bringmybooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
✨ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗡𝗚 ✨ B̷O̷R̷R̷O̷W̷ B̷Y̷P̷A̷S̷S̷
The audio of this novel is absolutely stunning and I cannot recommend it highly enough - Ruby Dee does a phenomenal job narrating Janie's voice and story and I was swept up in the novel from pretty much the first chapter.
I loved the exploration of race, family, and community in the post slavery American South, and had a lot to think about upon finishing this book. I appreciated the vernacular that was used throughout, but definitely think I would have struggled with this had I not been listening to the audio.
Janie's story was heartbreaking but also so beautiful and full of hope. I both loved and hated how things turned out at the end, and can absolutely see why this novel and Zora Neale Hurston's writing has stood the test of time.
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Classism, Gaslighting, Sexism, Racism, Slavery, Animal death, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Death, Racial slurs, and Terminal illness
allisonbrooke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical content, Sexism, Terminal illness, Death, Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Slavery, Grief, Racism, Cursing, and Racial slurs
zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Classism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Violence, Medical content, Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Cursing, Racism, Racial slurs, Fatphobia, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Slavery, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Rape, and Blood
Natural disasters, Colorism, Eugenicslaura_huey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Janie, the protagonist, has been raised by her grandmother, Nanny, and longs for a loving, equal marriage to bring her fulfilment in life. However, when Nanny catches her kissing a boy over the garden gate, she arranges what she believes will be a profitable marriage for Janie. We follow Janie throughout her life as she comes to understand what real love is, what constitutes a fulfilling life, and the sacrifices she'll make for someone she loves.
As a white Australian woman, I found this book to be a challenging read. It was beautifully written, and portions of Hurston's prose are almost poetic, but I found it took quite a while to get my head around the dialect that the novel is written in. Now that I know the story, I think I would benefit from rereading this book in the future. I'm also interested in viewing the film before revisiting the novel, as I think that may help me with the dialect also.
Overall an excellent read. I recommend approaching it with compassion for all the characters and not forming your opinions about them until the end. Everyone is complex and has layered motivations behind their choices, so it's important not to judge them too quickly.
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Terminal illness
ashleycmms's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Medical content, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Child death and Infertility
hawkrose18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I had to read this book for school and I am so glad that I did because it was truly an amazing story. I plan to check out more of Hurston's work in the future because I really enjoyed how she told this story. I loved following Janie and learning about her life and the hardships that she went through to become who she was. I also loved how this book was not solely focused on the black suffering (it was there, but it wasn't just this), and instead also focused on black joy and black love and it was all around just a beautiful story that I hope more schools include in their curriculum. Sometimes the abusive relationships Janie was in got to me and hit me harder than I would have expected, but I do think that it was still important to the story and helped Janie become the person she ended up being and I love that she ended up becoming herself and lives for herself instead of those around her.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Gun violence, Rape, and Slavery