bookly_reads's review against another edition
4.0
Random thoughts: I feel like this book does for Moses what Mary Renault's trilogy did for Alexander the Great. Just makes him this amazingly cool, iconic character. Moses was already that in my brain, but this book gave me more words with which to think about it.
I found the misogyny disturbing, and it even makes me wonder if I read Their Eyes Were Watching God as being more progressive than perhaps Hurston ever actually intended.
It's interesting that Hurston was totally down with Moses being, essentially, a great wizard, but then was like, "Wait, hold up, he can't be related to Aaron and Miriam, that would be a stretch." Not complaining about that point; her kind of cynical interpretations of the Exodus, mixed with her embrace of literal magic, was just interesting to me.
I found the misogyny disturbing, and it even makes me wonder if I read Their Eyes Were Watching God as being more progressive than perhaps Hurston ever actually intended.
It's interesting that Hurston was totally down with Moses being, essentially, a great wizard, but then was like, "Wait, hold up, he can't be related to Aaron and Miriam, that would be a stretch." Not complaining about that point; her kind of cynical interpretations of the Exodus, mixed with her embrace of literal magic, was just interesting to me.
meganfletcher's review
adventurous
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
jazzi1's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
spiderfly's review
4.0
Very interesting retelling of the Exodus story from the Bible. I really enjoyed reading it.
vilagutazo's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
nicoleisalwaysreading's review against another edition
5.0
Zora Neale Hurston was an erudite visionary, as demonstrated by this intriguing re-telling of the Exodus story. By weaving African-American folklore, speech patterns, and images of emancipation with Biblical symbols and tradition, she creates powerful parallels that expand even beyond any initial reading. Her prose is so RICH and rewarding to read, and I feel like I could read this book two more times and still not grasp all that she did with the characters, dialogue, and plot structure. I'm amazed. My copy had a critical essay at the back about the context the book was written in, and coming to understand how this novel came to exist among antisemitism and anti-blackness worldwide, as well as before the burgeoning Holocaust and Jim Crow eras, made the reading experience even more profound.
alisonfarrer's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mrjess_bhs's review
4.0
Took me a good chunk of time to get into this, partially because I have read/seen the story of the Exodus wayyyy too much, and partially because of the bitter taste that any part of Christianity brings up for me. However this is a riveting telling and setting it in a black American voice was fascinating. I also liked the ending a lot more than the story spun in the Old Testament.