Thursday, March 24, 2016

Love me some Toni Morrison

Song of SolomonSong of Solomon by Toni Morrison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, I really thought I read this novel in college, but now I realize I started, but never finished. Stream of consciousness, incestual relations, and illusive words made this difficult for someone on a mission to finish a class project. Back then there was no Kindle with a built in dictionary, either. On my second go round of "Song of Solomon" I used by newfound "Beloved" strategy for completing a Toni Morison novel; just keep reading, it will all make sense in the end. And, it did. Besides all the yuck moments that singed my sense of sensibility, I can't help but marvel at the way Ms. Morrison strings a story together.

Keep a dictionary close by, though, Toni is the master of fortuitous words like "amanuensis" on page 187. It is mind-boggling how she finds these words and it makes the puzzle of reading, and completing, one of her masterpieces even more exhilarating. I'm still reeling from all the metaphors, poetry, sorcery and historical allusions packed into this novel.

Love me some Toni Morrison, now I need to relax the brain for a moment before I go back and read "JAZZ."  I can't wait to read "Song of Solomon" five years from now to see what new treasures I will discover.

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