This was a very difficult book to get through. If you are sensitive about looking into the darker parts of history, this book is not for you. If you are easily distracted or find your mind wanders easily if the poetic prose are too dense this book is not for you. I would recommend that you give it a listen especially since the author does narrate it and she truly has a wonderful voice.

This book is brilliantly written and bears the mark of Morrison's deepest truth telling. the imagery is brilliant and told through Morrison's voice, the dialogue wholly comes to life.

A very powerful book with great narration

very good...very dark. Great book.

Beautifully written. Beautifully read. This book has a changed meaning for me now in the context of current attitudes to racism than when it first came out. That's a sign of how far I have had to travel. It's a haunting account of the individual and collective traumas of enslavement and being perceived as inferior.

“Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” — Toni Morrison, Beloved This quote encapsulates everything Beloved is about. It’s not just a story about slavery; it’s about the weight of survival, memory, and the complexity of true freedom. And reading it? It shattered me in ways I wasn’t prepared for. I knew it would be heavy, my Fable friends warned me, but I still wasn’t ready. I armored up, but the impact was relentless. From start to finish, Beloved is a haunting, deeply painful experience. While I’ve read other books about slavery and trauma, none compare to Beloved. It’s not just sad.. it’s overwhelming, emotionally draining, and raw in ways that feel profoundly human. The writing is beautiful, though challenging. The timeline shifts, the voices blend, and at times, I felt lost. But I think that’s intentional.. trauma doesn’t follow a straight line, and neither does this story. Listening to the audiobook, with Toni Morrison narrating herself, made it even more intimate. It felt less like a story being told and more like a sacred history being passed down. This isn’t a book I’d read for comfort, nor would I call it “enjoyable” in the typical sense. But I’m grateful I read it. It’s an unforgettable, necessary piece of work. I’m giving it a 4 because, as brilliant as it is, I can’t bring myself to revisit it. It broke me.

Powerful and cathartic

This book made me fall asleep. I hated all her prose. I hated that I didn’t know who she was speaking about. This is the third time I tried to listen to it, but to no avail I have read a lot about slavery, thus book did nut cut it.

Have not been able to finish this one.

Loved this book!

This book is fantastic!!! Amazing story, vivid details, great narration. The author narrates it and you can hear the entonation and language she carefully crafted. A unique and amazing book. The best audio book I've listen to. Her voice is very soothing and calm. Be careful while driving. Don't fall asleep or the ghost might get ya!

I found this book to be captivating and tragic. The narration is like syrup, thickly sweet and slow, which is required to understand the poetic nature of the story. I fully recommend this book to anyone willing to dive into the horrors, heartbreak, and beauty of past time.

Beloved is a life-changing book that I’ll, personally, never forget. The perspectives of all the characters during this period piece are diverse yet many of the same conclusions are drawn. All the allegories behind the main characters truths shed light on the horrors of slavery in American History. As a sociology major, I remember reading The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman for one of my classes and appreciating the creativeness of the storytelling and themes surrounding our patriarchal society and the oppression of women. I believe Beloved takes these issues a step further in demonstrating the complexities faced by African American women during slavery and how some of these issues are still translated into our world today. Well-done story and worth the read. Again, life-changing!

This book put me to sleep. It was a chore to read and I thought it was completely uninteresting. That's just my opinion, though.

A powerful and sad story. I learn so much from Morrison 's writing style.

I had to read this book for my AP Literature class and decided it would be easier to listen to and just highlight along the way. The narration itself is very, very, painfully slow. If you speed it up to 1.25 or even 1.5 it's much easier to listen to in my opinion. I enjoyed the fact that Beloved was historical, with the whole backstory about slavery, but at the same time fantastic, with the fact that the whole plot is based on this ghost baby. While the plot was slow at times, it was still unexpected and kept you listening.

Great book and the narration was great! Toni Morrison's narration was distinct, an as usual full of her symbolism and themes.

This app is great to listen to books for my college English courses. I used my first free book to listen to Beloved written and read by the author Toni Morrison. I would recommend the app for people who like to or need to read books on the go. Perfect for a busy college student.