Book: Sula by Toni Morrison

Pages/Format: 174/Paperback

My Thoughts: I decided that I would give Toni Morrison another chance after reading Beloved.  Looking back (and after reading another of Morrison’s books), Beloved probably wasn’t the best introduction to Morrison. 

I actually liked Sula a lot.  I’m pretty impressed with Morrison’s writing- there really is beautiful imagery, and I feel like I’m experiencing what the character’s are going through. 

I’m still not sure of how the character of Shadrack fits in, other than he’s just a really odd man who lives in Medallion.  I also didn’t get the whole thing about the deweys, who were 3 boys that were taken in by Eva, who is Sula’s grandmother.  I honestly don’t get why they were so important, and I kept thinking they were Sula’s uncles, even though they really weren’t.

I liked how Morrison divided up the chapters- each chapter was a different year in the lives of the characters.  I found the gaps interesting, and it made me wonder what had happened as time moved foward.  I also liked seeing the characters develop over a span of about 40 years. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.  While I liked it a lot better than Beloved, it didn’t capture my attention in any way.  It felt like something was missing, and it’s driving me crazy that I don’t know what it is!