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A review by goblingirlreads
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
challenging
reflective
sad
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
3.0
A lot of people I know read this book in high school so when Life's Library (a book club/discord that I sometimes participate in) chose this book I knew I wanted to try it. Immediately when I started I had a very difficult time with the text. The dialogue is written in dialect so "Ah" is "I" and "heah" is "here" etc. My brain just could not adjust to that and I was reading so slowly. So I switched over to the audiobook and WOW. The narrator was phenomenal and brought the book to life in a way I never would have gotten from reading it myself on the page. Still I find myself so conflicted about this story in the end. On the one there is clearly and obviously some incredible writing throughout. It also felt like opening to a specific page in history and peering into the characters' lives during that specific place and time which I really liked. And because the audiobook was phenomenally narrated I was never bored. But I can't say I liked it. I had a hard time forgiving the men for their violence and all the people who were like *shrug that's just how things are*. I wanted to see the main character Janie grow more independent but the whole book is about her relationships with men. Even though I feel complexly about this one I can still see the brilliance shining through and can appreciate what I read.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse