A beautiful and captivating story about love, betrayal and friendship. This book turned me onto Toni Morrison and although often trippy, I love her and this book. A must read. ( )

Love is not Toni Morrison's most engrossing or complex novel, but it is a wonderful read. The story, told from the perspective of multiple narratives, describes the relationships between the women in Bill Cosey's life. Women gathered around Bill Cosey, a resort owner who catered to well-to-do blacks in the 40's, 50's and 60's, like moths to a flame: L, the cryptic cook who hums and observes; Heed, Cosey's second wife who came from the poorest of the poor; Christine, his militant granddaughter; and May, Cosey's daughter-in-law. Add Sandler and Vida Gibbons, former Cosey employees, their grandson Romen, and Junior, a tough girl from out of town, and you have Morrison's cast of characters. As the story evolves, we discover that Heed and Christine, who were once childhood friends, are locked in the prison of their own hatred. Romen and Junior explore all aspects of physical relationships while Junior tries to turn her back on demons from the past.

Morrison's subtext includes memory and language and how each informs our understanding of the present. As usual, Morrison's text bobs and weaves between characters, and between the present and the past. There is less of the supernatural in Love than in many of Morrison's other books - here, the ghosts and demons are memories and the interpretation of those memories. This is not Morrison's best work, but it is still an engaging and thoughtful look into the many aspects of love and it's mirror, hate. ( )

Great depth and intelligence; really portrays the complexity of characters well and shows how differently people understand and misunderstand each other, and how small decisions we make can change the course of a whole life. I just can't help thinking, though, that the book might have been even richer if it had been a little more chronological and forgiving of its readers... ( )

It’s been a while since I’ve read a Toni Morrison novel, and at least this one is more accessible than Paradise which I started twice and was unable to finish. So the story here takes place in a coastal town where a vacation resort for black Americans blossomed from the 30’s to the 60’s. All the women in the book have a relationship with the dapper but shady Bill Cosey who ran the hotel whether it be romantic, family or employee. The main focus is on Heed and Christine, two women who live together in Cosey’s house even though they seem to hate one another (the intention of Cosey’s will being a main item of contention). I felt like a dope because I could not figure out how they were related to one another, until on page 131 Morrison made my jaw drop. Turns out Christine was Cosey’s granddaughter and when she was 12, Cosey married her best friend, the 11-year-old Heed. All is revealed in the pages that follow and brilliantly what occurred earlier in the book falls into place. The story ends with redemption as Heed and Christine rediscover the love for one another that was torn from them as children.

“Hate does that. Burns off everything but itself, so whatever you grievance is, your face looks just like your enemy’s.” - p. 33

“’A woman is an important somebody and sometimes you win the triple crown: good food, good sex, and good talk. Most men settle for any one, happy as a clam if they get two. But listen, let me tell you something. A good man is a good thing, but there is nothing in the world better than a good good woman. She can be your mother, your wife, your girlfriend, your sister, or somebody you work next to. Don’t matter. You find one, stay there. You see a scary one, make tracks.” Sandler, p. 155 ( )

After reading some of Morrison's other works, this one fell a bit flat. It felt as if she really didn't have any new characters or new things to say, and was so rehashing some of what I'd seen from her before in books like Beloved and Jazz. If you like her style and writing, I'd recommend it, but I'd say that if you're just looking into her, you'd be better off going with Song of Solomon, which I feel is her best work to date overall. ( )