Paradise

By: Toni Morrison

Narrated by: Toni Morrison

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

"Rumors had been whispered for more than a year. Outrages that had been accumulating all along took shape as evidence. A mother was knocked down the stairs by her cold-eyed daughter. Four damaged infants were born in one family. Daughters refused to get out of bed. Brides disappeared on their honeymoons. Two brothers shot each other on New Year's Day. Trips to Demby for VD shots common. And what went on at the Oven these days was not to be believed.... The proof they had been collecting since the terrible discovery in the spring could not be denied: the one thing that connected all these catastrophes was in the Convent. And in the Convent were those women."

In Paradise - her first novel since she was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature - Toni Morrison gives us a bravura performance. As the book begins deep in Oklahoma early one morning in 1976, nine men from Ruby (pop. 360), in defense of "the one all-black town worth the pain", assault the nearby Convent and the women in it. From the town's ancestral origins in 1890 to the fateful day of the assault, Paradise tells the story of a people ever mindful of the relationship between their spectacular history and a void "Out There...where random and organized evil erupted when and where it chose."

Richly imagined and elegantly composed, Paradise weaves a powerful mystery.

©1999 Toni Morrison (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Morrison has brought it all together: the poetry, the emotion, the broad symbolic plan.” (The New York Times Book Review)

“A fascinating story, wonderfully detailed.... The town is the stage for a profound and provocative debate.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Everything is resonant here: the most casual gestures are informed by the facts and myths of genders and race, by our notions of civilization and lawlessness, body and spirit, Christianity and witchcraft. Morrison’s lyrical prose displays great confidence in her readers’ intelligence, demands their unflagging attention, and rewards them generously—with a memorable work of epic range and monumental ambition.” (People)

This is the abridged version

I enjoyed it overall, but would have liked to be aware that this was the abridged version. Overall I enjoyed it!

Paradise

I really really enjoyed this novel, and listening to the author read it was great.

Amazing

Anything Toni Morrison does is amazing! I felt what the characters felt, I saw what the characters seen. I felt I was a part of each ones story.

Pay attention!

I had to listen twice because the ending was confusing. Overall a good book though. Leisure reading, might have been better to physically read.

Interestingly Bizarre

I read Paradise with my book club. Many had a difficult times making sense of it. I had to listen twice myself. There are a lot characters and it is difficult to keep up with who is who. Over all it was an interestingly bizarre story that introduces you to the strangest group of people. Morrison did make me curious about all these troubled people but it disappointed me by ending so with many unanswered questions.

Grandma Morrison reading at Bedtime

Morrison reading her own words gives deeper depth to the story. The attitudes of each character come forth from her deliberate cadence. It's so worth the 25 bucks.

Great Story (Abridged)

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Not well spent because the story was abridged. I like to read the books alongside of the text. The author kept skipping over segments of the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Paradise?

The opening of the book will capture the listener/reader. "They shoot the white girl first."

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Toni Morrison?

The author is the best reader for the project.

Could you see Paradise being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I would love to see it in film.

Alive and dead

I thought that everyone was alive and turns out they were passed away. Anyway I am addicted to Tony’s voice it’s so motherly. I’ll listen to these anytime but especially when I miss my mama.

Raiding Life

After being ravaged by the titillating voice and graphic vocabulary of the author, I found myself lost in a sea of personal diaries and historical sequences that took a second reading just to capture pieces of the plot. No complaints though since the second visit to “Ruby” was even better than the first. Which I concluded by reading a Wikipedia study of the summary of the plot only to long for the experience once again of walking along the tragic yet melancholy lives of its inhabitants and almost citizens. The metaphors in Ms Morrison’s work are sculptures of the soul and the jazz rhythms of her narrative with their syncopated messages that tell you their meaning backwards while revealing it to you is like the push and pull of intercourse. This work is mystical, magical and blasphemously symbolic. Ms Morrison is a literary gymnast and her art work is not intended for the faint of heart! Captivating read that raids the heart and soul of the unsuspecting voyeur. Thanks

enjoyed very much. Interesting stories by Toni M.

very interesting stories by Toni Morrison. leaves you intrigued while listening to her. also keeper