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Tar Baby Audiobook
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(3.00) - 8,103 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
A ravishingly beautiful and emotionally incendiary reinvention of the love story by the legendary Nobel Prize winner
“Arresting images, fierce intelligence, poetic language . . . One becomes entranced by Toni Morrison’s story.” —The Washington Post
Jadine Childs is a Black fashion model with a white patron, a white boyfriend, and a coat made out of ninety perfect sealskins. Son is a Black fugitive who embodies everything she loathes and desires. As Morrison follows their affair, which plays out from the Caribbean to Manhattan and the deep South, she charts all the nuances of obligation and betrayal between Blacks and whites, masters and servants, and men and women.
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"The most heavily atmospheric of Morrison's novels, also the most accessible. Very little of the obtuseness that can be found in Beloved and Paradise and makes them more difficult, but not more entertaining reads. Of course, since this is Toni Morrison, the ending is a little ambiguous and less than satisfying, but still a massively beautiful, marvelous novel."
— Kelly (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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Deeply perceptive. . . . Return[s] risk and mischief to the contemporary American novel.
— John Irving, The New York Times Book Review -
“Toni Morrison has made herself into the D. H. Lawrence of the black psyche, transforming individuals into forces, idiosyncrasy into inevitability.
— New York -
“Arresting images, fierce intelligence, poetic language . . . One becomes entranced by Toni Morrison’s story.
— The Washington Post -
“Wrenchingly good. A terrific book.
— The Philadelphia Inquirer -
“Hypnotic, stunningly alive.
— The San Diego Union-Tribune -
“That rare commodity, a truly public novel. . . . Morrison’s genius lies in her uncanny ability to immerse you totally in the world she creates.
— Newsweek -
“Powerful. . . . A stunning performance. . . . Morrison is one of the most exciting living American writers.
— Kansas City Star -
“It takes one to the sheer edge of human relationships.
— Vogue -
“Wise, beautiful, astonishing, absolutely breathtaking.
— St. Louis Globe-Democrat -
“Reminds us again that Toni Morrison is one of the finest writers in America today.
— Louisville Courier-Journal -
“Tar Baby is stupendous. Morrison is a writer of amazing skill.
— Roanoke Times & World -
“Its scope is grand and the interplay complex. But Morrison has the control of a skilled choreographer, with a careful eye pinned on pacing, suspense, grace, and frenzy. . . . She has an awesome lyric flair.
— The Charlotte Observer
Awards
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Winner of Nobel Prize, 1993
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Winner of Nobel Prize, 1993
Tar Baby Listener Reviews
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" Toni captured love, race, and class all in one novel. "
— Vern, 2/5/2014 -
" I enjoyed the imagery in the book, however, I found the story much to slow and not really liking any of the characters. I thought parts of it were very predictable as well. "
— Tina, 2/5/2014 -
" At times it's like reading poetry. "
— Kristen, 2/5/2014 -
" This one is my favorite Morrison. The phrase: 'something in his heart knelt down' is in this book. She's Mozart with words, Renoir with a pen. "
— Maryanne, 2/2/2014 -
" I loved this book. It's my 4th favorite Toni Morrison behind 1) Sula, 2) Beloved, and 3) Song of Solomon. I still haven't read "A Mercy" yet, so this list might change. "
— Orishaz, 1/30/2014 -
" I didn't like this book quite as well as some of the other Morrison novels I've read. I can't really figure out why. The characters were good. So was the description and the story line. It just didn't grab me as much. "
— David, 1/28/2014 -
" not her best, not her worst "
— Psalm, 1/22/2014 -
" I think if I had read this 30 years ago it would have been much more of an eye-opener. "
— Ron, 1/22/2014 -
" Not my favorite Morrison novel, but I find anything she writes is well worth the time and effort to read. "
— Kay, 1/18/2014 -
" This is one Toni Morrison novel I have to go back and read. I missed a lot, whether due to my whiteness, young age, or a combination. I will read and revise. "
— Ryan, 1/9/2014 -
" I was really intimidated by Toni Morrison, I felt like her books would go over my head, but this book was a down to earth story, that most women could relate to. "
— Trikkessa, 12/27/2013 -
" Whew. This book was a roller coaster. It started off very slowly, but picked up quite strongly in the middle. At this point, the writing became exquisite! It was, however, like trudging through mud....chocolate flavored mud. It was hard, but delicious. "
— Athena, 12/16/2013 -
" Flowery prose that I have no patience for. Next! "
— Matt, 12/10/2013 -
" I got in trouble for reading this book in jr. high. My dad stuck up for me. It was a pretty cool day for book lovers in Ohio. "
— Christina, 10/23/2013 -
" This was a really good book, read it a while ago, think it will be one of my re-reads in the near future. "
— Lashawnda, 7/23/2013 -
" just wen i was thinking toni morrison was the woman to read... "
— Ridovhusanae, 9/24/2012 -
" Tar Baby kept goosebumps forming throughout my body. A fine read. Fine. "
— Barbara, 9/10/2012 -
" Some of the magical or dream-like passages were, still, over my head. I will read the book again in another couple years and perhaps "get it" then. A beautiful intense love story with lots of overlap with other themes: aging, race, American culture, women's issues, etc. Morrison is a wonder, again. "
— Alex, 3/27/2012 -
" This is my favorite of all Toni MOrrison's books. Loved it! "
— Lynn, 3/18/2012 -
" sylvie asked me to read it "
— Erika, 3/13/2012 -
" Kept me reading but somewhat disappointing. Not as impressed with it as I thought I would be. "
— Bonnie, 1/26/2012 -
" I think Tar Baby had a good story behind it, but it was very scattered for me. I had a hard time staying focused on when events happened and who's point of view we were looking at. There were a lot of issues presented in the book which makes it an interesting read. "
— Jessica, 7/27/2011 -
" My very first book I read of Toni Morrison I read it after reading a review in Essence Magazine. I loved this book "
— Pattoncox2, 7/6/2011 -
" This was very clever, but somehow not so affecting. I've read The Bluest Eye and Beloved. While simpler (I think), TBE strikes me as less 'thought out'. Beloved was just sheer brilliance. I think I can see the structures in here too clearly, which makes me a bit sad. But still, very well done. "
— Lorraine, 5/2/2011 -
" I liked this, though not as much as other Toni Morrison (maybe because it's so . . . contemporary?) <br/> <br/>Narration by Lynne Thigpen was, as always, wonderful. "
— Kerry, 1/24/2011 -
" Why do I like each Toni Morrison novel a bit less than the previous? "
— Erin, 10/28/2010 -
" My first Toni Morrison read was a bit of a disappointment. The rather absurd plot distracted from the messages of race, gender, class and age relations the author was trying to explore. Nevertheless I'd liketo try another from this Pulitzer Prize winner. "
— Thomas, 9/1/2010 -
" I loved this book. It's my 4th favorite Toni Morrison behind 1) Sula, 2) Beloved, and 3) Song of Solomon. I still haven't read "A Mercy" yet, so this list might change. "
— Orishaz, 8/11/2010 -
" took me a while to get into it...then when i finally started to love it the ending pissed me off! ugh! "
— Tiyana, 7/7/2010
About Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison (1931–2019) was an American novelist, poet, essayist, editor, teacher, and professor. In 2012, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She also received the Nobel Prize for Literature, the National Book Critics Circle Award, a Pulitzer Prize for literature, an American Book Award, the Norman Mailer Prize, the PEN/Saul Bellow Award, the Condorcet Medal, the Thomas Jefferson Medal, and the Anisfield Wolf Book Award, among others. She wrote twelve novels, including Beloved, which won the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and was made into a major motion picture starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.