Paradise
Paradise
Toni Morrison
Oprah Winfrey
Worth waiting for. - Oprah Winfrey
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Paradise

Paradise

Toni Morrison
By
Toni Morrison
3.9
27356
ratings on Goodreads

In "Paradise," Toni Morrison crafts a narrative of breathtaking depth, exploring the complex tapestry of community, identity, and redemption. Set against the backdrop of an all-black town in rural Oklahoma, Morrison unfurls the story of Ruby, a place founded on the highest ideals of self-sufficiency and purity by descendants of freed slaves. Yet, beneath its surface, Ruby harbors a dark undercurrent of exclusion and oppression, culminating in an act of violence against a nearby commune of women who sought refuge from a world that had failed them. Through her exquisite prose, Morrison interrogates the very notion of paradise, examining how a utopia for some can become a dystopia for others. At the heart of Morrison's narrative is a profound meditation on the forces that drive communities apart and the potential for reconciliation. As the story oscillates between the men of Ruby and the women they view as outsiders, Morrison delves into themes of gender, race, and the legacy of trauma, weaving a rich tapestry of human experiences and emotions. With "Paradise," Morrison not only tells a gripping tale but also invites readers to reflect on the elusive nature of paradise and the price of perfection. Through her masterful storytelling, Morrison once again proves her unparalleled ability to capture the complexities of the human spirit, making "Paradise" a compelling and deeply resonant read.

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Released
1997
24 Dec
Length
318
Pages

1

recommendations

recommendation

Worth waiting for. - Oprah Winfrey
Let me tell you about love, that silly word you believe is about whether you like somebody or whether somebody likes you or whether you can put up with somebody in order to get something or someplace you want or you believe it has to do with how your body responds to another body like robins or bison or maybe you believe love is how forces or nature or luck is benign to you in particular not maiming or killing you but if so doing it for your own good. Love is none of that. There is nothing in nature like it. Not in robins or bison or in the banging tails of your hunting dogs and not in blossoms or suckling foal. Love is divine only and difficult always. If you think it is easy you are a fool. If you think it is natural you are blind. It is a learned application without reason or motive except that it is God. You do not deserve love regardless of the suffering you have endured. You do not deserve love because somebody did you wrong. You do not deserve love just because you want it. You can only earn - by practice and careful contemplations - the right to express it and you have to learn how to accept it. Which is to say you have to earn God. You have to practice God. You have to think God-carefully. And if you are a good and diligent student you may secure the right to show love. Love is not a gift. It is a diploma. A diploma conferring certain privileges: the privilege of expressing love and the privilege of receiving it. How do you know you have graduated? You don't. What you do know is that you are human and therefore educable, and therefore capable of learning how to learn, and therefore interesting to God, who is interested only in Himself which is to say He is interested only in love. Do you understand me? God is not interested in you. He is interested in love and the bliss it brings to those who understand and share the interest. Couples that enter the sacrament of marriage and are not prepared to go the distance or are not willing to get right with the real love of God cannot thrive. They may cleave together like robins or gulls or anything else that mates for life. But if they eschew this mighty course, at the moment when all are judged for the disposition of their eternal lives, their cleaving won't mean a thing. God bless the pure and holy. Amen.
— Toni Morrison, Paradise

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