Love: A Novel (Vintage International)

I am never disappointed when I pick up a Morrison novel. Love is a telling novel, one that, at first, is a little hard to get a hold of because Morrison doesn't spell everything out for you. Her chapters each consist of recursive narration, where we travel backwards in time to get the necessary explanation for the present point in the novel. With this being said, each chapter is a dynamic story in and of itself, full of life. In Love it is hard to find the love that the title indicates. This in and of itself is a Morrison trademark. For certainly Paradise was not a paradise, Beloved was not beloved, and the little black girl in Bluest Eye would never get her blue eyes. So the irony is in the title. At first you think it is the love of Mr. Cosey, which is certainly there in a form, but you soon come to realize that Mr. Cosey isn't that nice or good of a character. In the end it is a tale of Love, although thorned and warped, between two women as we watch how it affects their lives. Read and savor every chapter. Take in Morrison's ability to form the words in such a melodic fashion that the image is firmly placed in your head. I adore Morrison's writing and cannot wait for her next novel. I would most certainly recommend this her latest novel, as well as anything that she has written.

This novel is so beautiful it gives me goosebumps! For all of its elegance, it still manages to be an easy read. Not a big reader? The narration and language feel more like watching an amazing movie, and the Audible version doesn't disappoint. Love's characters are sharp, spicy, and soulful, and the story is so layered, you'll be uncovering gems for years to come. This novel is a masterful tour of love and all of its ways. Should've made its way to the big screen and Oprah's Book Club years ago--here's hoping it still does. You won't be disappointed! Thank you, Ms. Morrison.

I'm in daily appreciation for the themes behind Love, although i’m not too crazy about the actual story. Which shocks me because the more I got to know about the Cosey family, Junior, and “L ” ,and began to delve into their individual histories. I wondered how these women could sacrifice their lives in the name of Bill Cosey? A man who was too proud too marry his “whore” although capable of publicly molesting and marrying a child? And yet the women in his life who navigated both his personal and professional realm, love him no less and defend him to the end. A question that points back to the title of the novel and most poignantly the danger of love. Where we find beautiful, intelligent, and multi-faceted women loyal to a dangerous self-serving man? Women who can name the ever-ending and deep evils of a man, but don’t feel comfortable calling him such? Although when speaking of “Celestial” influence of men via her sexuality, or Heed’s WANT to be rid of poverty by any mean’s necessary, they are quickly deemed whores or self serving opportunist, never being given the same grace, hesitation or consideration as their god, Bill Cosey. That speaks to a moment in the text where Ms. Morrison states, ” now, exhausted, drifting toward a maybe permanent sleep, they don’t speak of the birth of sin.” A moment that still points the blind eye given to the circumstances crafted by Bill Cosey. A man, who did awful, cruel, unexplainable things to the women who sacrificed their lives for him. Does that not deserve it’s rightful title? One that doesn’t fall back on “a man being a man”? I could go on, but i would continue with more statements that lead to more questions about the women in this story and their inability to authentically love. Women who didn’t every truly recognize and cherish the love of each other which was really all they had. When instead they rather love the shell of a man dressed in important clothing? The story is frustrating, and the end too soon. Although I’d argue it’s a text geared to confronting women and wondering why their love is not enough? Why they must ignore the strong spiritual ties of their own love that has kept them together despite all their abilities to leave one another. Rather than hold tight to a phantom dream of a man who wasn’t capable of love himself. I’m still torn if I would recommend the book. Although I can’t deny that it move you to a deeper questioning of love and what it means to women.

Tony Morrison can do no wrong...that's how I feel about her wr;iting, her marvelous language & her authenticity. She is a BRILLIANT writer, an astute thinker and one who understands people in all their complexities. She has laser insight, acute intuition and a deep understanding of the human condition. It is about the Blacks' caste system; the lighter you are, the greater your chances for love & success AND it's about a very Black girl, who despite all the barriers makes it "big" in spite of the difficult childhood, the reject;ing mother, & the color of her skin which complicated so many relationships and which cheated her in so many ways. It's a WONDERFUL book. READ it. REad it. Read it !!! It's worth it...& the AMAZING ending which took me by surprise. Tony Morrison is a REALIST...a pragmatist...no romantic bones in her body when it comes to parenting or motherhood. It ain't easy & she says it so many different ways. ENJOY IT !!! It will also TEACH as well as entertain & inform.

This book is like a decadent dessert...read very slowly...over and over again!

Synopsis: Forty years hence, Cosey’s Oceanfront Resort is nothing but a ruin. A girl stops on Sandler Gibbons’ doorstep to ask for directions to an address which he recognises as the Cosey women’s. This leads to the opening of a can of worms from the past when Vida Gibbons, his wife, and his grandson Romen come back home from their work. The young woman is one Junior Viviane, there for a job as the secretary to Mrs Heed Cosey. A secretary for the purposes of verifying what Heed is writing, which is a biography of Bill Cosey. Romen works there as well, supervised by Christine Cosey. Review: This is only my third Morrison and yet the first thing that I have come to anticipate is the build-up the author provides with before the story actually begins. And while it may take some time to get used to and also a little while to wrap your head around it, all of it is worth the peachy prose that is going to hit you next. While this build-up is in the first-person narration, the rest of the story proceeds in the third-person. "Like a story that shows how brazen women can take a good man down." Weaving in history with the African-American culture, Love explores the lives of the Blacks, and how before Bill Cosey started that resort, there was no respect and no proper jobs for them in the area. In the author’s books, it always gets worse before it gets better, if ever. Through split narrative, the story jumps back and forth, from forty years back to the present, opening in the 1990s. "Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever your grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy’s." I had quite the confusion regarding the identities of Christine and May and Heed in the beginning. Of trying to determine how these three women were related. Everything becomes clearer as the story progresses. There is this one character, L, who doesn’t really make an appearance and neither is her complete identity ever divulged, but she is the first-person observer revealing the past in fits and bursts. To imagine L’s significance after the story ends, as she’s the one who ends it, it was nothing short of magical. "She was as lonely as a twelve-year-old watching waves suck away her sand castle." Again, just like in The Bluest Eye, Morrison not only writes about the discrimination Black people face but also the double discrimination that the womenfolk have to endure. What I feel after having read three of Morrison’s books is that while they are not centred around any one theme or issue, she makes a powerful statement about each and every one of those themes/issues throughout her stories. With aptly named chapters, describing what Cosey was to the women in his life, there are no virtuous characters in the book. Almost everyone is at fault, whether because of turning a blind eye to the reality or whether just being biased. But how did they become like this, especially the women, always at each other’s throat! Bill Cosey is at the root of the problem and how! He’s one of the characters I gradually loved to hate, the narrative went from showing him as a pillar of the Black community to the person he actually is beneath the facade. In the end, what was interesting was how even after so many years have passed since he died, things went on in pretty much the same vein. The closing narrative by L is beautiful and left me with so many thoughts. P.S. After you’ve gone through the book, do give Elaine Showalter’s review of Love published in The Guardian a read. I read this book as a part of Toni Morrison Book Club by Aayushi @_penandpapers, where we pick up one book by the author every month. This was the March pick. Originally posted on: My Blog @ Shaina's Musings

Lo stile superbo di Toni Morrison mi avvolge come sempre,come un profumo più intenso e complesso ad ogni pagina. Una vera gioia leggerla.

Simply brilliant like all other books by that unique writer! Unique! Unique! That is all I can say... Wish she was alive to share more of her miraculous writing!

Easy read

Great book, great cover, great story. Toni Morrison is never disappointing me... I have read many of her books and liked them all very much. I highly recommend it!!!