nm_young's review against another edition
2.0
⭐⭐
Not a book for me and not one I would recommend. It didn’t hold my interest, and probably felt more of a chore to get through. Not completely terrible, but I didn’t have a good experience. This book was an enjoyable read, but there are several things I wish were done differently.
Not a book for me and not one I would recommend. It didn’t hold my interest, and probably felt more of a chore to get through. Not completely terrible, but I didn’t have a good experience. This book was an enjoyable read, but there are several things I wish were done differently.
sarahcoller's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a real treasure---quite possibly the most beautiful piece of writing, short of the Psalms, that I've ever encountered. Parts of it literally made me feel warm inside---this author had a uniquely precious gift of language.
Here are some of my favorite passages:
pg. 20 "Put me down easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate."
pg. 21 "There are years that ask questions and years that answer."
pg. 191 "Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore."
...and the last page, of course, which I will not include for the sake of avoiding spoilers.
I'm so so happy I read this! This will be a lifetime favorite, for sure.
Here are some of my favorite passages:
pg. 20 "Put me down easy, Janie, Ah'm a cracked plate."
pg. 21 "There are years that ask questions and years that answer."
pg. 191 "Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore."
...and the last page, of course, which I will not include for the sake of avoiding spoilers.
I'm so so happy I read this! This will be a lifetime favorite, for sure.
johnarundel3's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
strawbrryreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
alyssiam29's review against another edition
4.0
Still an amazing book!!
Hadn't read this in years and I am still in love with The story and the character...Zora Neal Hurston created a work that literally transcends time...
Hadn't read this in years and I am still in love with The story and the character...Zora Neal Hurston created a work that literally transcends time...
emashreadingfast's review against another edition
5.0
When I read this book in high school I didn’t give it the appreciation it deserved. In 2020, I read In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens, which is a collection of essays by Alice Walker. Many of her essays sing the praises of Zora Neal Hurston. Walker actually went to the unmarked burial site of Zora Neal Hurston and pretended to be a relative, so that she could give Hurston a proper headstone. Walker describes how Hurston’s novel was unique for its time. Instead of writing black characters that were specifically struggling with race relations, she wrote a story about black characters having complex relationships with one another, that had little to do with white people. The book also touches on colorism within the black community. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a true romantic tragedy, but it also captures little joys and funny exchanges between characters. I appreciate the use of vernacular, and the ability to enter a world so different from mine through Hurston’s beautiful descriptions, while also being able to empathize with the female protagonist.
novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
4 STARS
A wonderfully written book about a women and her passions. I watched the tv movie starring Halle Berry and enjoyed it.
A wonderfully written book about a women and her passions. I watched the tv movie starring Halle Berry and enjoyed it.
mundinova's review against another edition
4.0
"Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom was in the branches."
It's hard to believe this beautiful novel was written in the 1930's. It feels present and new.
There's not much more I can say about Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's beautifully written and captures the deep seeded need for love, both giving and receiving. Without it, we suffocate. But more than that, this book explores the external world in which that love can grow or perish. Nothing lives in a vacuum.
"She didn't read books so she didn't know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop."
Story: 4 stars
Character Development: 4 stars
Prose/Language: 5
It's hard to believe this beautiful novel was written in the 1930's. It feels present and new.
There's not much more I can say about Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's beautifully written and captures the deep seeded need for love, both giving and receiving. Without it, we suffocate. But more than that, this book explores the external world in which that love can grow or perish. Nothing lives in a vacuum.
"She didn't read books so she didn't know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop."
Story: 4 stars
Character Development: 4 stars
Prose/Language: 5
smilfluvr's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5