The Bluest Eye

With haunting poignancy Nobel Prize-winner Toni Morrison writes of the hardships of poor black America. Ruby Dee's reading of Morrison's first novel is masterful. The Bluest Eye is the tragic story of eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove, who "each night without fail" prays for blue eyes, believing her ugly reality will be made beautiful through them. Pecola's life is read in an unhurried, emphatic style, which respects the somber strength of the book. Dialogue is abundant, and Dee lends great depth to characters with unique voices and skillfully handled dialect. Nothing of the poetic, contemplative nature of this book is lost in its abridgment. This is an outstanding production of a classic work. H.B.K. Winner of AUDIOFILE Earphones Award (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

In this subtle and disturbing early work, Toni Morrison tells an ugly story, creating real beauty in the process. Her approach to the plight of a black girl in Ohio who longs for blue eyes so she'll be lovable is to use many voices and points of view. Lynne Thigpen manages marvelously to create different colors for each of these; she not only reads beautifully, she sings beautifully. The author's note at the end of this recording is extremely interesting, adding the mature author's insight to the story, written thirty years ago. B.G. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine