Shirley Toulson, ‘Tra loves and hates’, July 19th, 1974, Volume, 38, Issue. 29. p. 6-7.

Review of If Beale Street Could Talk comparing it to — (scan is cut off)

‘It is a simple love story that doesn’t get banal. Baldwin’s prose stands at the opposite extreme of Patrick White’s. He never tortures language, but uses it clearly and simple and his rare flashes of violence are always towards a good end. His characters treat themselves and each other as he treats English. They are able to love, because they really do have something to hate, outside themselves. But they are not out to destroy but to create. Unborn babies are always symbolic, but this one serves the practical function of bringing people honestly together. The girl’s parents, her older sister, and the boy’s father to restore justice. Their efforts are tragic, inclusive and yet triumphant’.