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The Bluest Eye (Vintage International)

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Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner—a powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity that asks questions about race, class, and gender with characteristic subtly and grace. In Morrison’s acclaimed first novel, Pecola Breedlove—an 11-year-old Black girl in an America whose love for its blond, blue-eyed children can devastate all others—prays for her eyes to turn blue: so that she will be beautiful, so that people will look at her, so that her world will be different. This is the story of the nightmare at the heart of her yearning, and the tragedy of its fulfillment. Here, Morrison’s writing is “so precise, so faithful to speech and so charged with pain and wonder that the novel becomes poetry” (The New York Times). Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group; Reprint edition (May 8, 2007)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 206 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0307278441


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 49


Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 920L


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.4 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 5.25 x 0.8 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,402 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #22 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #90 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books) #241 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#22 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Well written social commentary about how we value others
This is the first novel I have read by Morrison, but I was aware of her iconic status as a writer before reading The Bluest Eye. Prior to reading this book, I read and was thoroughly impressed by “Red at the Bone” by Woodson. Woodson wrote that she was influenced and inspired by Morrison, which is primarily what led me to The Bluest Eye. Morrison’s legendary reputation is well earned. Her writing is superb and original. If someone gave me an excerpt written by Morrison, likely I could guess the author. Her writing is rich in description and raw truth. She does not placate or sugar coat. Morrison instead shocks and assaults the reader by shining a spotlight on the harsh truth. The Bluest Eye is uncomfortable, thought provoking and powerful. If you are considering reading The Bluest Eye, be aware there are some potentially triggering themes, including: incest, child molestation, one of the characters is a child predator, and some of the characters are sex workers. The major theme throughout the novel are the effects of pressure on women and young girls to conform to cultural and societal standards of beauty. Using a multi-generational storyline and a cast of female characters, Morrison challenges readers to think about where women get their sense of value and worth, and how that is impacted by the standards of beauty that are programmed into all of society. Morrison assumes the bitter truth that meeting societal standards of beauty results in better treatment and a higher social status. The story tackles how women’s lives are negatively affected if they cannot meet the beauty standard (such as having blue eyes, hence the novel’s title). In short, this novel offer rich social commentary about how we value people. I understand and agree wholeheartedly with the social commentary being made by Morrison. In summary, the story is about Pecola Breedlove, an 11-year-old black girl. Her mother, who she calls Mrs. Breedlove, works as a housekeeper and nanny for a wealthy white family. Her father, Cholly, is a drunk and does not work. The story begins and ends with Pecola, but Morrison gives extensive background on Pecola’s parents. Mrs. Breedlove was born and raised in the south and comes from a large family of origin. As a young woman, Mrs. Breedlove is a hard worker who cares for her family of origin despite it not being easy for her because she is born with a deformed foot. When she marries Pecola’s father and starts her own family, they move north. In her new community, Mrs. Breedlove feels isolated and alone. She is not accepted by the northern women who have different accents, clothes, and behavior expectations than where she came from in the south. When Mrs. Breedlove becomes pregnant with Sam, Pecola’s brother, during her pregnancy she loses two of her teeth. Once she loses her teeth, all hope of fitting in and belonging is lost to Mrs. Breedlove. In this pivotal event, she becomes resigned to the idea that she will never have friends. Mrs. Breedlove escapes into her work. Her only sense of belonging is with the family that pays her to clean their home and care for their daughter. There Mrs. Breedlove feels she has acceptance, appreciation, and control. In her own chaotic and unstable home, she feels out of control. In her employer’s home, she can adequately provide a safe, comfortable, organized, and orderly life. As a result, she comes to feel her own family and home are a nuisance to be endured, rather than a blessing. She sees her family as a burden and prefers caring for the white wealthy family’s home and daughter over her own home and children. Pecola’s father, Cholly Breedlove, had a traumatic childhood. His mother abandoned him on a trash heap when he was nine days old and likely was mentally ill. His father likely never knew about his existence, until Cholly seeks him out later when he’s a young adult, but his father summarily dismisses him with cursing. Spoiler alert - Cholly commits incest with Pecola while drunk and impregnates Pecola. With Pecola’s mother and father largely absent from her life and abusive when they are present, Pecola befriends and regularly visits sex workers that live nearby. They treat her to outings and food. The sex workers and some of her peers are her friends through whom she temporarily finds some comfort. However, through a mixture of media, friends, family, and cultural messaging Pecola is programmed to believe that she is “ugly.” She absorbs the cultural messaging that blue eyes are the prettiest eyes, and that hers do not meet the beauty standards. She learns to hate the way she looks. Woven throughout the story it is indicated how desperately Mrs. Breedlove and Pecola desire to possess the societal standard for physical beauty. Each are convinced it would change their lives if they could achieve having blue eyes and perfect teeth, for example. At one point, Pecola even approaches a former “Reverend “who is rumored to have a special connection with God, to request that she be given blue eyes. In what is arguably the weirdest scene in the book, the “Reverend” instead gives Pecola some poison, and tells her to feed it to a dog. When Pecola does this, the dog dies causing her even further trauma. Morrison does not spare Pecola and drives her point into readers until the end. Pecola eventually becomes unhinged and disengages from reality. Pecola’s former friends abandon her. She can no longer tell what is real and she creates a pretend friend who eventually abandons her too. Morrison is relentless in making her point and the tone of this novel is sad, hopeless, and desperate. She does not show her characters mercy in her pursuit to illustrate how the standards of beauty effect women and young girls. There are few redeeming characters, and no characters are spared the impact of the damage of not meeting societal beauty standards. Some characters that start out with some redeeming qualities are stripped of them by the end of the novel. This is not a light read but it is a literary wonder and may expose readers to new ways of seeing the world if they are brave enough to consider the raw perspectives of the characters. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2021 by Kimberly
    • The Bluest Eye is This Author's Debut Novel!
In Lorain, Ohio, Pecola Breedlove is an eleven-year-old Black girl who is told often, both directly and indirectly, that she is ugly. Her mother says she was born that way. Pecola prays for her eyes to turn blue. With blue eyes she'll be beautiful. With blue eyes she'll be seen and everything in her world will be different... The Bluest Eye is an authentic snapshot of a young Black girl who is accepting of the harshest of opinions by others, including her family. Told that she is ugly, weak, and without value to the degree that she may become, in her own mind, the person they tell her she is. This powerful debut novel is impossible to walk away from without recognizing the brilliance of this author. Toni Morrison's writing is pure beauty, word after word, but this story will rip you to shreds! The Bluest Eye was first published on June 1, 1970 and favorably reviewed by The New York Times for the author's writing style. The book was slow to take off until City University of New York, along with various other colleges, placed The Bluest Eye on its new Black Studies reading list resulting in a positive lift in sales. I highly recommend this book to everyone who can read, in whatever format suits your fancy! 5 beautifully written stars! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2023 by Terrie D. Robinson
    • Marvelous
This is simply a beautiful book. The differences cultures create are brought to life by Toni’s spectacular prose. You will be enthralled while reading.
Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2023 by Meri Overstreet
    • Good dealing With the Seller!
One can tell the book has been read before but it is in "good" condition as described and the price is right!
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2023 by Jose Gordo
    • One of the best books I have ever read!
Love this book! It is very sad, but that was the reality of things in those days— AND still today.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2023 by Marty Francis
    • Good reading
The book condition was fine for the price. Would order from them again.
Reviewed in the United States on March 7, 2023 by Nora Dusseault
    • Superly written
Truly a remarkable book...a well deserved Pulitzer prize winner
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2023 by Amazon Customer
    • Painful Metaphor
Rather than a chronological tale of a black girl, all but discarded, the story unfolds with perspectives, from characters and experiences within this community which has shaped, battered, and abandoned the child, considered “ugly” by all those who made her loathe her own image and identity.
Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2023 by sharon f. leff

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