For August’s edition of the Buzzwordathon readathon, I chose to read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston! This is because August’s theme was ‘body parts’, meaning that a body part had to be mentioned somewhere in a book’s title. While sharing Janie’s story, Zora is able to use words artistically and lyrically. However, this approach to storytelling never feels too “flowery”. A great example is when Zora describes a hurricane roaring over Florida’s Everglade region. She refers to the hurricane itself as a “monster”. As the storm is moving closer to the Everglade region, Zora writes, “The people felt uncomfortable but safe because there were the seawalls to chain the senseless monster in his bed”. In this sentence alone, Zora creates an image the reader can visualize. She also makes the hurricane larger than life, an antagonist for the characters to encounter.

I’ve said before on 18 Cinema Lane that I don’t seek out “slice of life” stories. The reason is I don’t find “slice of life” stories to be as compelling as other types of stories. In the first half of Their Eyes Were Watching God, the story was more “slice of life”. Conflicts within the story don’t arrive until Tea Cake, Janie’s third husband, is introduced in the book. Because he appears in the story’s second half, I found the second half of the book more interesting than the book’s first half. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a fine, well-written novel. I am aware there was a 2005 made-for-tv adaption starring Halle Berry. Now that I have read the movie’s source material, I would be interested in reviewing the film in the future!

Overall score: 3.6 out of 5

Have fun during Buzzwordathon!

Sally Silverscreen

Disclaimer: Their Eyes Were Watching God contains subject matter that some readers may find offensive, including:

— Language reflective of the book’s release, the 1930s. This includes the use of racial slurs.

— References to heavier topics, such as death and abuse

— Swearing on some occasions

— Mrs. Turner’s beliefs, which are filled with prejudice

— The inclusion of a hurricane