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mlthomas234's review against another edition
- 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? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Grief, Racial slurs, Animal death, Death, Violence, and Murder
mimccub's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Minor: Domestic abuse, Animal death, Death, and Body shaming
amavi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Body shaming and Racism
Minor: Murder, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Death, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death
laura_huey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Janie, the protagonist, has been raised by her grandmother, Nanny, and longs for a loving, equal marriage to bring her fulfilment in life. However, when Nanny catches her kissing a boy over the garden gate, she arranges what she believes will be a profitable marriage for Janie. We follow Janie throughout her life as she comes to understand what real love is, what constitutes a fulfilling life, and the sacrifices she'll make for someone she loves.
As a white Australian woman, I found this book to be a challenging read. It was beautifully written, and portions of Hurston's prose are almost poetic, but I found it took quite a while to get my head around the dialect that the novel is written in. Now that I know the story, I think I would benefit from rereading this book in the future. I'm also interested in viewing the film before revisiting the novel, as I think that may help me with the dialect also.
Overall an excellent read. I recommend approaching it with compassion for all the characters and not forming your opinions about them until the end. Everyone is complex and has layered motivations behind their choices, so it's important not to judge them too quickly.
Graphic: Animal death, Gun violence, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Child death, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
caribbeangirlreading'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
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, and Racism
asha_m'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Death, and Misogyny
Minor: Slavery
mandkips'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
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Animal death and Murder
horationelson'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
3.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Death
Minor: Rape, Physical abuse, Gun violence, and Animal death
hawkrose18's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
I had to read this book for school and I am so glad that I did because it was truly an amazing story. I plan to check out more of Hurston's work in the future because I really enjoyed how she told this story. I loved following Janie and learning about her life and the hardships that she went through to become who she was. I also loved how this book was not solely focused on the black suffering (it was there, but it wasn't just this), and instead also focused on black joy and black love and it was all around just a beautiful story that I hope more schools include in their curriculum. Sometimes the abusive relationships Janie was in got to me and hit me harder than I would have expected, but I do think that it was still important to the story and helped Janie become the person she ended up being and I love that she ended up becoming herself and lives for herself instead of those around her.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Gun violence, Rape, and Slavery
ohlhauc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
It is extremely well-written, scarce but evocative enough to imagine what's happening. The dialogue is also masterful, and makes you feel like you're on the porches with the characters as they banter, gossip, fight, and reflect on their lives. Seeing Janie liberate herself from the worlds she's put in through her three relationships is also inspiring, and her growth through the journey was very emotional.
I highly recommend listening to this as an audiobook if the written dialect is hard for you. The version narrated by Ruby Dee is spectacular.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racism, Rape, and Slavery
Minor: Homophobia