ivyldc 's review for:

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

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Janie Woods relates the story of her life to Phoebe after returning home from burying her 3rd husband, Tea Cake. This is the story of a young woman trying to find love and herself in Florida. Janie Crawford is beautiful and young when she is married off to her first husband, the  Rev. Killicks by her grandmother, whose primary goal for Janie is security. Janie runs off with the charismatic Jodie Starks to found the town of Eatonville. He becomes the mayor and a store owner, and “keeps” Janie as a thing to be admired until his death. As a widow, she falls in love with Tea Cake, 12 years her younger. Together they go down to the Everglades, love each other fiercely, and go through good and bad times. Janie’s life is full and she understands why people judge and how to forgive them for it. 

Gorgeous prose. The writing is full of wisdom and earned life experience even as the story goes by quickly. It is layered so that you think it is a simple love story, but it contains so much commentary on Black culture, colorism, oppression, joy, and again, wisdom.