Tara's review
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I must be the only person who read this and hated it.
I read this book when I was a junior in college in an American Lit class. I was looking forward to reading it when I saw it on my book list and read the back cover. I enjoy the writings of Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, so I was looking forward to reading a book that took place in a past time period and was about black characters/community. I really feel like I got my hopes up for nothing. I was so disappointed in this novel.
I had difficulties liking the characters. I enjoyed reading the vernacular and I love when author's use it, but I just did not find the characters likeable or admirable, and none of them "tugged at my heartstrings" in any way. I think the only part I really enjoyed was the part with the rabid dog. Otherwise, I hated this novel.
My professor and I would spend many classes arguing this book. He was shocked that, as the only black woman in the class, I was the only student in this class...more
I read this book when I was a junior in college in an American Lit class. I was looking forward to reading it when I saw it on my book list and read the back cover. I enjoy the writings of Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, so I was looking forward to reading a book that took place in a past time period and was about black characters/community. I really feel like I got my hopes up for nothing. I was so disappointed in this novel.
I had difficulties liking the characters. I enjoyed reading the vernacular and I love when author's use it, but I just did not find the characters likeable or admirable, and none of them "tugged at my heartstrings" in any way. I think the only part I really enjoyed was the part with the rabid dog. Otherwise, I hated this novel.
My professor and I would spend many classes arguing this book. He was shocked that, as the only black woman in the class, I was the only student in this class...more
I completely agree with you. I liked none of the characters; what's more is that I felt Janie in particular was weak, yet supposedly portrayed as a hero.
I agree about Janie. I don't mind when my "hero" has flaws but for a hero/heroine to be weak, that's a turn off.
Tara,
I am so glad to see other readers also feel that this book is mediocre and has unlikable characters. I majored in American Lit. for my MA and I swear I was the only person in my classes who just couldn't get on board the Hurston train. Somehow I just couldn't view Janie as a feminist heroine. The only part of the book I liked was the big "o" under the tree. Other than that, the book read like an Oxygen or Lifetime movie.
In some ways, I felt the venacular speech was unsuccessful--it felt like a caricature of Black speech rather than a celebration or even embrace of it.
I too am a huge fan of Morrison, Angelou and even Walker and it pains me to see Hurston put in the same catagory as them.
Thanks for sharing your real opinion--now I finally feel validated!
Rebecca, you make me feel validated in my opinion of this book. My mother and sister both think I'm being far too critical of this boook and don't see anything wrong with it and have no problem putting it in the same category as the works of Morrison, Angelou and Walker. Usually I respect their opinions, but with this one I just couldn't.
Thanks so much for your comments. I agree, the vernacular is unsuccessful. Well, I know this book became popular posthumously and I think Alice Walker was the one who discovered it, but I'm not sure why she or any other famous person (like Oprah) thinks this book is so amazing. Somehow, I think I decided the Hurston train wasn't worth it and have stayed on the Morrison/Angelou/Walker Express ever since.
