Their Eyes Were Watching God
I first heard of Zora Neale Hurston as a minor character in the history of progressive anthropology that Nell Irvin Painter outlines in the-history-of-white-people. Then I stumbled across this book on a stoop on the south side of W89th street between Columbus and Central Park West (I really should write about how much [[I love stooping]]).
This book was joyful, funny, and painful to read. It moved quickly but seemed to stretch time lengthwise. It feels modern in its sensibilities, a coming and going of age story. Definitely recommend if you enjoy fiction.
Rough notes
- It's pretty interesting how start the language of the narrator is from the characters. The narrator sounds like a Harvard poet scientist, and the characters take a few pages to pick up their country cadence as its transcribed.
- Iconic lines at the end of chapter 5. "Her first dream dead, she became a woman."
Citation
Zora Neale Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God. 75th Anniversary Edition. 2013. Printed Book.