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liblady0308's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A beautiful, challenging read that begs us all to live our lives to the fullest.
dcork's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook of this as remarkably read by Ruby Dee. And as someone who listens to a fair amount of contemporary fiction audiobooks, it was staggering just how clearly ahead of its time this book was and is. I guess that's a testament to its influence.
nickc777's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dyno8426's review against another edition
4.0
This has become yet another instance of a powerful, feminist literature that shares its origin and attributes from the anti-racist movement in America and thus, joins the ranks of The Color Purple and Toni Morrison's works in representing the lives of black women in and around the time of abolishment of slavery and emancipation of African American population in the early 20th century. It is both painful and not surprising to hear from the story of Janie Crawford how even despite entering a process of progression of and upliftment black lives during this era, women's treatment by and their position in the society has similar signatures of oppression and overlooked like times before that. The period, when African American people start breathing the first airs of freedom and chances of pursuing the great American dream like others, wasn't all rainbows and unicorns as we all have some fair idea about. It was not followed by an instant reclamation of prejudice and establishment of an attitude of equality. Instead it continued to be long plagued by the same notion of discrimination between skin colours and racial origins which was the self-proclaimed basis of the exploiters who established and justified slavery in the first place. It was like freedom to build anything out of your life while having both hands tied in the back.
Even in such an expanse of limited freedom, there was still a relief of some degree of fear and an opportunity to own your self and your place in the society of your likes for black people. There was clearly a struggle to find your lost identity when the slave-brand was taken away - even though that identity was the source of inherited misery, it was still a concrete placeholder for an assigned identity. Janie becomes a witness of the mayhem of this pursuit of ownership of a new identity. There is a frenzy and disorientation in the people who want to give up their old manner of living but simply incapable of doing so. On top of it, one sees the much more prevalent and taken-for-granted position of a black woman in such a state of affairs. Despite the new found freedom that she sees in her community, she still feels trapped by this pervasive expectation of being a woman. She is a carrier of the pure human spirit that wants to live and enjoy the bounties of nature. She craves to live uninhibited and spread love by recognising this spirit in others. But she struggles to find not only her identity but her own freedom which has been held back from her to make room for others' freedom. Her passage to find liberation and expression of the purity and originality of her own soul takes here through three marriages. The readers can see her clearly battling her own kinsfolk to live her life the way she wants to. One can hardly imagine how different she feels her life to be as compared to her grandmother who had been under slavery and then out of it. She becomes a feminist symbol in the process of finding her own role as a black woman against all expectations and aggression directed to control her. Her soul thrives as she lets it out in the company of Tea Cake, who lets her free in the playfield of his sunshine and makes her realise her own importance. She loses care of the world behind with Tea Cake and they try to make their way in this free world given to them to enjoy.
Another prominent aspect of the then African American people after liberation and Janie's (being a part of that community) is the intensity and importance of religion and God in their lives. Janie empowers herself by realising the true spirit and ideology behind God and recognises the falsity that men otherwise preach against women in the name of God. She realises the indiscriminate benevolence that any God would have for all its subjects, irrespective of black or white, irrespective of man or woman. Her own goodness is reflected and revered in the God she prays to. As such, the same God becomes a reflection of one's own morality and specially, its corruption in those who have used the same God to inspire fear in those whom they want to exploit. Janie's human spirit shows relentlessness and dedication to only that God which is free from human influence and is not afraid of whatever comes in her way after that. Her difference from others both physically and mentally may make people to be afraid of her and talk about it. But she does not let it deter her from finding those people around her who inspire the same joy and love for life in her as does nature or any other God's beautiful creation. Whatever end she reaches, she only finds herself being thankful in having lived through it the way she wanted to and chose to. And that becomes a true tribute to freedom and individuality.
Even in such an expanse of limited freedom, there was still a relief of some degree of fear and an opportunity to own your self and your place in the society of your likes for black people. There was clearly a struggle to find your lost identity when the slave-brand was taken away - even though that identity was the source of inherited misery, it was still a concrete placeholder for an assigned identity. Janie becomes a witness of the mayhem of this pursuit of ownership of a new identity. There is a frenzy and disorientation in the people who want to give up their old manner of living but simply incapable of doing so. On top of it, one sees the much more prevalent and taken-for-granted position of a black woman in such a state of affairs. Despite the new found freedom that she sees in her community, she still feels trapped by this pervasive expectation of being a woman. She is a carrier of the pure human spirit that wants to live and enjoy the bounties of nature. She craves to live uninhibited and spread love by recognising this spirit in others. But she struggles to find not only her identity but her own freedom which has been held back from her to make room for others' freedom. Her passage to find liberation and expression of the purity and originality of her own soul takes here through three marriages. The readers can see her clearly battling her own kinsfolk to live her life the way she wants to. One can hardly imagine how different she feels her life to be as compared to her grandmother who had been under slavery and then out of it. She becomes a feminist symbol in the process of finding her own role as a black woman against all expectations and aggression directed to control her. Her soul thrives as she lets it out in the company of Tea Cake, who lets her free in the playfield of his sunshine and makes her realise her own importance. She loses care of the world behind with Tea Cake and they try to make their way in this free world given to them to enjoy.
Another prominent aspect of the then African American people after liberation and Janie's (being a part of that community) is the intensity and importance of religion and God in their lives. Janie empowers herself by realising the true spirit and ideology behind God and recognises the falsity that men otherwise preach against women in the name of God. She realises the indiscriminate benevolence that any God would have for all its subjects, irrespective of black or white, irrespective of man or woman. Her own goodness is reflected and revered in the God she prays to. As such, the same God becomes a reflection of one's own morality and specially, its corruption in those who have used the same God to inspire fear in those whom they want to exploit. Janie's human spirit shows relentlessness and dedication to only that God which is free from human influence and is not afraid of whatever comes in her way after that. Her difference from others both physically and mentally may make people to be afraid of her and talk about it. But she does not let it deter her from finding those people around her who inspire the same joy and love for life in her as does nature or any other God's beautiful creation. Whatever end she reaches, she only finds herself being thankful in having lived through it the way she wanted to and chose to. And that becomes a true tribute to freedom and individuality.
tm_burriss's review against another edition
5.0
I read this book in college and have loved it and all of Hurston's books ever since.
strangeauntjudy's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
So beautiful. I’m already looking forward to rereading it.
iamother's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I understand now why this book is considered a classic. Because of the way that it gives voice to black women during a time when that was virtually unheard of. The way that it uses the dialect of black people during that time while interweaving it seamlessly with a more traditional Western style points to the complexity of black society. That we are more than people that just react to the opinions and behaviors of white people but instead have our own wants and desires. That is what Janie was in search of throughout the book: a life well lived. A voice that she discovered was there the entire time. Something she was only able to unearth through experience. She realized there was more to life than simply being a wife and only being seen through that lens. Her life wasn’t perfect but if she had to do it over again, she would gladly bear those hardships again for the moments of happiness that still endure.
My only problem with this text (and not a major one) is that this work is not indicative of the life of a typical black person during this period. Those adversities are either omitted or glossed over. But I think it was intentional. She was trying to argue that not every work written by a black author during this time period had to carry that tinge of social justice. These experiences are just as valid as those of others, though not as common. The freedom with which these black people operated you would’ve thought it was written in a world post Jim Crow. But it’s not, and that realization took me out of some of the interactions. But I think that says more about me than the story itself.
My only problem with this text (and not a major one) is that this work is not indicative of the life of a typical black person during this period. Those adversities are either omitted or glossed over. But I think it was intentional. She was trying to argue that not every work written by a black author during this time period had to carry that tinge of social justice. These experiences are just as valid as those of others, though not as common. The freedom with which these black people operated you would’ve thought it was written in a world post Jim Crow. But it’s not, and that realization took me out of some of the interactions. But I think that says more about me than the story itself.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
cg_143's review against another edition
3.75
"She had been getting ready for her great journey to the horizons in search of people; it was important to all the world that she should find them and they find her"(Hurston 89).