Book Reviews of The Bluest Eye

This book was very insightful. I will long remember it. It really changed the way I thought about outward appearances. The ending will shock you. Don't read ahead!! I recommend it to anyone courageous enough to look inward.

"The Bluest Eye, the story of a young girl's tortured life, is not a story you can "like". It reads like your worst nightmares, very disturbing and very graphic. It takes a strong stomach to get through this novel. But, this is just what makes the book a masterpiece, that Ms Morrison can draw such powerful feelings from readers. Toni Morrison has grown as a writer. But this book, her first, takes you to a world most didn't know existed and evokes almost unbearably strong emotions. A must read for lovers of great literature. This is not a book you read for pleasure. It's a book you read for the power of the written word."
- Roz Levine

Toni Morrison's stories are always brutally honest, endearing and reach deep into our souls. This novel highlights the great divide that still exists between races--one person at a time. I loved this book.

11 year old Pecola Breedlove wants blue eyes because then she'll be as beloved as the blond, blue-eyed children in America. But for Pecola's family, beauty seems to be nearly unattainable because they are black and live in poverty and pain. This story unfolds through the eyes of 11 yr old Claudia, as she watches Pecola's world change bit by painful bit.

Toni Morrison paints rich colors and beautiful songs with her words - this was my first exposure to T.Morrison, and I'll be reading more. What an amazing story.

This is a very well written book, and one I highly recommend. Morrison is a gifted writer whose work should be recognized by everyone, not just Oprah!

I totally enjoyed this book. It was quick, easy read. Toni Morrison has a flare and eloquence for pulling you into the story...you can feel the surroundings, the emotions, and the suspense of the situations. It also makes you aware of the hardships, tragedies, and the injustices that the people of this era endured. In my opinion, it is an excellent read!

From the Pulitzer-Prize winning author, this first novel is dead-on at the characterization of a young girl. Beautifully written, eloquent in a quiet way.

This book is a classic in contemporary American literature. It was required reading in my daughter's high school, but be warned that the story itself is somewhat disturbing.

Books don't get much better than this. So perfectly written. The author is a Nobel Prize winner and you tell why. This book was wonderful. Highly recomend.

A book that must be read completely, no skimming or the allusions are missed.

I love this book. The innocent observation of a child should lead all of us to wonder what messages we as a society send. It is written with grace, simplicity and a wonderful thought-provoking meaning.

I can't believe this was Morrison's first novel. I stayed up all night to read it. The book was that good. Loved it.

Toni Morrison is a tremendous writer who really makes me think, and this book was no exception. The details of the story are absolutely tragic- a young girl is raped by her father and bears his baby, who dies. Meanwhile, she's so full of socially-created self-hatred that she wishes for blue eyes, which she comes to believe she's been given. The writing in this book is astonishing. Morrison has managed to produce something more than unmitigated sadness, even though so many details of the story are tremendously sad. This is a powerful book.

Amazing story about poor black girl. Thought provoking and moving.

A story about the life of a young black girl with a wish to be a beloved pretty white girl. Takes place in the early 40's. A beautifully written, painfully sad story. A tough read.

Great book!!!! Wonderfully written and easy to read

Toni Morrison is an excellent author. This book really changed my perspective. The story is told through the eyes of a black, eleven-year-old who prays for her eys to turn blue so that she will be as beauitful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. Powerful and unforgettable.

Great book for African American or Womens Lib studies.

Complicated, lyrical, sad, funny, wonderful

This book won the Nobel Prize in Literature. It was an Oprah's book club selection, and also won other awards----but, frankly, it kinda scared me.

From back cover:
Set in the author's girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, (this book) tells the story of black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beartiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedloves' garden do not bloom, Pecola's life does change---in painful, devastating ways.

Quick read

An interesting book

Wonderful book - very touching.

Nobel Prize Winner Toni Morrison's first novel. Oprah's Book Club edition.

Ms. Morrison at her finest. A terrific read.

It is the story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove--a black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others--who prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning and the tragedy of its fulfillment.

Very well written.

Touching, heartbreaking and unforgettable. The richness of Toni Morrison's language the poignancy of the story earned it the Nobel Prize in Literature. No wonder!!

An Oprah's book club book. Winner of Nobel Prize in literature.

Very powerful story in a childs voice. Morrison is an artist.

THe following is an excerpt from the back cover of the book:

"The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison's first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author's girlhood town of Lorain, Ohio, it tells the story of black, 11 year old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blonde, blue eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedlove's garden do not bloom, Pecola's life does change - in painful, devestating ways."