Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

75 reviews

kmoyer07's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, and Classism

corabookworm's review

emotional reflective fast-paced

• 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? No

4.0

Read this for a Women's Lit class and really enjoyed it. It's short and quick, written in an intriguing writing style, and packed with tons of emotion. Parts of it were uncomfortable to read, just because of the blatant racism and sexism, but I think that's also kind of the point. Good book overall!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Death and Physical abuse

Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Cursing, Gun violence, and Rape

m_cant_read's review

tense medium-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? Yes

3.25

I liked the book enough, but out of all the books that I have read for school, it was not one of my favorites.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Classism

Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence

shay43geek's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief

cielosiluminado's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.0

this was probably one of the few classics i actually enjoyed to read when i was in high school. then i remembered writing a paper on it when i took women’s literature in college and got such high marks in it, i was so proud. it’s been over 5 years since i last read this and i decided to pick it up again for my monthly classic of 2024.

prior to first reading this book years ago, i dreaded it because the title made me think it was going to be religious, which i avoid in books. once i read it, i quickly realized that it is not religious. it’s a fantastic, metaphorical tale of a black woman’s life in the early 1900s in southern usa and her search for independence.

truly, hurston’s writing is incredible. there is a reason why she is now regarded as one of the greats. in this book, the way she wrote janie (the main character) and her life’s journey throughout the story is detailed magnificently.

that being said, despite how much i loved it at first i have to admit, somehow i overlooked something in my first reads back then that i cannot even begin to justify now.

He slapped her around a bit to show he was boss.

janie having survived in two horrible, abusive marriages before she was even 30 made me root for her love life so much. she then gave it another shot with tea cake later on in her life, which was a gamble she bravely took. i was a fan of tea cake and the way he loved janie until chapter 17 where he hit her because of his own fears and jealousy and because it made him feel more secure as a man. i had to lower my rating because of it. like the justifications/explanations in the story were dumb as hell and everyone just moves on? big sigh.

at the end of the day, i just wanted janie to have her happily ever after everything she went through. and she did, by herself. she constantly defied expectations to gain her freedom and independence, remained fierce despite all the struggles she faced, and was unapologetically herself until the end. i admire her to this day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Racism

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Misogyny

Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, and Slavery

friendlypoet's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Physical abuse

crybabybea's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• 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

4.0

I was consistently amazed at the year this book was published. The themes are still so relevant and a lot of what Zora Neale Hurston writes could still be considered progressive even now. I don't have a lot to add to the conversation that hasn't already been said. It's a classic, so you have to cross the initial barrier of understanding the writing style and dialect of the characters, but the themes are incredibly human, emotional, and timely, so it makes it a lot easier to get into.

The audiobook for this is extremely well done. If you start reading this physically and have trouble getting into it, definitely give the audio a shot.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment

dxmxus's review

emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Slavery

themoostconfused's review against another edition

funny reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Body shaming and Physical abuse

cateyackerman's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Grief