Total Page : 80
Publisher : SparkNotes
Publication Date : 2002 01 10
>> One of the most amazing books I ve ever read
I had never heard of Zora Neale Hurston until Oprah made her book Their Eyes Were Watching God an Oprah Book Club selection When I scanned the first page of the book in the bookstore I hesitated because of the phonetic use of words it seemed too distracting Then I thought about how I managed to get through and enjoy A Clockwork Orange so I thought I could manage this Their Eyes as well I hope that readers can push past how words are being pronounced/written and simply concentrate on what is being said
On the surface this book is simply a love story There is so much more finding love and finding a voice Janie Crawford/Killicks/Starks/Woods is searching for love and her voice and twice she comes up empty before joining with the love of her life Tea Cake Her first husband Logan Killicks seems to want a hired hand more than a wife Joe Starks while he may love Janie does not love her in the way she needs to be loved and will not go out of his way to do so either It is not until Janie meets Tea Cake does she not only find love but her own sense of self as well
Janie s grandmother wanted Janie to live a comfortable life a stable life Nanny grandmother didn t want Janie to ever have to answer to anyone or be anyone s mule If that meant a marriage of convenience so be it Love had to take a back seat to stability But Janie was just a teenager at the time and never got the chance to find who she was supposed to be So Janie ran off to be with Joe Jody Starks in order to find love
With Jody all of Nanny s dreams for Janie were fulfilled Janie lived in a big home and had lots of money but still Janie was unhappy because Jody needed Janie to be seen and not heard Jody didn t even want Janie to enjoy the townspeople in a game of checkers or in any of the conversations at the general store Jody needed complete control of everyone and everything in order to feel important Janie again had to stifle her own voice in order to keep the peace with Jody
Tea Cake comes along and sets Janie free Janie never needed the finer things in life to be happy She needed freedom and that is what Tea Cake provided and encouraged
So yes this book is a love story but not with the traditional happily ever after Although Janie and Tea Cake don t live together for the rest of their lives Janie finally finds herself She knows what the perfect love feels like she knows what she wants from life she finds her own voice Janie has lived life where as her peers simply want to gossip and make disparaging remarks about her new found freedom But Janie doesn t mind Why Because she is FREE
>> Lyrical Beautiful Book of One Woman s Journey to Self Fulfillment
I had a hard time at first with the Southern African American dialect of the characters but once I got used to it it was easier to read the novel I love how this novel is an important African American novel but also an important feminist novel I love Janie s journey to find herself and her happiness She finally found her voice with Tea Cake Overall this book was a beautifully written compelling and original work
>> Book in excellent cond
Arrived in excellent condition Took 4 days from order placed to being shipped out which I thought was a bit slow even though web site said quick shippping
