Beloved, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison, takes readers on a harrowing journey through the darkest chapters of American history. Set in post-Civil War Ohio, the narrative centers around Sethe, an escaped slave who seeks freedom but is haunted by her past. Eighteen years after her escape from Sweet Home, a beautiful yet horrific plantation, Sethe’s present is interrupted by the return of the ghost of her dead daughter, whose name remains unknown and whose grave bears only one word: Beloved.

This powerful, mesmerizing story explores themes of survival, motherhood, and the indelible impact of slavery on both individual lives and the collective psyche. Morrison’s masterful prose brings to life a deeply personal yet universally resonant tale that has become an integral part of American literature.

A New York Times bestseller and a Nobel Prize winner’s magnum opus, Beloved is both haunting and hopeful, a reminder of the enduring legacy of slavery in America. The book includes an afterword by Toni Morrison herself and a new introduction by Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, offering fresh insights into this timeless classic.

“A masterwork…. Wonderful…. I can’t imagine American literature without it.” —John Leonard, Los Angeles Times

Dazzling. . . . Magical. . . . An extraordinary work.

The New York Times

Print Length: 321 pages | ISBN-10: 1400033411 | ISBN-13: 978-1400033416 | Published by Vintage, June 8, 2004

Dimensions: 5.17 x 0.81 x 7.93 inches