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Tar Baby
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
Ravishingly beautiful and emotionally incendiary, Tar Baby is Toni Morrisons reinvention of the love story. Jadine Childs is a black fashion model with a white patron, a white boyfriend, and a coat made out of ninety perfect sealskins. Son is a black fugitive who embodies everything she loathes and desires. As Morrison follows their affair, which plays out from the Caribbean to Manhattan and the deep South, she charts all the nuances of obligation and betrayal between blacks and whites, masters and servants, and men and women.
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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#BlackHistoryMonth Recommendations Day 17 Fiction.
The incomparable Toni Morrison.
I read all of her novels last year. Tar Baby was my favorite and the one I rarely hear mentioned. As with all of Morrison's writing it is a sharp and lyrical story that faces racism head on. The Caribbean setting makes this feel a bit different and warmer even as bitter cold goes on in the house.
A fantastic read.

Graywacke Nice to see this. She was masterful here. 13mo
28 likes1 comment
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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One of my 2023 goals was to read the novels of Toni Morrison and today I finished my last one. What a phenomenally lyrical writer she was. This was an excellent challenge for the year.
Not shown was her brilliant Recitatif which I read as an ARC.
My favorite of them all was Tar Baby.

BarbaraBB Interesting & good to know! I am just reading 1y
ChaoticMissAdventures @BarbaraBB amazing. I was obsessed with how she wrote it and you do not know which of the girls is Black and which white. I really want to read it again soon.
1y
batsy Excellent reading plan for the year; well done! I'm pretty embarrassed not to have read any of her fiction yet. 1y
ChaoticMissAdventures @batsy up until now I had only read one, and that was because it was for a class! Never too late to start ❤️ 1y
27 likes4 comments
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ChaoticMissAdventures
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

I will say if this has been written by anyone else I probably would not have enjoyed it. There are some dated terms and tw for domestic violence.
But Morrison 's writing is as always impeccable. And I found the damaged and complex characters interesting.

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Cosmos_Moon
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Mehso-so

I loved some of the beautiful flowing and descriptive prose throughout the book. I enjoyed the character development and some of the outrageous scenes. Entertaining and haunting interactions, and quite compelling supporting characters. My biggest letdown was being very unsatisfied by the conclusion. I wish there was just a little more resolution. Not one of my favorite Morrisons.

Ruthiella This was my first Morrison and I loved it, but never reread it. I‘d like to pick it up. 2y
Cosmos_Moon @Ruthiella i think Home was my first Morrison. I really loved that. I think my most favorite is Beloved. 2y
32 likes1 stack add2 comments
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nelehelen
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Prioritizing these backlist books for #BlackHistoryMonth!

Viji Homegoing is so good! 2y
smjohns Loved Homegoing! 2y
nelehelen @Viji @smjohns i can‘t believe i haven‘t read it yet! 2y
smjohns @Viji it is soooo good! 2y
31 likes4 comments
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Skygoddess1
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed the way Morrison looked at the various relationships and interactions between the characters and the way race played a role within them. I especially enjoyed the relationship and banter between Valerian and Sydney, they provided some wonderful comedic interactions. This is a book I will need to get a physical copy of as I see it being one I‘ll read more than once. #AuthorAMonth #AAMTM

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Jasxnicole
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Today‘s #firstlinefridays comes from Tar Baby

This will most likely be my next Toni Morrison book, unless I get to Beloved first.

Just from this opening line and the premise, I know I‘ll be in for a beautifully written and emotional ride.

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Lesliereads
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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”I don‘t think I could have happily stayed here in the world if I did not have a way of thinking about it - which is what writing is for me. It‘s control. Nobody tells me what to do. It‘s mine. It‘s free and it‘s...it‘s a way of thinking. It‘s pure knowledge.” - Toni Morrison (1931-2019). #ToniMorrison #Literarylegend

Hooked_on_books What a loss. RIP 5y
readordierachel ❤💔 5y
UwannaPublishme 😢💔 5y
Nute 💔 4y
33 likes5 comments
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masofia
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

Tar Baby is a beautifully written story of two people falling in love who want to have more in common than they really do. As two young beautiful people searching for comfort, they‘re propelled together by unusual circumstances. Toni Morrison‘s incredible sentences and imagery are the stars of the novel, and it is fun to see her make sentences work in artful ways you never expected! This was a very enjoyable read.

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spierrel
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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I'm intrigued. Toni is taking her time developing this story.

2 likes1 stack add
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BookswithB
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Panpan

First Toni Morrison I‘ve read that I didn‘t care for.
oh well.

Zelma I bailed on this one years ago and never made my way back to it. I just couldn‘t connect to it and I‘m glad my instinct was right. 6y
Chelleo I‘m not a huge fan but did enjoy The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon. #blacklitsy 6y
BookswithB @Zelma good on you for not wasting your time with a book that wasn‘t doing it for you!!! I need to get onboard with dnf‘ing! 🤦🏾‍♀️ 6y
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BookswithB @Chelleo Girl! The Bluest Eye! I also enjoyed Beloved very much, but this one here...nope. 6y
Zelma @BookswithB thanks! I loved Beloved so it wasn‘t a matter of not giving the author enough of a chance. 6y
BookswithB @Zelma I feel you 6y
9 likes6 comments
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BookswithB
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Still struggling with this one 🤦🏾‍♀️
#nationalfragranceday

Notafraidofwords I struggle through this one too and I usually love Toni Morrison but this one felt like the plot was somehow missing for me. I‘m glad I read it though because they‘re really insightful parts in it but it‘s not my favorite of hers. 6y
BookswithB @Notafraidofwords ok, that‘s comforting, because I usually enjoy her work as well and I‘ve been trying to read this since last month. I thought I was in a slump until I flew through and arc I just received. I‘m still planning on finishing, but your comment helps me not too feel so bad about myself. Thanks! 6y
Notafraidofwords @BookswithB oh no. Don‘t feel bad. What I ended up doing was reading about 20 pages a day until I finished. I divided it with post it‘s. 6y
BookswithB @Notafraidofwords sorry for the slow reply. That‘s pretty much what I did, just with more daily pages because I wanted to hurry and finish it. 🙈 6y
16 likes1 stack add4 comments
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SwimTaylor
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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I don‘t think I‘ve ever read as many books by a single author! #tonimorrison

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BrownGirlReading
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

What a fantastic read with loads of rich dialogue. Some of the best ranting i‘ve read in a while. If you want to know more in depth what I thought about Tar Baby, go check out the the live discussion I had last night with 3 other Booktubers. You can catch it on my YouTube channel Brown Girl Reading.

ElleSkel I know this is completely irrelevant but your nails look fabulous! Thought you should know 😀 6y
cocomass One of my personal reading shames is that I haven‘t read any Toni Morrison and am never sure where to start. But this sounds good! 6y
BrownGirlReading @cocomass z I‘d say start with The Bluest Eye, song of Solomon, or Sula. 6y
ElleSkel The Bluest Eye is a great place to start!! @cocomass 6y
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lauralovesbooks1
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

Morrison is such a strong writer. The plot in this one wasn't quite as engaging as some of her others, but she more than makes up for it in the depth of her characters and the richness of her explorations of relationships.

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Nebklvr
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Mehso-so

This was a pick until the non-ending. The characters were complex, the settings were great, the turmoil was real. The ending was nonexistent.

shawnmooney Morrison is SOOOO hit and miss for me. 6y
Nebklvr @shawnmooney I liked this one up to the last chapter. Probably missed what it was alluding to. I just wanted something a little more clear cut. Did love # (edited) 6y
shahn77 I listened to Sula on audio last year and didn't really care for it. It was super frustrating. The characters were interesting, the story had potential, it just missed the mark for me. 6y
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Nebklvr @shahn77 oh,no.....I was planning for Sula next! 6y
shahn77 @Nebklvr Maybe it will work for you. A lot of the characters are really intriguing, the story just meandered around and never really caught my interest. Sometimes I read a book that is so beloved by all and I just don't get it. I will be interested to see what you think. Maybe I should try the bluest eye. 6y
Nebklvr @shahn77 The Bluest Eye is traumatic but very good 6y
50 likes6 comments
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Nebklvr
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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45 likes1 stack add
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BrownGirlReading
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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#ReadSoulLit read along going on now for Black History Month! Honoring the Great Toni Morrison an African American writer that must be read. Go over to Goodreads and join the discussion group. #reafsoullit

23 likes1 stack add
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lauralovesbooks1
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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It's February and time for one of my favorite online reading projects, #ReadSoulLit. I know I won't even come close to reading this whole shelf, but I have so many good choices to choose from.

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WhatDeeReads
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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February TBR. Most of them are pre-orders, so I don‘t have them yet. #ReadSoulLit

cocomass So much of your list is on my Dream TBR 😍 6y
WhatDeeReads @cocomass Great minds! 6y
BellaBookNook Ooh I love the list. 6y
WhatDeeReads @BellaBookNook Thanks! I‘ve been waiting for months for 6y
38 likes4 comments
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BrownGirlReading
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Hope you'll be joining in on the #readsoullit photo challenge on Instagram in February for Black History Month in honor of African-American writers and their works.

Chelleo Missed this. Cool! 6y
BrownGirlReading @Chelleo Are You joining in? 6y
Chelleo @BrownGirlReading Yes but I‘m already behind 🤨😩 6y
BrownGirlReading @Chelleo it‘s only the third. You can start whenever. The most important thing is to participate. 6y
21 likes4 comments
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emtobiasz
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Spent too much time/money at Half Price Books this weekend, and after scouring the store for books from my TBR, I have some advice for my #secretsantagoespostal stalker. Namely, I'm BORED by my TBR. Yes, I still want to read the books on it, but if you have any books you think I'd love or books that you love, I'm more interested in those. My Goodreads will tell you if I've read something already. But... your call! I'm always happy with books.

rubyslippersreads 😍📚😍 6y
BooksForYears A Drop Cap AND a ToMo? Well done!! 👍👍 6y
PolaroidPoet I miss hpb soooo much!! There was a HPB outlet in Olympia Washington that sold huge canvas bags for $20 and you could fill it up with as many books as you could fit. I have never seen so many creative bag stuffers in my life!! Love it! 6y
68 likes3 comments
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BooksForYears
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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#JuneBookBugs Day 26 - Published in the 1980s

I absolutely love ToMo, and these are her books that had US publication in the '80s

102 likes2 stack adds
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Notafraidofwords
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Mehso-so

I'm continuing my goal of reading through Morrison's books. I thought I would like this one, but I did not. This book is about 2 servants who are married and their employers, a white married couple. It's an interesting premise and I thought it was going to work, but the pacing was uneven, the plot was clunky, and the magical realism ineffective. This book had real beautiful moments that examined race, class and violence. But, it was fleeting.

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whatthelog
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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#photobookchallenge day 24 - heartbreaking

Are any of Toni Morrison's books NOT heartbreaking?!

#diversebooks #blackhistorymonth #womenwriters

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Ange44
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

This was such a beautifully written book. This was only my second Toni Morrison book but I definitely need to read more. Also, we've started our very Canadian winter tradition of Roll up the Rim!!

Melissa_J Did you win? I don't have much luck with Roll up the Rim 😢 7y
Ange44 @Melissa_J I usually have terrible luck, but I did win a coffee this morning!! 7y
21 likes2 comments
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Ange44
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Time for some Toni Morrison.

Notafraidofwords I always wanted to read this one. Can't wait to hear what you think. 7y
16 likes1 comment
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Ange44
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Round four of our #tenatatime project! Here's my new round of ten books. @Kosugi and I have definitely found success in slowly whittling down our TBR piles since we started doing this! #TBR

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Carolyn11215
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison

Lordie, but she hits hard. Toni Morrison don't play! Who do you all think are the next generation Toni Morrison?

3 likes1 stack add
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Carolyn11215
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison

If you've read enough Toni Morrison, you know it's coming...that OMG moment when your heart stutters because of something horrible that happens/is revealed. And yet, I'm never prepared even during a reread. I just gasped and had to put the book down for a few minutes to regain my composure. And composure is the wrong word because after you get socked by Ms. Morrison, I don't think you are ever the same.

kspenmoll Yes! 7y
5 likes1 comment
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Carolyn11215
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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For Read Harder challenge reread a book prompt, Cleo and I are tackling Tar Baby by Toni Morrison.

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rachaich
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

I read The Bluest Eye for my degree but haven't read any others. Tar Baby was so beautifully descriptive even when describing unlikeable events. The writing will stay with me. I liked that the ending was not happy!

3 likes1 stack add
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TheBookbabeblog84
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Picked up a new copy of Beloved and Got Tar Baby - time to work though Morrison's Cannon! #books #tonimorrison #reading

18 likes2 stack adds
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LaurenEH57
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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Pickpick

True to its flap, this really is a story of relationships. Multiple characters reflect on each plotline, progressing the story and their personalities through their reactions (above), secrets and different beliefs. Beautifully written and thoughtful, with insight into how people truly interact and react.

8 likes1 stack add
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LaurenEH57
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison

"...[T]he windows could be left open even in a storm and no rain could enter the rooms — only wind, scents and torn-away leaves." What a perfect description of summer storms.

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sparrowpost
Tar Baby | Toni Morrison
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"So he never knew what it was exactly that had refreshed him." Baltimore, the city he left, becomes a living stream he drinks from and then forgets. Yet he remains refreshed. Lethe.