Toni Morrison - Tar Baby

Pros: Stunning, complex characters; fascinating balance of race and gender critique

Cons: You might have to hunt for it if you're not shopping at a huge bookstore.

Review: While writing a thesis on Toni Morrison's novels, I spent many a long hour going through stacks of theory and criticism of Morrison's writing. Her least-discussed novel, by far, is "Tar Baby," and I have never quite understood why. It's a...

Pros: Great depth of psychology

Cons: Like all Toni Morrison's books, takes work

The Bottom Line: A powerful novel with a very sharp focus. Among other things, a parody of romance novels on tropical isles.

Review: T*r Baby (This is not a typo. Incredibly, epinions censor will not permit the proper spelling of these words.) is Toni Morrison's fourth novel, coming after The Bluest Eye, Sula and Song of Solomon. It is a romance which...