[WPF] Paradise by Toni Morrison - 4 stars

[Joy D]

Paradise by Toni Morrison - 4* - My Review

The story opens in 1976. A group of men is converging upon the Convent, a repurposed mansion at the edge of the town of Ruby, Oklahoma. They intend harm to the women living there. The narrative then shifts to follow various unrelated characters. These individual stories, when combined, provide a unified whole. We learn of the founding of the all-black town, and the building of the Oven, a central place to prepare food (which serves as an important symbol). We learn the backstories of the women in the Convent, how they arrived, and why they stayed. The patriarchy blames these “wayward” women for misleading town’s younger generation.

Though it is technically part of a trilogy, including Beloved and Jazz, it can be read as a standalone. A short summary can hardly do it justice. As in many of Morrison’s novels, it explores themes related to women’s issues, racial conflict, social structure, and psychology. It comments on the gender discrimination that occurred within black communities during the Civil Rights Movement. There are many interwoven threads, critiques of American history, and spiritual references. It is well-crafted, complex, and thought-provoking.

4 stars = I liked it a lot and recommend it.

[NancyJ]

Great review. This sounds very interesting, and the setting sounds fairly unique. I like that this author writes about the full lives of her characters, not simply in relation to white people.

[Joy D]

Yes, it's really different than other books I have read by her. The characters are really great. It was a remote community intentionally founded to be black-only (not long after the Civil War).