BLURB: ‘The Bluest Eye is Toni Morrison’s first novel, a book heralded for its richness of language and boldness of vision. Set in the author’s girlhood hometown of Lorain, Ohio, it tells the story of black, eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue so that she will be as beautiful and beloved as all the blond, blue-eyed children in America. In the autumn of 1941, the year the marigolds in the Breedloves’ garden do not bloom. Pecola’s life does change- in painful, devastating ways.
What its vivid evocation of the fear and loneliness at the heart of a child’s yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment.’ (Goodreads.com)
READ IF YOU LIKE: Stories from the deep south, hard-hitting racial and social issues,’The Color Purple’ by Alice Walker, black beauty, white supremacy in the 1940’s.
PAGE COUNT: Approx.204
STAR RATING: (★★★★☆) – Did not get the attention it deserves
I had to read this book as I am studying it for school, so I have kind of cheated, but it’s only 200 pages, so I gave the Grapes of Wrath a rest for a day or two. I would never have picked this book up, and I have never even heard of it, but it is on a subject that interests me a lot, so I quite enjoyed it!
It’s very similar to The Color Purple which I reviewed about a month ago, in that it focuses mainly on a black girl living in the southern states of America in the 40s or 50s, I’m not quite sure. The main point of the book is that 12-year old Pecola Breedlove, who is branded ugly and worthless, longs for the blue eyes of a white girl. As well as the debate of identity and beauty, it also explores rape, harassment and other controversial issues that were often prevalent for young girls at this time. It differs from The Color Purple in that it is not written from the main characters perspective, so were are only ever onlookers to Pecola’s life. This can be frustrating as it was hard (for me anyway) to connect with her as a character, or feel much empathy for her. The way we see her differs throughout the book, as it is always through different people’s eyes, for example her school friends Frieda and Claudia, and various other characters. I liked these frequent changes in the book, it kept it fresh and exciting the whole way through, and thus very readable.
Again, like The Color Purple, if issues of a harmful, sexual nature upset you, then I advise you do not read this book. It is blunt in the way it discusses these topics, although I think that when discussing things like these, you can’t really afford to just go halfway. I didn’t feel as sorry for Pecola as much as I thought I should have, but really liked how Morrison provides a lengthy backstory to each character she introduces, and this only ties together in the end, as you find out why each one is connected to Pecola. Morrison’s unique style of writing flows almost like poetry, so while some of the content can be upsetting, she manages to strike a balance and it is still a beautiful read.