I have to say I see why this book is a masterpiece. 
 And, contrary to most novels I'm forced to read for my literature class, I loved the writing style, it was not tedious to read in that sense. The story was extremely gripping and I was anxious not only to discover the development of events, but to actually continue experiencing the story. 
 However, I have to admit I found myself mixed up on many occations by the way the story went back and forth in time, I no longer knew what was memory and what was present. The numerous recollections and streams of consciousness -especially Beloved's- didn't help with my understanding of some parts of the novel. (I know, I'm gonna take a guess here and say all these are clearly literary devices I'll be asked about on my Friday test.) UPDATE: They were, luckily I got a good grade :) 
 But all in all, the story in itself was extremely moving, hence the five star rating, because I truly admire how the author could create let alone write a story of this kind so beautifully. 
 That being said, I doubt I'll read it again. The story -again, though gripping- was a real downer. I don't think I'd want to go down that road again but rather remember it as a wonderfully written and immensely absorbing story about a slave woman continuously haunted by her past. 
 ps. Is the movie any good? Faithful to the story? I'm thinking about trying that one to see if it clears some stuff up for me.