Amistad Their Eyes Were Watching God

yea

It's amazing novel.

Worth reading this. So emotional and heart-wrenching...a journey of self-discovery, love, and independence. The prose sings with rhythm and wisdom, turning everyday life into something almost mythic. I was surprised by how alive Janie’s voice felt...fierce, funny, and heartbreakingly real. It’s one of those rare books that feels both timeless and freshly alive every time you read it.

On one level the book tells the story of a young woman seeking love and finding triumph and tragedy. The shenanigans of the characters took me back to the Caribbean in the early 50's and 60's when the afro-Caribbean peasant community, sensing freedom, expressed themselves with joyful abandon. Writing in rich "afro-dialect", Hurston brings the community to life; you sense the cultural richness of the people who, despite their poverty, bring dynamism and magic to laborious peasant life similar to what I observed growing up in and around the afro-Caribbean community in Trinidad. On another level, Hurston takes readers into the emotional depth that her characters must have known and tried to escape from - the fear of the "white man", darkness of their future, poverty of their present life which can only be assuaged by escape into music and party, and their helplessness in it all as described in their dealing with the hurricane which finally ends it all. One can look at the obvious story of love and tragedy but it is the underlying communal fear that struck me most and unleashed grieving.

A very beautiful story depicting the struggle that being a woman of color was like in the early 20th century! Janie’s character is a very interesting one, and I particularly enjoyed her growth throughout the novel! The writing style does take some getting used to but I think Zora Neale Hurston’s style adds so much authenticity to the story! Definitely a book to consider reading!

their eyes were watching god is an emotional roller-coaster. the main character, janie, is an incredible protagonist who you can find yourself relating to frequently, for better or for worse. this story, despite being a journey about love, happiness, and self-discovery, is gutwrenching when it wants to be the prose is the highlight of the book, in my opinion! it's written using a mix of southern dialect and african american vernacular english, which only enriches the setting further the first bit might be a little slow to some, but once the story begins to progress, i had a hard time putting my copy down. it's not a super long book, either! in short, it's a beautifully-written book that knows what it's trying to portray from start to finish. i am trying to avoid sharing plot points to not give too much away... but, i highly recommend to anyone who enjoys classic literature!