Reviews tagging 'Racism'

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

178 reviews

drjoannehill'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? Yes

5.0

5 stars for the truly excellent audiobook reading by Ruby Dee, as well as the detail in the story.

We meet Janie who is returning to her home town in Florida after a long period of absence, looking rather poorer than when she left. This causes all her old friends and neighbours to think something terrible happened to affect her fortunes. She tells a friend her life story - through tales of respectability, control, love, care, fun, agency, and living, for black women at the turn of the 20th century.

I'm quite annoyed not to have come across this on my American Studies degree (we read 1950s short stories instead)

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gun violence, Racism, and Sexism

mchampl01's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

Written incredibly well, Hurston is brilliant at painting a picture with words. I particularly enjoyed the visualization of the vultures. The way she writes paints detailed pictures, especially with connotation to guide the reader's feelings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Terminal illness, and Alcohol

k8lynn's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kellpy's review

challenging emotional 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

I read this book for an English Literature class 8 years ago and it still haunts me to this day. It is one of the most beautifully written books you can read from that time period, and being from Florida myself, the depiction of suffering through a hurricane is genius. No one else could have written this besides ZNH.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Abandonment, and Classism

cekmethvin's review

hopeful sad medium-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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Racism, and Toxic relationship

themdash's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

kilonshele's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism

Moderate: Racial slurs

Minor: Death

teahorn's review

challenging emotional 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Racism

sdfallin's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-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: Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Homophobia

ittybittybookshelf's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

4.75

Zora Neale Hurston truly knew how to write stories that stay with you. Her prose is beautiful, and her insights into the life of a black woman in the early 20th century occupied my thoughts long after I closed the book. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a must-read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Death and Gun violence

Minor: Animal death, Rape, and Slavery