Great book. Had some trouble with some parts, but that's to be expected. From my experience great books are not perfect, and perfect books are not great. However, and this is a first, my favorite part of this book is the Afterword.
First, I loved it because I hate forwards and never read them till I'm done with the book anyway, so afterword is perfect. Second, reading Toni Morrison's feeling towards this book, her first novel, was an epiphany of empathy. She writes about feeling that the book didn't communicate her intended message. She discusses difficulties with some of her technical decisions, and surprisingly she echoed my own difficulties as a reader.
The reason that her self-criticism is so moving for me is that I am going the same process with my own first novel. I keep tearing it apart, and I need to stop doing so. I may never think that this is a great novel, but it's as good as it's going to get and I need to move on.
I don't mean to compare my novel to Ms. Morrison's. She has a gift for language and character that I will never equal. However, that doesn't degrade my work. I'm more of the small cult following type of writer. What I need to learn to do is revel in that.
THE BLUEST EYE
Toni Morrison
Published: 1994
Cost: $1
Bought at: SF Public Library big book sale
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