Read the searing first novel from the celebrated author of Beloved, which immerses us in the tragic, torn lives of a poor black family in post-Depression 1940s Ohio. Unlovely and unloved, Pecola prays each night for blue eyes like those of her privileged white schoolfellows. At once intimate and expansive, unsparing in its truth-telling, The Bluest Eye shows how the past savagely defines the present. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison's virtuosic first novel asks powerful ...
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Read the searing first novel from the celebrated author of Beloved, which immerses us in the tragic, torn lives of a poor black family in post-Depression 1940s Ohio. Unlovely and unloved, Pecola prays each night for blue eyes like those of her privileged white schoolfellows. At once intimate and expansive, unsparing in its truth-telling, The Bluest Eye shows how the past savagely defines the present. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison's virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterised her writing. 'She revealed the sins of her nation, while profoundly elevating its canon. She suffused the telling of blackness with beauty, whilst steering us away from the perils of the white gaze. That's why she told her stories. And why we will never, ever stop reading them' Afua Hirsch 'Discovering a writer like Toni Morrison is rarest of pleasures' Washington Post 'When she arrived, with her first novel, The Bluest Eye, she immediately re-ordered the American literary landscape' Ben Okri Winner of the PEN/Saul Bellow award for achievement in American fiction
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Add this copy of The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $1.17, fair condition, Sold by Orion Tech rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Arlington, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Plume.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $1.17, fair condition, Sold by Your Online Bookstore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Houston, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Plume.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye to cart. $1.46, very good condition, Sold by Jenson Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Logan, UT, UNITED STATES, published 1994 by Plume Books.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. A well-cared-for item that has seen limited use but remains in great condition. The item is complete, unmarked, and undamaged, but may show some limited signs of wear. Item works perfectly. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine is undamaged.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $1.49, very good condition, Sold by Hippo Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toledo, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Plume.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $1.49, good condition, Sold by Hippo Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toledo, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Plume.
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Seller's Description:
Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye (Oprah's Book Club) to cart. $1.49, good condition, Sold by Owls Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toledo, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2000 by Plume.
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Seller's Description:
Good. All pages and cover are intact. Possible slightly loose binding, minor highlighting and marginalia, cocked spine or torn dust jacket. Maybe an ex-library copy and not include the accompanying CDs, access codes or other supplemental materials.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye to cart. $1.57, good condition, Sold by Valleys Books & More rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Roanoke, VA, UNITED STATES, published 1993 by Knopf Publishing Group.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye to cart. $1.61, fair condition, Sold by Hippo Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Toledo, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Pocket.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. Noticeably used book. Text is legible but may be soiled and have binding defects. Heavy wear to covers and pages contain marginal notes, underlining, and or highlighting. Possible ex library copy, with all the markings/stickers of that library. Accessories such as CD, codes, toys, and dust jackets may not be included.
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye to cart. $1.68, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by Pocket Books.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of The Bluest Eye (Vintage International) to cart. $1.72, good condition, Sold by Good Books Will Follow rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Blue Springs, MO, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Vintage.
This book is good; the writing is effective, the story is compelling, and the themes are haunting. A female reader would probably enjoy this better than a male one, simply because many of the themes are concerned with the lives of the female characters (the male ones are not hugely developed). A note: this book contains at least two examples of pedophilia; both examples are necessary to the story, but can nevertheless be intense.
Chiroptera
Oct 11, 2008
Capturing the Essence of Racism
Morrison's first novel is a marvel of profound insight into the racial situation of post civil-war America. The story centers on young Pecola Breedlove, a Black child caught up in a society that tells her that she is irredeemably ugly and worthless because of it. Her sad tale is the linking thread, but the novel is really about the community around Pecola that play an undeniable role in the girl's life. Addressing racism, systemic prejudice, and a myriad of other essential issues, the novel moves readers to think with the deft subtly and blunt honesty that have become Morrison's trademark.
rejoyce
Aug 1, 2007
Toni Morrison's auspicious debut novel is an unsparing study of the corrosive effects of racism on a little girl, Pecola Breedlove. The novel is narrated by another girl, Claudia McTeer, and divided into four seasonal sections. Morrison draws upon her autobiographical experience growing up in a mining town, Lorain, Ohio, and one feels the winter chill and "tough love" of the McTeer family in contrast to Pecola's brutal and abusive childhood. Perhaps most damning is the way in which the characters internalize the vicious and subhuman images of blacks, and lavish their affection on white icons like Shirley Temple. Claudia is the lone dissenting voice in this acceptance. Despite the tragic story she tells, Morrison's lyric prose redeems the bleakness and even her secondary characters like the Maginot Line are unforgettable. Though perhaps a bit formally clunky, the novel points toward the author's Nobel prize-winning achievements like Song of Solomon and Beloved.
