I chose this book because it was on the reading list for a very well known University and is part of Oprah's Book Club. However, I honestly didn't care for it! None of the characters were developed to the point of being able to relate or connect to any of them. The literature was contradictory in that Ms. Morrison writes beautfully but at the same time includes language and depictions that are very unbecoming and unnecessary. I almost felt like she was writing for shock value. I can definitely understand why this book would be good for discussion in an English class - it evokes a wide range of emotion. But the story itself was slow and ultimately, I just couldn't relate.

Wow. I read this story for a Womens Writers Literature class in college, and it was one of the most powerful stories I've read. The imagery she uses throughout the story really sticks with you...and it leaves you feeling almost empty. You actually feel the pain and suffering. I recommend it to everyone.

This novel tells the story of two life-long friends. Sula comes from a line of independent women and grows up to have contempt for the small-town morality of the Bottom, where she grew up, as well as an abiding hostility toward her mother and grandmother. Nell embraces the life of the community and tries to pursue a conventional life as wife and mother. In their future awaits an act of betrayal that will force them to reevaluate each other and their own lives. Toni Morrison's beautiful prose brings to life the community of the Bottom.

I know it is almost blasphemous to put down Toni Morrison's writing in this day and age. I just did not like this book. I found all the character's despicable and for that reason could never connect with any of them. This is a short book but I had to really push myself to finish the book. This was my first try at Toni Morrison and probably will be my last. I see where her prose is a big hit but if the plot and characters are no good then no amount of prose can save a book.
Sorry, no Toni Morrison fan here.

I do not like this book at all. I had to read it for my college English class. It was a complete waste of my time. I got in arguements with the teacher about whether Sula is a heroine or not. She cheated with her best friend's husband and destroyed their marriage. She watched her mother burning in fire without doing anything to save her life. Her mother died of a severe burn. Sula is a very contemtible character to me. In addition, the language of this novel is very crude and uninnovative. For example, the author used descriptions such as "Christmas came down like a dull axe, too dull to cut through but too shabby to ignore." In the end of the book, Sula died in a hospital, a very pathetic death. No one came to see her except her best friend, whom she had betrayed before. I think books with stories like this should not be celebrated. Sula as the main character lacks moral standards and principles. I just could not believe that it has won the Pulitzer Prize. Please please please do not read it!!!

There are good storytellers,there are wannabies and there are real artists.Toni Morrison belongs to later category,truly gifted writter whose poetic expressions recalls fairy tale world of Gabriel Garcia Marquez (but just vaguely,she is very much her own woman and has nobody even approaching her league) and who knows how to create atmosphere full of sensuality,fear and hallucinations.Something in Morrison writting directly continues ancient line of folk tales but of course with a twist - she tells her stories from afro-american perspective - also notable is the way she weaves her characters into rich tapestry just to leave some threads in the air.Maybe this is the reason why I rate this otherwise excellent novel four out of five stars,since some unforgettable characters are unexplained,just touched lightly and disposed without a fuss just as we start to like them.Almost like Morrison prefers nature to her characters,the title one being black famme fatale,sort of Shug Avery but ultimately unexplained or beter said,without motives.All of her novels share this tendency and its easier to love Morrison because of her wonderful style than because of the stories themselves,often left maddeningly unexplained.As for the title of this novel,any of the characters here would have been contender to this book title since they all leave strong mark and Sula is just one of the many pictoresque faces,the way I see it,the friendship between two women just a small part of the story but not a main one.And I have to remark on squirmishness of some of reviewers here who find the novel "graphic" - maybe its my european background,but we found nothing unusual about honest writting about sex and death,they are both part of life experience and its testament to Morrison art that it doesnt sound contrived or forced,in fact she does it with such ease that I wasnt even aware about "graphic" parts until I read comments here.Reccomended.

Sula is Morrison's classic first novel, and is enchanting. To understand the magic, I think you have to know the language only Morrison can write in. It's slang, and slippery phrases paint her scenes, and is what I truly like about her books, she gets you there in a different way than any other writer. Sula is the story of two friends, and their families, and the Bottoms that they live in. Sula is a pariah, and effects the lives of many. The toneless tragedy Morrison depicts is what can make her writing mysteriously captive, odd, beautiful, and even amazing. Sula is a story that floats along quickly, but the ease in painful natures won't soon slip out of your mind. It's a truly great book.

I love SULA. It is quite simply musical poetry set in the context of a very compelling and engrossing story. Sula Peace is a progressive and very liberally-minded young African-American woman, from Medallion, Ohio, living in the 1930s along side her good friend, Nell. The two women are as different as night and day. While Sula wants to experience life outside of the confines of her small and rather conservative, town through going away to college, meeting and consorting with various men and developing strong thoughts of her own, through education, Nell is content to remain in Medallion, marry and raise a family.

Toni Morrison masterfully weaves a magnificent and cautionary tale about women's liberation, at a time when that was often the furthest thought from their minds, and further from the minds of African-American women. Morrison takes on topics of race, class, sexuality and the double standard society held true in the 1930s, as well as today, regarding the moral values of modern women and how their decisions make or break them in the eyes of "common" society. Morrison's writing leaps off of the page, and she has the power to make her characters come to vivid life on the page. I could see SULA as a motion picture, but I don't believe that anyone could really develop a film adaptation that would equate the glorious beauty of the writing or descriptiveness of the novel.

Sula is an excellent novel that everyone should read. It shares many universally important themes, including those of racism, life, death, and sexuality. Morrison's extraordinary characters give the book much of its flair. It is a fairly easy read and contains little complicated rhetoric. However, the many graphic scenes make it suitable only for mature readers. Sula would be especially enjoyable to someone interested in minority rights but can still be enjoyed by anyone who is comfortable with adult content.

This novel portrays the segregation of the black and white communities during the Civil Rights Movement. It's eyeopening to see the different lives of characters, though fictional in this novel, and how the dynamics change between an old world black woman, Nel, and a new world black woman, Sula. Though I wouldn't put this book at the top of my list, being that I could never really get to appreciate the characters enough, it's still worth reading if you're interested in this time period and what kind of characters you'd find if you were to go back in time. On the other hand, Morrison's descriptions can be very vivid at times and her words are enjoyable to read.

Although full of graphic content, this novel is a must-read. The story is true to life and tells of one woman's quest to break through racial barriers.

I read this piece for an assignment in an online class. Sula was an amazing read and I would really recommend it to any adult. I love the depictions of race and the differences in the neighborhood first described as inhabited by black people and then by white people. This totally sets the mode of the story and it gets more interesting as you read on. Medallion is described as suburbia for which the black people lived at the "Bottom". I believe this is an excellent example of racial segregation. Morrison uses two characters, Sula and Nel, to depict slavery and the difference in choices made. One succumbs to societal roles and the other fights. This starts as a small difference of views and drives a wedge between the two friends. This story is a classic Toni Morrison and has become on of my favorites.

I was given an assignment in my women's literature class. This assignment was to read Toni Morrison's book Sula. Sula is a must read! This book; however, is not appropriate for those under the age of eighteen due to extreme graphic detail and use of language. Despite this, Morrison is brilliant in her analogy of the racial barriers during the first part of the twentieth century. Morrison weaves a compelling story that examines one woman's quest to find freedom. The Ohio town Medallion sets the back drop for Morrison's story. African-Americans are segregated, and live in the "bottom" of Medallion. The name "bottom" is more descriptive of social standing than actual location. This is where two young girls, Sula and Nel are introduced. They are drawn together through common circumstance. Nel comes to represent the role of dutiful wife and mother. Sula rejects the constraints of society. She pursues a path of moral indifference; void of remorse. This attitude eventually leads to the demise of their friendship and Nel's marriage. On her death bed Sula remembers, "[...] we were two throats and one eye and we had no price." (LBW 2059). In the end, the two friends are left alone.

I was required to read Sula for an introductory literature class that focuses on women writers. I was really looking forward to reading the work because I had read Beloved for another class, and the latter book has turned out to be one of my all time favorites. I was not disappointed: Sula is classic Toni Morrison.
This book is set in small, northern town named Medallion. The black citizens live in the hilly section of the town, an area that is ironically called "The Bottom." The book spans approximately forty years, and it centers on the lives of two girls, Sula and Nel, and their extended families.
Some reviewers have complained about the lack of character development in this novel, but I think that is a little unfounded - her characters are great, and they are ones that are capable of evoking emotion from the reader. Shadrock, the founder of National Suicide Day, comes back from the war traumatized. Morrison takes us through his struggle; when he comes back home, we are relieved that the town learns to "fit him in." If you are from a small town, you will recognize Shadrock. The female characters are strong women, and what's terrific about Morrison's characterizations of women is that they are all different - they have different strengths and weaknesses, just like real women. They do what they "think" they have to do, and sometimes what they do is difficult to swallow.
The reality of Morrison's work can be off-putting to some, but again, I see that as one of her strengths. She certainly pulls no punches. One reviewer mentioned the constipation scene. It is ugly, but who can't sympathize with the mother in this passage, and that is surely one of Morrison's intents. Her work is raw, real, and sometimes painful, but those elements also make her work great.
I would recommend this book especially to readers who are just beginning to read Toni Morrison. It is a fairly short work, and it would be a great piece to start with in order to get acquainted with her style.

I received an assignment to read Sula, by Toni Morrison for my English class. I would definitely recommend it to others because it is a very educational book to read. It is also interesting because it tells a story of more than just one person. You get to look into the lives of Sula, Nel, Eva, Hannah, and Shadrack who all lived in the bottom. I enjoyed how it showed the friendship between the two girls who became such good friends, and then they went their separate ways. The novel to me was very dramatic, and emotional. Especially when Sula stood on the porch, and watched her mother burn to death. It was very detailed in describing the way things were happening. If you have a chance to read it, I would suggest it for being a very good book.

it was used and looked like an old library book, but i'm fine with that and you can't beat the price.

it was used and looked like an old library book, but i'm fine with that and you can't beat the price.

Toni Morrison is a master of surprise both in language and in plot. I also recommend the audio of this book recited by her.

A Poem:


YOUNGER STILL


My mother left me at Church camp with a dozen peaches.
After a week she came to see me.
First day, I took a swimming test.
Dove right in. My bikini came off. I had
To tread water to get dressed. Passed the test.
The water made my Sudden Tan
Come off. Some kid asked
If I was wearing Sudden Tan.
I said, no, I was peeling.
I watched Debbie put on her bra.
Next day, I put mine on
The exact same way. We had a fair. I kissed
The camp counselor
Twice at the kissing booth. We had a
Dance. Debbie said don't stick
Out my bum. Someone called
On me; we did the bump.


***


My Aunt Gertrude taught me
To dive. She sat in her round
Body, sweet face, stern voice,
Telling me to jump high off the board.
She said I was a natural. She said she
Was once the Quebec Diving Champ.
She invited us to her
50th Wedding Anniversary.
When we got out of the car
My mother put out her hand
And my brother spit out his gum.



***


When we sat in front of the TV
And the house was messy
For days, my mother turned on
The vacuum cleaner. Our cats
Ran to the edge of the walls,
Up the stairs. Money, chips, crumbs,
Unknown static sound bounced
Up and down the neck into the bag.
I yelled at my mother to stop,
As I was sure one of my earrings
Was making that sound.


***


My feet never touched the ground
As I flew beside dad on Saturday's
To the bank,
One quarter his size.
He zipped from Montreal
To say Don't Quit,
After a breakdown,
with such good grades.
Is it what you love
Or what makes money that counts?
He cried from Germany
After I swallowed multitudinous pills.
He offered the farm.
Two feet cloven I declined, declined.


***


We tussled as kids
With my father's rugby pal
Because I was a wrestling girl.
My mother retold how Old Rugby scaled
The hotel wall to see her.
He climbed down from Canada
To see me; giggling she said
I had to stop.
Such dirt began to spin,
My brothers outside,
Me in back loading laundry.


***


Tax season was never a good time
For my mother. It either meant selling
The furniture or the house. Four times
She sold the house. I helped her move
Into a hostel. She wanted to change.
To prove herself. To do things right.
We went to a bar for a very long time
So she could smoke. If she needed to
She could live with us. We tried
At Christmas. My brother came over
And they planned a business to lease
Land in Ohio for oil companies,
Under the table, over whiskey
And Saline Dion. My husband put
The turkey in the plastic. Left. I sat
Upstairs wondering how long
It would be till I got my house back.

Sula was a wonderful book- i read it this year in my 10th grade honors english class and thoroughly enjoyed it. Although graphic and slightly disturbing at times, if you look, you will find the meaning behind each and every word Toni Morrison has written. The incident with Plum's constipation demonstrates Eva's love and her willingness to do what is necessary to ensure both her survival and the survival of those she cares about. A fascinating story about love, friendship, motherhood, sacrifice, determination, and defining oneself, Sula is a novel brimming with wisdom.

I would recommend most of Toni Morrison's work to anyone regardless of age, race, or gender. Her novels are about growing up, girlhood, womanhood; the ups & downs and oftentimes rocky relationships between black men & women...between black women/black men/white women/white men . Yes this book is about 2 black women and their experiences growing up black as friends-but anyone male or female black or white can relate to economic themes, cheating in a marriage, a friend letting you down, mistrust, alienation, an eccentric parent, being unconventional, self-doubt, etc... What this book is about crosses all racial/cultural/gender lines. Someone wrote that they usually avoid Toni Morrison's work as they are "white and male." What if we all felt this way? Imagine all the great books we'd all miss out on! Reading is about broadening your horizons-coming out of "the box"...Reading "transports you" shakes you up, engages you, transforms you; makes us re-evaluate ourselves and the world we live in. I have read almost anything I can about Auschwitz, Hiroshima...Native American Non-Fiction, Gay/Transgender-ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF FICTION/NONFICTION, books about midwifery....(the list is infinite)-yet I am childless, heterosexual, young, black & female. I read anything and everything I can. You cannot call yourself a reader and have a myopic point of view concerning race or gender. Reading surpasses race and gender and Miss Morrison's work-especially Tar Baby, Song of Soloman, Beloved, & The Bluest Eye-are worthwhile for reading more than a few times...

Yes I did enjoy Sula however I would recommend the novels mentioned above in addition to Sula. Reading literary criticisms along with Ms. Morrison's work was very helpful to me because-like most EFFECTIVE GOOD DECENT ENGAGING AUTHORS-what she writes has so many other meanings BELOW the surface other than what the reader initially BELIEVES he/she READS/SEES ON the surface...the Bible/spirituality, Mysticism, the Supernatural, Folklore, Existentialism, Gender Themes...the list goes on and on. She's not for the reader who is looking for a creampuff, goofy, EASY, thrown together B.S. type literary experience. From 13-113 black white asian hispanic jewish baptist catholic gay bi str8 male female rich or poor Ms. Morrison's themes appeal to and can apply to anyone and almost everyone anywhere in the world.

I have typically avoided Toni Morrison's work, because most of her books seem to be about the meaning of being black and female, and I am white and male and don't usually think too much about race or gender. Chick books in general usually fail to thrill me.
But this book...well, I have to admit I enjoyed it. I did.
The book tells the story of a small black community, and in particular of two girls who grow up friends and then take different routes, the two routes converging dramatically when one of the girls sleeps with and then discards the other's husband. The characters are quirky and unique, the action is often sudden and entertaining, the plot is thin but formidable enough, and the book's pacing moves along rapidly.
I did not think this was a perfect book. It kind of left me wondering what exactly the point of it all had been, but it felt like a good introduction to Toni Morrison, and like a good portrait of different times, ways of life, and a culture. The writing is always lean and strong, and occasionally the prose is lush and memorable.
Guys desperate to read something that they can discuss with their girlfriends wouldn't suffer too much at all to pick this one. It's not bad.

I won't repeat what others have said about Morrison's lyrical and literary prose style (good) or her lack of character development in the novel (not so good). Rather I would caution potential readers not to attempt the audio version of this book. Morrison herself is the reader, and her breathy, whispery style does not translate well to listening in the car. Her voice drops off at the end of most sentences making it almost impossible to hear all her words. Very frustrating, to say the least.

What a disappointment. Self-absorbed writing that sometimes serves no purpose for the story. The writing often seems nothing more than an attempt to write poetic prose. Character development is inconsistent. Morrison makes grand statements about characters that are not only unsupported, but she has actually provided evidence against her assessment.

I don't mind vulgarity in writing if it serves a purpose. The vulgarity of Eva's scene with her infant son's constipation, however, was completely unnecessary. Is was just plain gross and out of place with the rest of the story.

Just because it has Morrison as author does not make it good. Even the best miss the mark sometimes. Morrison's Sula misses by a mile.

Reading the book Sula, by Toni Morrison, is to say the least an eye opening experience. I read this book for a college in the schools honors English course, to gain perspective on different cultures and writing styles. As a basic summary, the book follows Sula, Nel, Eva and Shadrack in 1919 through 1965 and examines their experiences and relationships. Nel and Sula are the friends that "knew that only the coffin would lie in the earth; the bubbly laughter and the press of fingers in the palm would stay aboveground forever" (66). As the years move on in the novel, Sula goes to college, and then comes back to the Bottom and binds the town together in resistance to her. Through out the story, there are several things that caught my attention. The re-occurring themes of the elements water, air, fire, and earth are what drive the action in the novel. Apart from the elements, the contrasts that Nel and Sula are so different bind them together as one entity. While Sula is gone and Nel is married, Sula comes back and shares Nels' husband like the two women used to share everything as girls. The companionship that Nel seeks while Sula is away from a man she only realized at the end of the novel really was that Nel thought "All that time, all that time, I thought I was missing Jude" (174). This novel takes the perspective of a male character, and projects the actions onto the women in the novel. The book takes many different perspectives on gender roles, and how the actions of the two genders are seen as by the town. I love the double meanings of everything in this book from Sulas' birthmark above her eye, to why the characters choose to make the choices they do. This book examines many issues through writing style that may offend and anger some conservative readers. If your looking for an interesting read that may challenge your perceptions, this book is definitely for you.

Toni Morrison has an iconic status in the literary field. So, when I purchased the book, Sula, I thought it would live upto the expectations of her status. I was disappointed to say the least. The book meanders from one end to another and is replete with offensive sexual innuendos. Like her constant use of the infamous F word is quite appalling. To the reviewers who gave this book glowing reviews, I dare ask, would you have a younger relative read this book? That aside, her racial epithets like the N word and the H word shows a total disregard and respect for the ethnic groups in the country. But then again, I doubt if a caucasian could freely use the N word without being censored in the country for lack of tolerance. The story has no plot whatsoever and her style of writing while rich at times could be confusing probably due to her inclusion of ebonics. That said, I am being fair in giving this book just one star.

This was the first book I've read by Marrison after hearing great things about the author. I was not dissapointed. There is an open, candid feel to Morrison's writing and I felt that I could connect with the two main female characters. I shared this book with my mother and sisters after I finished it and they felt the same as well. The story eventhough set in a different time could be any set of friends anywhere. Another great read I have heard alot about and finally checked out was An Audience for Einstein by Mark Wakely. A wonderful read.

If The Bluest Eye marked Toni Morrison's entry into the literary world, then Sula established her as a literary force. This short novel follows two friends, Sula and Nel, who grow up together in the Bottom, a black section of an Ohio town, and who become fast friends despite their radically different home lives. When a horrific accident occurs and the girls decide to keep it a secret, they are both forever connected, even as the event begins to drive them apart. Nel embraces the conventional life of her own mother, marrying Jude right out of high school, while Sula escapes her wildly distressed family life for college and a life of expensive clothes and white men. However, when Sula returns and everything bad about the Bottom is blamed on her, Nel is forced to confront what is "bad" within herself.

Told from the points of view of many characters, Sula provides a multifaceted portrait of a community and, within it, a friendship. Morrison confronts superstition, the role of women in black society, the ravages of war, legacy, and the gray areas of morality and perception that don't make any of the preceding easy to define. Students studying this work might want to concentrate on characterization (Sula's mother Hannah and her grandmother Eva are as complex as Sula and Nel) and the rhythm of Morrison's prose, especially in the first-person sections.

Morrison has proven through her body of work that she is one of America's premier novelists, a writer who can portray multiple levels of even the simplest plot. Since she has written so few novels (nine at this writing), readers should easily be able to familiarize themselves with all her books. For those who have not read Morrison, I recommend starting with this book or Song of Solomon since the others are either more demanding or, in the case of The Bluest Eye, not as complex.

I've read several of Toni Morrison's books, and found this one to be the least remarkable. While it is very well written, it's hard to get to know the characters or their motives. Sula in particular remains an enigma; not much explanation is given as to what motivates her to act the way she does. Despite this, it is still a fascinating book.

Toni Morrison got a well-deserved Nobel Prize for literature. This particular novel is about a woman, practically from birth and to definitely more than twenty years beyond her real death. This woman is living in a black community and as such the novel is a black novel. More about it later. What is absolutely surprising is that most of what is said and described in this novel, the poverty of this community, the rejection and segregation it is the victim of, is practically entirely contained in the black community itself. It gives this novel a universal dimension and the poverty, misery and at times blindness Morrison describes could apply nearly word for word to any European poor working class social group. � The purpose of evil was to survive it and they determined .. to survive floods, white people, tuberculosis, famine and ignorance. � (p.90) Replace � white people � by � rich people � or � bosses � and you will have the working-class literature of nearly any European country in the 20th century, D.H. Lawrence for one or J.B. Priestley for two. That leads me to what Toni Morrison says in some of her non-fiction books or lectures. She says that the whole white literature of the USA cannot exist without the presence in the books or at least in the author's mind of the Blacks as a beyond-the-white-frontier territory. Here it is absolutely clear that black literature in the USA cannot exist without the presence in the books themselves or at least in the author's mind of the Whites as a beyond-the-black-frontier territory. This book is a perfect demonstration of the point. It is also a great book because of the great richness of the psychology of her characters, here only women as main characters. She shows marvelously how what could seem to be erratic or crazy in the attitudes of some women is in fact the result of intricate crossings between experience and situations, one woman, in this case essentially Sula, bringing together what she came across in her life and among other elements several models, her mother, her grandmother and her best friend. But she is a failure because she never gets away from the models and since these models are contradictory that leads her to a suicidal return to her sources where she can die alone, rejected and selfrighteously rejecting everyone else even her best friend. Morrison goes just a little further by showing how her coming back and then her death can dictate some changes in the community, including a final suicidal demonstration and near-riot after her death. Rejected, Sula brings better attitudes in the community out of fear, but dead, she liberates negative attitudes out of a feeling of retrieved freedom. The book in other words explores the far-reaching presence and influence of some women in a community upon all the women and the men of this community. Women become central in such a human group and Morrison exploits this idea as no one has done it before.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

This book was the worst book I have ever read. It has absolutely no plot and is poorly written. The book is full of unrelated character which were randomly thrown into the book. The book randomly changes characters,and after each character change the characters personality completely changes. The book is EXTERMELY BORING. This book should never have even been published. I would strongly recomend avoiding this book if at all possible.

Toni Morrison got a well-deserved Nobel Prize for literature. This particular novel is about a woman, practically from birth and to definitely more than twenty years beyond her real death. This woman is living in a black community and as such the novel is a black novel. More about it later. What is absolutely surprising is that most of what is said and described in this novel, the poverty of this community, the rejection and segregation it is the victim of, is practically entirely contained in the black community itself. It gives this novel a universal dimension and the poverty, misery and at times blindness Morrison describes could apply nearly word for word to any European poor working class social group. ý The purpose of evil was to survive it and they determined .. to survive floods, white people, tuberculosis, famine and ignorance. ý (p.90) Replace ý white people ý by ý rich people ý or ý bosses ý and you will have the working-class literature of nearly any European country in the 20th century, D.H. Lawrence for one or J.B. Priestley for two. That leads me to what Toni Morrison says in some of her non-fiction books or lectures. She says that the whole white literature of the USA cannot exist without the presence in the books or at least in the author's mind of the Blacks as a beyond-the-white-frontier territory. Here it is absolutely clear that black literature in the USA cannot exist without the presence in the books themselves or at least in the author's mind of the Whites as a beyond-the-black-frontier territory. This book is a perfect demonstration of the point. It is also a great book because of the great richness of the psychology of her characters, here only women as main characters. She shows marvelously how what could seem to be erratic or crazy in the attitudes of some women is in fact the result of intricate crossings between experience and situations, one woman, in this case essentially Sula, bringing together what she came across in her life and among other elements several models, her mother, her grandmother and her best friend. But she is a failure because she never gets away from the models and since these models are contradictory that leads her to a suicidal return to her sources where she can die alone, rejected and selfrighteously rejecting everyone else even her best friend. Morrison goes just a little further by showing how her coming back and then her death can dictate some changes in the community, including a final suicidal demonstration and near-riot after her death. Rejected, Sula brings better attitudes in the community out of fear, but dead, she liberates negative attitudes out of a feeling of retrieved freedom. The book in other words explores the far-reaching presence and influence of some women in a community upon all the women and the men of this community. Women become central in such a human group and Morrison exploits this idea as no one has done it before.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU

i love toni morrison. i think the bluest eye is the best book of all time. unfortunately, sula is a frustrating read. there is little to no character development and it is impossible to understand this supposed friendship, let alone care about it. the plot is disconnected and the long shift in time does not serve the story well. i would not reccomend this book to anyone.

Morrison amazes me every time I read one of her novels. Paradise is by far her best novel, so deep and complex and moving and all together connected and finished. Sula may not be on that scale, but it is, none the less, a complex and deep story that is worth studying and looking deeper into.

The book is a tale of two women and their friendship. A literary author like Morrison pays attention to detail. Their names are the first clue. Nel Wright and Sula Peace. Their names are ironically contrived to portray what is not there for the two characters. Wright would mean 'right', which Nel is not throughout the book (except, perhaps, at the end), and Peace is the opposite of what Sula is and how she interacts with the society she lives in. Both are ironic names meant to identify with what the characters are not.

Anyway, Morrison does a wonderful job creating this story. Her writing is so literary and powerful, being extremely concise with every word she choses. Convictions, emotion, sentimentality and passion are all felt and believed. In the end the story wraps full around and creates a feeling of completeness despite the despicable woman that Sula was. Nel's realization at the end of the novel is a moral lesson that is all to often overlooked and ignored. Without giving anything away, it is a realization that more people need to come to instead of turning to and lumping everyone into the category of hate. The relationships we build are cumulative and the meaningful times should not be forgotten despite who the person has become.

A recommend for anyone looking for a deep, complex and fun read, all the while remaining completely accesible for everyone.