After going through four years of college and two years of graduate school as an English major and never having read this book, I felt like a fraud. I've read other novels by Morrison, like Sula and The Bluest Eye, but never Beloved. THE Toni Morrison novel to read. I think Morrison's writing style, her descriptions, and the emotions she weaves into her stories are so profound that sometimes I'd find myself wanting to write down whole paragraphs, just to revisit that raw power in the future. I think what made me give this book 3 stars is the sort of magical realism/surrealism/whatever you'd like to call it in the novel--I'm a huge fan of the linear story. Not all the time, because I do love novels that twist back on themselves and delve into the past, but maybe what I'm trying to say is that I love more realistic stories and settings. Though, I have to say, I'm wondering if this novel would have been as powerful as I found it if it was just told linearly, so I suppose I'm not being entirely fair. 
 Anyway, Morrison is a genius, I'll grant her that. Though I may not be scrambling to read every novel she's published (if not for their slightly unrealistic storylines, then at least for their intensity!), I have a great respect for this woman who doesn't tread lightly when it comes to tough subjects. Well done, Ms. Morrison.