Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

21 reviews

fairyollie's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

from her very conception, Janie has no agency. every decision was made for her: where to live, who to marry, what to do, who to talk to, and how. seeking true love, Janie finds herself and her own agency.

it took me a bit to get used to the dialect, which was written so realistically and honestly. a clear classic, and it is a shame that it is not taught in academia. a bigger shame is that it has been forgotten.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Abandonment and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death

ekgranstro's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Slavery, Death of parent, and Alcohol

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

amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring tense medium-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

5.0

This really is a work of art! It was refreshing to read an African American classic that focuses on the struggle to find love as a black woman. Zora Neal Hurston tackles so much in this book from colorism and even the struggles between male and females in the black race. I really enjoyed reading this.

It was really helpful to read this immersively with the audiobook. It really helped make the dialogue pop. Zora Neal Hurston does a fantastic job of writing African American southern dialect, that hearing it read to me sounded like a movie.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

tay_tay's review

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, and Grief

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Medical content, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Fatphobia, Incest, Death of parent, and Abandonment

rudaamela's review

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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Death, and Alcohol

booksnart2023's review

challenging emotional inspiring sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Animal death

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

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Dementia, Grief, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism