These are the notes to accompany Toni Morrison's "Beloved", a tale set in mid-19th century Kentucky, where slavery is finally coming close to abolition. It is the story of Beloved, killed by her mother as a baby to avoid enslavement, who returns as a woman seeking retribution. "Beloved" won the Pulitzer Prize in 1988 and Toni Morrison was the recepient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. York Notes are designed for GCSE and A Level students, but they also provide background information for first-year university students. The series covers major works from medieval to modern English literature, and classic and contemporary works from Europe, America, the Commonwealth and the Third World. Each book features a biography of the author; the literary and historical background to the work; a summary and glossary of the text; hints for study, to help students plan work and study effectively; a specimen essay; and suggestions for further reading.