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glorifiedloveletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death
Minor: Gun violence
alanab05's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Sexism
hannah_steven's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence and Grief
Minor: Rape and Slavery
megan_harper's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, and Grief
joensign's review
- 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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Slavery
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, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
steveatwaywords's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
There is little in her prose that--despite its homeyness--permits such basic readings: the details of homes, the treatment of animals, the fights over checkers, all have resonance of thicker layers to Janie's place (and that of those like her). Add to this the racial politics of the American South and the fateful circumstances of the novel's conclusion and we are left with a novel which poses questions of our empathy for others in a universe which may be full of intent or utterly indifferent.
While I was somewhat jarred by the characterizations of a few in the novel, created seemingly more to forward a theme or argument than to be fully human (and seen especially when describing communities as a whole), the personalities in the foreground amply fill this slim novel.
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Death
jperalta's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism
snjos58's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Classism
anna_m_k'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Rape and Slavery