Four star review, originally posted here on November 23rd, 2024.
Uh oh. Confession time: I fell behind on my book reviews and am trying to catch up on them all now. I remember having a lot of thoughts about this book, and yet… my memory is already pretty fuzzy. But here’s what I do remember…
Hurston’s writing was very solid. She did a great job capturing the essence of her characters, as well as the general vibe of her characters’ world. I felt real emotions while reading this, usually rage at all the sexism. If there’s one thing I do remember about this book, it’s the sexism. I was so frustrated on behalf of Janie. Soooo much sexism. That’s basically what this book was about; gender roles, and a woman’s lifelong struggle oscillating between fighting back against these repressive roles, and being deflated and disempowered by them. As a modern reader, it was extremely frustrating that the supposed “good” love interest was still, nevertheless, violent towards her. That’s how low sexism pushed this lady- that a guy who’s generally nice but still occasionally smacks her around is considered the progressive choice. Ugh.
This book is definitely a masterpiece. Why not 5 stars? I just wasn’t pulled into the story, despite being able to acknowledge all that the book had to offer. But I’m glad I’m read it, and I’m disgusted that Hurston didn’t receive more praise for her work during her lifetime.
Helga without the H 