Toni Morrison: Song of Solomon / Beloved / Jazz

by Toni Morrison

Beloved by critics and readers alike, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison's style captivates her audience in a unique and dazzling way. Now three of her brilliant novels are available in a beautiful, boxed set, published just in time for holiday gift-giving.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction

Paperback

Published November 1, 1998

About the author

Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, known as Toni Morrison, was an American novelist and editor. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970. The critically acclaimed Song of Solomon (1977) brought her national attention and won the National Book Critics Circle Award. In 1988, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize for Beloved (1987); she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993.
Born and raised in Lorain, Ohio, Morrison graduated from Howard University in 1953 with a B.A. in English. Morrison earned a master's degree in American Literature from Cornell University in 1955. In 1957 she returned to Howard University, was married, and had two children before divorcing in 1964. Morrison became the first black female editor for fiction at Random House in New York City in the late 1960s. She developed her own reputation as an author in the 1970s and '80s. Her novel Beloved was made into a film in 1998. Morrison's works are praised for addressing the harsh consequences of racism in the United States and the Black American experience.
The National Endowment for the Humanities selected Morrison for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. federal government's highest honor for achievement in the humanities, in 1996. She was honored with the National Book Foundation's Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters the same year. President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on May 29, 2012. She received the PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction in 2016. Morrison was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2020.

Reviews

[Deborah Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes with great authors you need to start with the right book to begin with.This is a great place to start.

[Thomas Rush · Rating 5 out of 5]

In reading all of Toni Morrison's books, I struggle to find words that can capture her essence. There is a beauty to her writing that is unmatched. I have given it long and intense thought, pondering how to express my opinion of the greatness of her writing. In doing this, not only have I read her books, I have read many of the things that others have said about her. In this effort, the best description of her writing that I can find, is found on pages 99 through 102 of Thomas D. Rush's “Reality's Pen: Reflections On Family, History & Culture.” The book can be found right here on Amazon. The description is contained within a piece called “You Never Know Who God Wants You To Meet.” There are also several apt quotations from Ms. Morrison sprinkled throughout the book. In doing this review, it is only fair to point out the thorough description of Morrison's work contained within Rush's book. It says all that needs to be said about the writing of Toni Morrison.

[Aracelis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my number most Favorite book EVER!

[Phil Eames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Song of Solomon: a brilliant evocation of African-american experience in a poetic, vernacular style.

[Visha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Somehow the single book BELOVED by toni morrison isn't available on goodreads, but that's the one I read, thus that's the one I'm reviewing. This is the second time I've read this book, and although I was not a fan of the film when I saw it in the theater years ago (interesting note: Demme had his pick of projects after his success with Silence of the Lambs and Beloved was the one he adamantly wanted to direct next. Kind of cool, eh?).
I adore the lyricism of this text, the way the characters' points of view are all expressed. (I have to admit that my review is going to be quick because I've got to rush this and go)
Okay. I'll get back to this later.

[Verua Kavezeri · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I have read two of Toni Morrison's books, namely "Song of Solomon" and "A Mercy". I must admit that I didn't enjoy "A Mercy" half as much as I enjoyed "Song of Solomon". Generelly I am a slow reader, but with this book, I found it hard to put it down once I started reading. I fell in love with the characters of the book. I was not always sure though which characters within the storyline were real and which ones not.This book has inspired me to start reading more books wrote by african american and african writers.

[Denise Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The single book, Song of Solomon is not available for rating, but that is the one I have rated. I listened to it as an audio book with Toni Morrison reading it, and found it a little difficult to follow in that format, thus only 3 stars. I intend to read more of her work. I think seeing it in print would make a difference to me, in contrast to other writers that I enjoy on audio.

[Vy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A patient climatic to the end read.

[Tom S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't care for the magical realism in this one. Good story otherwise and, no surprise, beautifully written.