Beloved: Reader Response

         Based on customer reviews alone, it is safe to say Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved is very well received. Through a 5 star system, readers of the novel have expressed their like or dislike of the novel publicly for many years. By comparing the results between sites such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Good Reads, a 4 star rating is very common and expected for Beloved. While the majority of readers view the book highly, they deducted stars due to the author, her writing style, and the content of the story.

            For certain readers of Beloved, they allowed their own personal expectations and grievances of the author and the content of the novel to sway their overall judgment of novel. For example, Jessica, a Good Reads reviewer who rated the novel at 4 stars said, “I feel like people who haven't read her believe that Morrison writes these lovely, lyrical, ladylike books that will soften the heart and elevate the soul.... and I mean, I guess in a way she does, but these lovely books will give you seriously deranged nightmares.” Her statement goes to show that some readers are reacting to Morrison’s novels by what they expect from her and not the true content of the story. Jessica further goes on to say, “A lot of people just loathe her [Morrison] . . . Some girl on here was like ‘Ugh! Beastiality, rape, torture, and infanticide. . . Toni Morrsion is DISGUSTING!’ Her account of another reviewers feelings sheds light on the fact that many some readers aren’t open-minded to the story at all. And that in itself can affect how Beloved is rated by reviewers.

            On the other hand, many readers who enjoyed the story lowered their ratings due to trouble understanding the novel. For instance, a reviewer named Anonymous on Barnes and Noble said, “Haunting and vivid. It is an incredible story, though it’s occasionally slow. But completely worth it.” Anonymous went on to rate the novel with 4 stars. The review goes to show that while Anonymous enjoyed the book the moment the wiring style became slow their rating of the novel went down. This trend is again seen through Kasey, a reviewer from Amazon who gave the novel 4 stars stated, “It is written like a stream of consciousness. I enjoyed the writing style but found it difficult to follow at times.” Kasey’s statement, along with Anonymous’ further supports the fact that despite liking the novel, trouble with the writing style prompted readers to demote the novel of higher star ratings.

Works Cited

Kasey. "It Is Written Like a Stream of Conscientiousness." Amazon. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

Morrison, Toni, and Anonymous. "Beloved." Barnes & Noble. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 May 2017.

Morrison, Toni, and Jesscia. "Beloved." Goodreads. N.p., 26 Jan. 2009. Web. 04 May 2017.