micalyia's review

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challenging dark emotional funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I know if I had read this when I was younger I would have ate it up, looking for themes and literary devices.

Some of the short stories stood out to me more than others, many of them are alive of life stories about black people’s experiences during the Harlem renaissance and are set in eatonville, Florida or Harlem, New York. Many of the stories also explore marriages.  While some of the actions and topics might have people raising their eyebrows they are very much applicable for the time in which the stories are set.


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katyyyowens's review

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challenging dark emotional informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5


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readandfindout's review

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reflective medium-paced

3.5

John Redding Goes to Sea: 4 stars
The Conversion of Sam: 3.5 stars
A Bit of Our Harlem: 3 stars
Drenched in Light: 3 stars
Spunk: 3 stars
Magnolia Flower: 4.5 stars
Black Death: 4 stars
The Bone of Contention: 3.5 stars
Muttsy: 3.5 stars
Sweat: 4 stars
Under the Bridge: 4 stars
‘Possum or Pig?: 2 stars
The Eatonville Anthology: 4 stars
Book of Harlem: 4.5 stars
The Book of Harlem: 3.5 stars
The Back Room: 4 stars
Monkey Junk: 4 stars
The Country in the Woman: 3.5 stars
The Gilded Six-Bits: 4 stars
She Rock: 3.5 stars
The Fire and the Cloud: 2 stars

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arachan's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

There is no enough of ZNH's work, which isn't an original thought but is still a true one.  

This book is a collection of her short stories which required a lot of literary investigative work to source and I'm just super grateful that they were saved.  Hurston writes like she's telling the stories at a bar or a dinner table and does a wonderful job.  Each story felt like it was about real people and there's a solidly gossipy vibe that makes each of the stories roll by.  Highly recommend.

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