Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

40 reviews

historyoftape's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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

There are so many good things packed into this story. A rich understanding if culture and language, characters that grow or are stifled depending on their environments, social, economic and political commentary, great dialogue, captivating imagery... It's a book that had me deeply invested in the main character's goals, dreams, and growth, where I loved the side characters, and where, while I may not have made similar decisions, I could understand and even support Janies decisions because I understood that they were the right path for her. The ending was heartbreaking and real, hurt me in a good way. It's been a while since I read a book that finished this strongly.

The way Janies words were so rare in the beginning of the story, to how confident and free in speaking she is by the end was one of the most striking things to me. One of the most effective but subtle ways to show her growth I have encountered in a while. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction

charliebites's review

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Minor: Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Dementia, Grief, and Colonisation

jo245's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, and Violence

lilliana_blackstar's review

adventurous 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

5.0

Words cannot do justice or portray the expanse of emotion that resides in this book. The writing is divine and alive. Most of the story is told in dialogue - conversations between two or more people, rich in the colloquial speech of the characters: black people in Florida in the early 1920s and 1930s. The dialogue is rich and alive and tells all the things that are happening through gossip or arguments or conversations between lovers or neighbors.

“You’se something tuh make uh man forgit to git old and forgit tuh die.”

Then, in between the conversations, the poetry. Oh, the prose! The poetic narration to fill in the blanks of the story with such depth of color and emotion. 

“So she sat on the porch and watched the moon rise. Soon its amber fluid was drenching the earth, and quenching the thirst of the day.”

“There is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought.”

I had a good deep cleansing cry at the end of this book. 

“Of course he wasn’t dead. He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking.  The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace. She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see.”

Note - the Harper audiobook is narrated by Ruby Dee, and it is a masterpiece of voice acting. 

I picked this book in January because I wanted to read books by Capricorn authors during Capricorn season. Zora Neale Hurston was born January 7, 1891

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief

anxiousbeauty96's review against another edition

emotional sad tense 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 is a great book. This novel follows the story of Janie and her 3 marriages. All of Janie’s husbands are misogynistic but Tea Cake seem to be the one who truly loves her and loves him as well. Their story his heartwarming MOST of the time. Some of the things he did were questionable, but you can tell they loved each other. The ending made me cry.
I like that Hurston decided to to write the dialogue in Southern dialect but it did make it hard to read at first. Once I got the hang of it, it got easier. It’s a great read. I highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

henrib11's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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

4.75

Incredibly well written and dialogue heavy. A story worth reading and easy to fall in love with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Addiction, Confinement, Gun violence, Slavery, Violence, and Medical trauma

themichellegray's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective slow-paced

• 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

4.0

2024 Re-Read - 4 stars
A poetic book that celebrates language and the power of finding your voice while simultaneously offering a look at feminism in the 1930's. I originally read this in my high school english class and still find the written preservation of Black American's dialect at the turn of the twentieth century to be the most memorable part of the story.

While this book follows Janie throughout stages of womanhood and details her romantic relationships, I wouldn't classify this as a romance. Instead it is a slower paced journey of self-discovery while living in a highly misogynistic and racist world. While Tea Cake's character was flawed, he brought so much joy into an otherwise challenging novel and I couldn't help but admire him.

This is definitely a story that is meant to be deeply analyzed and discussed (which would make for a great book club pick). While I was able to grasp the overall symbolism and metaphors, the writing style often became dull which removed me from the narrative leaving me a little lost.

The content of this book can be difficult to consume but offers such a hopeful message that is sure to make you reflect on your own life, appreciate the progress that has been made since its publication, and help to understand how our language has evolved and intertwined over time.

Original Read (2007) - 5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Gun violence, Slavery, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Rape, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

kelsea's review

dark 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Terminal illness, and Grief

alexisgarcia's review

emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.0

a very good book, especially considering when it was written. it was way ahead of its time. the characters were incredibly realistic. they were lovable but definitely flawed. this book could’ve been nonfiction because of how real and natural the characters and plot were. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism

mattyvreads's review

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

Just a perfect novel. This was my second time reading through, and it was just as powerful as the first read. 

Zora Neale Hurston’s words are pure poetry. The story is a beautiful and complex character study, above all else. I would not change a thing. Who would?

Scholars agree that it is one of the finest books ever written, but since I am not a scholar, I’ll simply say that it is one of the best books I’ve ever read.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, and Slavery

Moderate: Animal death, Mental illness, and Terminal illness