A review by Leo Rota of "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison

 


The Bluest Eye is undoubtedly the best book I have ever read. This doesn’t mean it is my favorite book, even if that may sound contradictory. What I mean is the book is written so well, the characters are so complete and realistic, and the storyline is so emotionally provocative that I believe I have never read a better book. The book is so good that even if I made every person on the planet read all the books I have read in my entire lifetime and then asked them which of those was objectively the best book, everyone would say The Bluest Eye. Well obviously, that is an exaggeration, when reading something like a book there is no way to give a 100% objective answer with no bias. I probably have a bias as well and who knows, maybe The Bluest Eye isn’t really the best book I have ever read. Ok now that we got that complete mess of an explanation out of the way let’s talk a bit about the book itself.

The Bluest Eye was written by Toni Morrison and published in 1970. The book tells the story of a young black girl named Pecola and her life in the town of Lorain, Ohio.  The book explores themes of racism, beauty standards, and sexual abuse, three scary topics that give the book an incredible sense of realism. Furthermore, the whole story is not told chronologically but more organized by characters. Once a new character is introduced in one chapter, in one of the following chapters the book goes more in depth on that specific character’s life and experiences. This not only provides a way of reading different from most other books, it also fits the character-focused storyline of the book incredibly well. While the book does have a plot with a beginning, middle, and end, most of the book is really about developing these incredibly realistic characters. Every single one has their own motives, faults, merits, successes, failures, and backstory.

I highly recommend The Bluest Eye to anyone who doesn’t get scared easily (and even if you do, I still recommend it, but be warned it does have some terrifying moments). I believe that The Bluest Eye is a great book and Toni Morrison is a great writer. Right now I am about to start reading Song of Salomon, another book by Toni Morrison, and who knows, maybe my next post will be a review of that. Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.

Comments

  1. Shlok C.October 3, 2023 at 8:15 PM

    Hey Leo, this book definitely seems to be realistic, especially in the time period when it was published, but even in today's world where beauty standards have become such an important thing for many people. I think that the way that you explain the chapters being arranged is very interesting because the author is incorporating a new character, and then explaining about them thoroughly. I will definitely have to read this book to see it for myself.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. BJOctober 11, 2023 at 9:16 AM

      I agree with you Shlok when he said that beauty standards have become such an important thing nowadays. I like the way you explained the book that encourages me to read this book. I'll definitely check this book out sometime!

      Delete
  2. DJOctober 5, 2023 at 2:02 PM

    Wow! Your review of this book makes me want to go and read it! I really enjoy books and other forms of media that make you feel pressure, dread, and horror. I also like how this book incorporates it into some provoking themes about trauma. Thanks for the recommendation! I will add it to my list :)

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  3. AnthonyOctober 13, 2023 at 9:54 AM

    I've heard a lot about Toni Morrison, but I have yet to read a book written by her. Maybe I will check this book out. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Abigail BelloOctober 18, 2023 at 9:14 AM

    Hello Leo, great review! I chose to write about this book for the banned book project last year and I also really enjoyed reading it. I liked this book because it showed the dirty reality of these topics without sugarcoating them.

    ReplyDelete
  5. WillNovember 11, 2023 at 4:34 PM

    this book sounds like a very good read. Based off your review I think I would enjoy reading it. I'll have to check it out sometime!

    ReplyDelete

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