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alexchpmn's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
kairiver's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
k_wright's review against another edition
4.0
- The main portion of the book was great, a nice mixture of folklore and the surrounding context.
- The hoodoo part of the book started off very strong as well, but weakened for me when it centralized on specific rituals instead of discussing the culture and characters in it.
- The hoodoo part of the book started off very strong as well, but weakened for me when it centralized on specific rituals instead of discussing the culture and characters in it.
morglemore's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
An anthropological feat, i just won’t be reading it again
perilous1's review against another edition
3.0
This was almost two different works mashed into one collection.
The first part is the apparent result of Hurston traveling around Florida, gathering folklore and humorous tales. It is interesting from an anthropological standpoint. She leaves this largely to the tellers, and so there's very little of the author's astonishingly iconic voice to be had. (I found this a tad disappointing. It just didn't have the same depth or balance as is shown in her approach to Barracoon.)
The second part has much more of Hurston's personal narration, as she gives an account of her research and apprenticing into the world of Voodoo. The focus on ritual is extensive. I didn't expect Zora to go so all out in her quest to learn more about the Vodun. But by her own matter-of-fact admission, she actively participated in animal sacrifices, and rituals intended to curse and kill their intended human targets. What's more... we really aren't permitted much sense of her feelings on these things--for which she was more than just a passive observer/recorder.
I'll have to ruminate on this piece a while longer. I'm overall left unsure and a little unsettled.
The first part is the apparent result of Hurston traveling around Florida, gathering folklore and humorous tales. It is interesting from an anthropological standpoint. She leaves this largely to the tellers, and so there's very little of the author's astonishingly iconic voice to be had. (I found this a tad disappointing. It just didn't have the same depth or balance as is shown in her approach to Barracoon.)
The second part has much more of Hurston's personal narration, as she gives an account of her research and apprenticing into the world of Voodoo. The focus on ritual is extensive. I didn't expect Zora to go so all out in her quest to learn more about the Vodun. But by her own matter-of-fact admission, she actively participated in animal sacrifices, and rituals intended to curse and kill their intended human targets. What's more... we really aren't permitted much sense of her feelings on these things--for which she was more than just a passive observer/recorder.
I'll have to ruminate on this piece a while longer. I'm overall left unsure and a little unsettled.
gjmaupin's review against another edition
5.0
Sits on our shelf next to Grimm and Joel Chandler Harris and Yeats. Tales it takes years for hundreds to make up, but still only get told by one at a time. Th best part is, you can cheat and change them yourself if you like.
michelenwash's review against another edition
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
asolorio02's review against another edition
4.0
The book started a little slow and I was wondering what was up with the format. Zora was narrating her trip down to her hometown in Florida, meeting up with old friends and the people who used to get to lyin', essentially the folks who would tell folk tales. At first there wasn't a lot of stories, and I guess I had been expecting a book structured without the narrative backdrop of the writer actually going about gathering the stories. The traditional method of the narrator being outside of the story narratives is most common, I think.
Anyhow, the actual folktales start slow, but when Zora heads to a backwater town, a rough place where the people work in turpentine stills, she befriends some of the workers and begins to hangout with them. This is when the stories really start to flow, and they come non-stop. John or Jack getting over on ol' Massah, brer rabbit and brer dog becoming enemies, the devil helping out slaves and a bunch of others.
There's also several chapters dedicated to New Orlean's Hoodoo (Voodoo). Zora actually got initiated by several Hoodoo conjurers and she writes about the rituals, uses, and practices of Hoodoo practitioners and believers. It was all very interesting. If you ever find a slip of paper with your name written on it nine times, and stuffed inside an old sock, a doll, beneath a candle or buried beneath your doorstep—beware!
Another fascinating, rich read by Zora!
Anyhow, the actual folktales start slow, but when Zora heads to a backwater town, a rough place where the people work in turpentine stills, she befriends some of the workers and begins to hangout with them. This is when the stories really start to flow, and they come non-stop. John or Jack getting over on ol' Massah, brer rabbit and brer dog becoming enemies, the devil helping out slaves and a bunch of others.
There's also several chapters dedicated to New Orlean's Hoodoo (Voodoo). Zora actually got initiated by several Hoodoo conjurers and she writes about the rituals, uses, and practices of Hoodoo practitioners and believers. It was all very interesting. If you ever find a slip of paper with your name written on it nine times, and stuffed inside an old sock, a doll, beneath a candle or buried beneath your doorstep—beware!
Another fascinating, rich read by Zora!