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Product Description
From Amazon
Oprah Book Club® Selection, January 1998: Toni Morrison's Paradise takes place in the tiny farming community of Ruby, Oklahoma, which its residents proudly proclaim "the one all-black town worth the pain." Settled by nine African American clans during the 1940s, the town represents a small miracle of self-reliance and community spirit. Readers might be forgiven, in fact, for assuming that Morrison's title refers to Ruby itself, which even during the 1970s retains an atmosphere of neighborliness and small-town virtue. Yet Paradises are not so easily gained. As we soon discover, Ruby is fissured by ancestral feuds and financial squabbles, not to mention the political ferment of the era, which has managed to pierce the town's pious isolation. In the view of its leading citizens, these troubles call for a scapegoat. And one readily exists: the Convent, an abandoned mansion not far from town--or, more precisely, the four women who occupy it, and whose unattached and unconventional status makes them the perfect targets for patriarchal ire. ("Before those heifers came to town," the men complain, "this was a peaceable kingdom.") One July morning, then, an armed posse sets out from Ruby for a round of ethical cleansing.
Paradise actually begins with the arrival of these vigilantes, only to launch into an intricate series of flashbacks and interlaced stories. The cast is large--indeed, it seems as though we must have met all 360 members of Ruby's populace--and Morrison knows how to imprint even the minor players on our brains. Even more amazing, though, are the full-length portraits she draws of the four Convent dwellers and their executioners: rich, rounded, and almost painful in their intimacy. This richness--of language and, ultimately, of human understanding--combats the aura of saintliness that can occasionally mar Morrison's fiction. It also makes for a spectacular piece of storytelling, in which such biblical concepts as redemption and divine love are no postmodern playthings but matters of life and (in the very first sentence, alas) death. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
It's the 1970s, and four young women living in a convent near an all-black town have been viciously attacked. This is Morrison's first novel since winning the Nobel prize, and by the time she's done, she has taken on Reconstruction, the Civil Rights Movement, the counterculture, and more. The 400,000-copy first printing is no surprise.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
They shoot the white girl first. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
They shoot the white girl first. Read the first page
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Concordance
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
FAVORITE BOOK OF ALL TIME! Toni Morrison is a literary genius with a brilliant eye for social critique and commentary,
By
This review is from: Paradise (Paperback)
Amazing. Since I first read it at 15 this has been my favorite book of all time. An utterly brilliant exploration of gender, race, informal power and the creation of community on the 'margins.' Beautifully written prose as well as a stunning use of experimental literary techniques like stream of consciousness.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Misunderstood but beautiful,
By
This review is from: Paradise (Paperback)
Paradise is novel that HAS to be read more than once to be fully understood; that I don't think can be denied by anyone who has tried to wade through the complexity of this book. If you're going to read the novel, I think you should understand this as well because without going back over certain parts in the beginning, such as the differences of the twins and their wives or whom is actually pregnant, the novel will seem like a conglomeration of short stories about past and future residents of the town that appear to connect, but don't actually. That being said, I feel this is an absolutely magnificent piece of literature when one reads it as its depth of characters and shifting of emotions between them is first rate. One of the best things that can be said about the book is that you could say you felt you were actually part of the history of Ruby as it was happening. Morrison demonstrates great care in connecting all the characters and their story arcs through subtle use of inference and bit of wit. The book is often critqued for leaving the reader to discern what is happening for themselves and I find this critique accurate. However, I like the fact that Morrison doesn't hand hold my way through the story and makes it challenging for me to understand what's going. That may put me in the minority but I find that I would rather be treated like an adult than lead in linear fashion through the story that assumes I can't comprehend the simplest clues. I would highly recommend this book to people who feel the same way. There is always John Grisham to read if this doesn't suit your tastes.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
must read - at least twice,
By homeschooling mother "mumrunner" (Green Lane, PA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Paradise (Paperback)
This is well worth the time to read slowly. It is an intricate plot with many things going on at once. There are a lot of characters (too many?) and it can be hard to follow. I recommend taking notes. The second time I read it, I understood it better and decided I liked it. The first time, I was unsure but it did produce a strong reaction. Men will enjoy it but women of all colors will really appreciate the story. This was the first of her books that I read. I just bought 3 others based on my experience with this one.
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