You, as the reader, have to try to piece together the events. The best way for me to describe it is to say that the novel contains a series of fragmentary episodes, often incompletely described. Be forewarned, however, that this novel requires active participation of the reader: it's some work to read it. The characters and the dilemmas they faced were fascinating and gripping. That's why I decided not to read it.' Ultimately, I am very glad that I finished this book, because it had a powerful effect on me. Some friends told me, 'Yes, Toni Morrison takes some getting used to.' Others said, 'Yes, I hear it's problematic to read. 'Suspense as taut as a rope,' to quote the publisher, would not have been my tag for this book. I thought, 'Wouldn't it have been better to *show* me, rather than *tell* me?' I thought to myself, 'Either Nobel Prize winning fiction is not what it used to be, or I am seriously deficient in my literary appreciation.' I suspect that my own lack of appreciation was at fault, but I would be remiss if I did not mention that I frequently had difficulty staying awake, especially in the first half of this novel. It seemed to me that in the first hour or so of this book, the narrator *told* me how the characters felt. I had serious difficulty liking this book at first. Rated by the NY Times as the best American novel of the last 25 years, I decided to try *Beloved* by Toni Morrison. Does any one know why the producers of audiobooks allow authors to read their own books? I will guess that it all has to do with retaining copyrights and royalties by the author and the author's agent. So readers of this review don't think I am picking on Toni Morrison, Charles Frazier's self-read of Cold Mountain suffers from the same deficiencies.

Unfortunately, Beloved is only available as an audiobook read by Ms Morrison. Frankly, Ms Morrison is not a professional reader and subscribers are cautioned to listen to the sample before purchasing this audiobook. There are no pauses between the paragraphs or shifts in the time periods. There is no differentiation in voice, so one doesn't know what character is talking or thinking.

I cannot understand Ms Morrison's pronunciation of many of the words.

This is the third audiobook I have purchased which is read aloud by its author, and it will be the last. I have just started listening to this book, and have decided that I will have to buy a printed copy and read its text concurrently while listening in order to make it to the end.

Beloved book toni morrison