Love by Toni Morrison

Posted on | July 26, 2010 | 14 Comments

If you are a regular reader of my blog then you may well know that Toni Morrison is one of my favourite writers. I own all of her books (in matching white editions): I cherish her books; I ration them out. To date I have read six of Morrison’s nine novels and now Love may very well be my new favourite (Beloved is a masterpiece but I was very pleasantly left in awe by Love). You may also know that my edition of Love is one of my all-time beloved possessions; my boyfriend gave me the newly published hardback on our first Christmas together and wrote a touching inscription inside. What you may not know is that I LOVED Love.

I read along with three favourite bloggers, Claire of Kiss a Cloud, Steph of Steph and Tony Investigate and Nymeth of Things Mean a Lot; you can read their eloquent views by clicking on their blog links. One of the things I love most about co-reading is when each individual focuses on different aspects of the novel and their personal connection to it. Conclusively, we all embraced this novel; personally, I loved it with every fibre of my being.

Am I alone in gaining great satisfaction -and butterflies in my tummy- when different strands of narrative come together so perfectly in the last third of quarter or fifth of a novel? So completely and utterly perfect do things slot into place at the end of Love that I sighed with contentment and joy; the resolution, the unveiling of secrets, the realisation that the title is more apt than first believed… all cemented how much I adored this novel.

I savoured Morrison’s lush prose, her beautiful imagery and succinct expressions; I have always known that Morrison was an exceptionally talented writer but her writing is exquisite in Love, often making me gasp. The storyline and themes are every bit as powerful as I have come to expect; the plot itself is simplistic but there are so many threads woven in and out of the text to make it an impressive tapestry of characterisation and universal thematic appeal. Even though Love is, to date, Morrison’s penultimate novel, I think it is a very good one to start with, especially for those readers intimidated by Morrison; not quite as devastating as her other novels, Love does have one scene of exceptionally uncomfortable violence (a gang rape) and a couple of disconcerting relationships, but I cannot stress enough how much Toni Morrison’s writing is worth the -at times- dark subject matter.

Love has a sometimes confusing non-linear narrative with multiple narrators but it is so expertly crafted. The Cosey women were and are all obsessed with Bill Cosey; their love is obsessive, all-consuming and the root of a lifetime of jealousies, resentments and hurt. Cosey is dead and only appears in the novel through reminiscences, all showing him in a different -and sometimes unfavourable- light. Heed (the Night) and Christine are the surviving Cosey women, living together in acrimony, each feeling betrayed by the other from childhood; their relationship is the crux of the novel. Hurt, betrayal and the power of memory -and its unreliability and subjectivity- are what makes Love so emotionally-charged and moving. Evocative and emotional, Love has me reaching for the three unread Morrison novels on my shelf; I want to gorge myself on them instead of ration and then reread them over and over again.

Many thanks to my lovely co-reviewers.

Comments

14 Responses to “Love by Toni Morrison”

kimbofo
July 26th, 2010 @ 5:55 pm

It sounds fab, Claire. I have a few Morrisons in my TBR but shamefully not read anything by her before. Too many books, too little time!
Steph
July 26th, 2010 @ 6:14 pm

I am completely with you – a great beginning is always a perk, but for me the ending is always the thing that makes or breaks a novel, and with Love, I definitely felt the ending elevated it to a higher echelon of reading for me. I am continually in awe at how fluid and graceful Morrison’s writing always is. She astounds me.

Thanks so much for having me along for this re-read! It was so wonderful to finally experience a new Morrison. Like you, I carefully ration her books out!
claire (kiss a cloud)
July 26th, 2010 @ 6:45 pm

Yes! The ending was done perfectly in that the love we had been watching out for throughout the book suddenly reared its head.

It’s wonderful that this may have become your fave Morrison, being that it was given to you by your loved one and given the title. Mine’s still Song of Solomon.. but never have I not loved anything she’s written. You are right, she evokes such emotion. I particularly love the lushness of her voice. Her language is rich and so beautiful but always paired with hurt and bitterness and anger and violence, thus the intensity.

I’m bummed that I’ve only one more left to read… (Paradise).
vivienne
July 26th, 2010 @ 6:55 pm

What a lovely review. I did read Nymeth’s too this morning. I was a bit put off by the violence in it,so not sure if it is one for me.
Sakura
July 26th, 2010 @ 8:41 pm

I’ve never read any of Morrison’s novels…I know, I’ve been meaning to but never got around it. Yours and Nymeth’s posts have really made me want to read them now. But I may save it for next year when I plan to do a lot of American reading!
Jenny
July 26th, 2010 @ 11:29 pm

Does “nonlinear” mean stream-of-consciousness? I want to love stream-of-consciousness narration but I have the hardest time reading it. I always want to take a basket of commas and dump them into the book. :p
Novel Insights
July 26th, 2010 @ 11:30 pm

Wow. I really should read more Toni Morrison. I read Beloved when I was at school but it made quite an impression on me at the time. I really enjoyed your heartfelt review.
jenn
July 26th, 2010 @ 11:50 pm

I’m so glad you reviewed this. I’m a huge Toni Morrison fan and feel the same way about wanting to savor each. I’ve read Beloved, Sula, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye, and a mercy.

I’ve loved each for different reasons and am in awe of her talent. When I reviewed The Bluest Eye last month, I mention that often her writing is like literary portraiture – you get such an intimate portrayal of her characters.

I’ve got Love at home and will be moving it up in my stack. Thanks for the review.
Nymeth
July 27th, 2010 @ 8:57 am

The final section, when everything comes together, is indeed absolutely perfect – and so moving. Many thanks to you, Steph and Claire for encouraging me to read this at last!
Simon (Savidge Reads)
July 27th, 2010 @ 5:52 pm

This does sound really good Claire. I would really like to give Toni Morrison a whirl… yes that is me admitting that I haven’t read a single word of hers yet which I am most annoyed with myself for.
Shelley
July 28th, 2010 @ 3:49 am

Her essays are hot, too.
Booksploring
August 1st, 2010 @ 4:45 am

I’ve never read any of Morrison’s books before. Sounds like I’d love them though – thanks for the review
Vita
August 2nd, 2010 @ 12:58 am

Great to find so many people who love Toni Morrison’s writing. Great review … and makes me want to go back and re-read… Toni Morrison just has that great prose that sings. The dialogue springs from the page and inhabits your psyche….

This was one of my least favourite of hers…. that and Jazz which left me numb… but everything else is knockout. I remember first discovering Toni Morrison as a 13/14 year old kid from deepest, darkest Somerset finding Song of Solomon amongst the shelves at her local library. I took the book off the shelf and on the front was a picture of a primitive angel and on the back a photo of Toni Morrison with a magnificent afro…. I was immediately hooked.

Beloved is still my favourites though…..
It is still the most astounding novel to come out of the US and ranks as one of the all time best 20th century novels.
Paperback Reader
August 7th, 2010 @ 2:43 pm

Kim, I know that feeling well but HIGHLY recommend Morrison.

Steph, “I definitely felt the ending elevated it to a higher echelon of reading for me” – my thoughts exactly! A perfect ending often makes a novel and a poor one breaks it.

Claire, it is entirely apt that I loved this book so intensely when the physical book means so much to me and was given to me by my love.

I’ve yet to read Paradise too along with Jazz and Tar Baby. I wonder whether she will write another novel. I do look forward to rereading everything (often) once they are poignantly all read as I could never not have Morrison in my life.

Vivienne, thank you. Love is probably one of her least violent novels that I have read so far; it is important to note that any violence that she includes us always necessary and never gratuitous.

Sakura, I think that it would be impossible -and unadvised- to do a lot of American reading and NOT read Morrison! She is such an integral part of American literature, at least to me.

Jenny, I think I answered this on Twitter at the time but “nonlinear” means non-chronological, shifting back and forth in time.

Polly, I am so glad that you enjoyed my review. Beloved is an immensely powerful novel and never fails to move me.

Jenn, you are very welcome. I have read all of the ones that you have and likewise admired different strengths in each. “Literary portraiture” is an extraordinary apt description of Morrison’s skill.

Ana, it was indeed perfect and incredibly moving. I enjoyed reading along with you and so pleased that you joined us.

Simon, I’m sure that you will read Toni Morrison at some point and be happy to do so.

Shelley, I haven’t read much of her nonfiction but fully intend to.

Booksploring, you are welcome and I hope that you do enjoy them when you do read them.

Vita, thank you for your comment. It is lovely to read about your discovery and experience of Morrison. I hope that you enjoy Love more upon rereading it; I found it so warm and moving with outstanding prose.

Beloved will always remain one of my favourites and agree wholeheartedly that it is one of the most impressive pieces of fiction to be published last century.