IslandMix

Has anyone on Imix read the book Love by Toni Morrison? If so, what are your thoughts about this book?

I really want to have an interactive discussion about this as I just completed it last nite.

I didn't read it but you can start posting your thoughts on it now so I can decide if to read it

Yes, at least give us the story line...

I read it a few years ago. Its not on the top of my Toni Morrison best book list, but it was a smooth easy read. I like that there's always something deeper going on. I love the way she constructs her characters. Did you have any particular subject you wanted to tackle about the book though?

My Synopsis of the Book:

Love is a book that centers around a town's obsession with this man Bill Cosey and the women in his life; his second wife Heed the Night who is 11 when the 53 year old Bill Cosey marries her, his granddaughter Christine Cosey who was best friends with Heed, Christine's half mad mother May, L who stops the afforementioned from killing each other over Mr. Cosey repeatedly and some juvenile deliquent girl named Junior. The book toggles between the decades beginning with the 1940's and the 1990's (present). It is set in what I assume (or maybe read) was a town called Silk/Oceanside in North Carolina. At first it was hard to read but I adjusted to her charachters who narrated various parts of the book. The book brings you to question whether Bill Cosey was a hero or a villain or if possible both. 90% of the charachters are Black and at various levels of afluence (or lack of there of). It studies the relationships between Blacks, Blacks with Whites, Families, and Friends. Actually it hits alot for such a short read.

My Comments/Questions About this Book:

Is L really dead?
In the foreward, she makes mention to the fact that she is now reduced to speaking in sing-song. But at one point when she talking about Junior in Cafe Ria, she states she, herself was in the back cooking. But towards the end Heed mentions to Christine that L died many years ago.

Was L really Celestial?
If indeed L was dead or some sort of spiritual being, could she have possibly been Celestial? L also makes mention that she was the only one who knew Bill Cosey so well and how much he loved Celestial and Celesital only. Makes me ponder

What is L's real name?

Is she supposed to be a representation of LOVE, the name of the book? Does she really exist or simply a force that kept some semblance amongst all the charachters? All of her memories and first person narration in the book is italicized. So I considered the fact that she may be either a ghost or Love itself.

Was Vivian, Junior's mother really Celestial?
I ask this because L mentions the fact that when Bill Cosey wrote his official will he left his entire estate to Celestial. His second will, which was written on the back of menu mentions his estate would be left to the Cosey Baby which L reveals is a baby that was yet to be born, but concieved right before his death. Also, we know that Celestial is not allowed to enter the inside hotel because of her lack of status. This makes me think she came from the Settlement. Or is Celestial perhaps Juniors grandma? I am not getting carried away. next point.

How doe Junior come to develop such an obsession with Bill Cosey when the man was dead and cold before she was born? And how does she come to be employed at the Cosey House?

So Junior has recently been released from prison. But while incarcerated she talks about her Big Man who turns out to be Bill Cosey (or his ghost). How the heck could she know this man? How does she happen to magically come to find the help wanted ad and wind up at the home of the man she was obsessed with for so long?

What is Junior's real connection to Heed?

Yes they were both from the Settlement. But towards the end when Junior shows her true evil side, she is talking to her Big Man who she says "Sorry Solitude" to. Now Solitude was the name of one of Heed's brothers. If I am not mistaken one of her brothers who passed away.

How did Heed's brothers die? And whose fault was it?

Morrison mentions they drowned but where did they drown? And why did Bill Cosey pay for the funerals and feel the need to take care of Heed?

Conclusion:

While I enjoyed this book, I cannot stand to complete a read and have a billion questions. I like to know the root/history of characters. The mystery surrounding L was just enough. But the handful of times Celestial is mentioned annoys me especially since there was clarity around this woman other than the fact she was a woman of the night, a negro not of status to enter the Cosey Hotel, had a scar on her face and was the love of Cosey's life. It also annoyed me that Junior's charachter was semi-developed and although we know the girl is emotionally disturbed, we have no idea how she knows what she knows about the other charachters (namely Cosey and Solitude).

I admired and pitied both Romen and Heed. I wanted to smack Christine and May. And these are emotions/reactions that indicate my approval of the book but there was something missing.

wow, sounds like typical Toni, I usually need to reread her books before i get it all. I remember the first time I read Beloved (I was much younger and had much less patience), started it and put it down for almost a year and only picked it up again one day because I had absolutely nothing else to read. In the end, I was glad I did because it became engrossing eventually. But it can be kinda hard to follow Toni into her world. I think I'll pick this one up though. Question..did she use a lot of that "black" dialect in this one?

This is actually the first one of her books I have read. But I have heard fantastic things about Beloved and The Bluest Eyes. I may have to consider those when I am done with the 6 books that are waiting for me now.

As for as the dialect, there is what sounds like a bit of downsouth talk but its overrun by it. But then again, I dont have another book to benchmark it against.

I didn't read Bluest Eyes thats on my list. She's awesome but she makes you work the dialect was THICK in beloved so on top of the complexity of the plot, the flashbacks etc it made my head hurt at the time.

The Bluest Eye was a great book, but I think I liked Paradise most of all. All of her books are like that...there's the dialect and then there's the material which is always difficult and deep. But Toni Morrison is definitely not for the casual reader. I think I've officially read everything she's written so far. It would be lovely to hear what other people think about her books.

I must check out this book, but The Bluest Eye was a good book. I just finished it last week.