 years ago, I made that trip. Now each time that I re-read the book (probably twenty times over the past nine years) I have a very solid picture in my mind of where this story unfolds. I remember when Oprah first chose a Toni Morrison book for her club -- I believe it was Song of Solomon. I said at that time (and actually noted it in my Amazon.com review) that she should introduce America to the Bluest Eye. Thank you, Oprah.

Like many of you, I to read Toni Morrison's Song of Solomn first. After reading this one I wanted to find out more about her. So my boss gave me The Bluest Eye. I'm not an avid reader, but I read it in a couple of days.

It's a very sad and hauting story of the destruction of a little black girls spirit and soul. She longed to have blue eyes or anything that would bring about love and attention that she so desperately wanted. Yet society and even her mother could not love her unless she had these "Blue Eyes".

The theme of this book touches on so many social issues. From self loathing and hatred of being born black in a white world to the effects of child abuse from both parents. Many people may not aggree with me that the mother also abused her child, but she did. She allowed herself to become so wrapped up with taking care of a little blue eyed child that she has nothing left for her own family when she comes home. Her words are always harsh and scolding to Pecola. Never soothing and loving. She has left her poor Pecola to fend against the world for herself. And when Pecola needs her mother's help the most it's not there.

I think every mother should read this book. Step away from the characters and see the destruction of a child from lack of love and acceptance. You will remember Pecola's journey forever!

There is a problem with this book: the cover shows the portrait of a young African-American girl. Assuming this is a representation of the protagonist, the reader is immediately at a loss. The reader forms, whether he or she wants to or not, a mental picture (or, at least an outline) of the main character simply by looking at the front.

One of the most important elements to this marvellous work is that we are never allowed a full glimpse of the young girl. She is described, and given a voice, from the narrator, and those that are around her -- but never afforded her own. And it is here that we begin to understand the meaning of the title, "The Bluest Eye."

I believe that I was fortunate to buy this book in the European market; the cover only contains the image of blue marbles -- there is no face, nor should there be. For this is the story of the loss of identity, the futile attempt to perceive from others' perspectives, the dying of a culture and heritage, and the hope that something good can be found when it's very hard to see.

This is the first book that I read by Toni Morrison and I realized instantly that she was an incredible writer who was burning with life. I have now read almost every published Morrison book, but this remains my favorite. Why? Because, like many first novels ("The Bluest Eye" is more novella in length) it is intensely personal and passionate. The story is sad enough to make you cry, yet not without hope. What makes it so amazing for me is its near poetry quality. There are passages that are nearly verse in their beauty and essentialness, meanwhile Morrison slowly brings them home and turns them to her poignant commentary and compassionate telling of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove's tragic dream. Wow! Just writing about it makes me want to go pull the book off its shelf and start reading it again. Great insight into the Southern black experience. Blanket and tissue recommended.

I was surprised to see this book on Oprah's list since I had read it a few years ago. After reading Toni Morrison's marvelous "Beloved", I looked for more of her gifted writing. "The Bluest Eye" is a touching story and deserves high acclaim for the insightful telling of a young girl's outlook on life in her limited world. It is a finely written book and brings the reader insight into another way of life. Oprah made a fine choice in selecting this book; it deserves to be widely read. Toni Morrison is an excellent writer and American treasure. I am waiting for another one of her books to be published.

Toni Morrison is one of the best fiction writers of this era, and she has proved it again and again. The Bluest Eye, Morrison's first novel, is a rich and heart-wrenching story with language so exquisite and beautiful that moved me in many ways.

The story is about Pecola, a girl whose only dream is to have blue eyes. Her perception of beauty is somewhat deluded, but that's the sad reality African Americans have endured for decades. The novel emphasizes self-hatred, but the focus in the story is not how one perceives one's beauty, but rather how others perceive it. The secondary characters are essentially important in the novel. Pecola, the focal character, is not quite as developed as the others. I think Morrison wanted the reader to comprehend other people's perception of Pecola's beauty -- or lack thereof. It is sort of an outsider looking in type of thing. Pecola's story is both tragic and thought provoking. One might wonder: how do I perceive beauty? Is beauty really in the eyes of the beholder?

This is -- without a stretch of doubt -- a thinker's novel. Oprah has picked an excellent book. Toni Morrison is a gifted storyteller. I strongly urge to read this book!

I so wanted to love this book. Oprah spoke of it in a way that I could not wait to read it. I started it a day that I was alone and I had the entire day to relish it. I must say I was disappointed and confused. I felt that the book told of too many characters and not all of them connected to Pecola. The character Soaphead Church disgusted me and I see no need for him in the story. I wanted to feel her desire for "blue eyes" but it seemed to just be grazed over. I was touched by the lives of these little girls but I was not moved by the story. I felt that there was alot of the story missing and I was yearning for it by the end of the book. I felt left hanging and sad with many questions unanswered.