4 out of 5 stars.
I enjoyed this story and thought of it as a coming of age journey about a Black woman trying to find herself, with the romance being secondary. While her 3 marriages were the focus, I found all of them to be toxic in different ways and felt that being single was the best path for Janie.
I didn't like Tea Cake as much as I thought I would. But he loved her, and she got to love him and gained a sense of freedom that she never had with her other two husbands. And with that, I am glad they found each other. But don't get me started on the ways Tea Cake pissed me off. I don't think Janie should have married him. You would think after 2 failed, miserable marriages that she would know better than to commit to someone else so soon. Tea Cake was immature, and came with way too many excuses. I was so irritated when he stole that $200 from her! Funny thing about the men in this story, is that they still exist today. Just modern versions of the same nonsense. The Tea Cakes of the world are now guys named Marcus who steal the change from your dresser while you sleep. LOL!
Janie annoyed me more than a few times as well. She still felt like she 'needed' a man, and she still had flaws while being with Tea Cake. Janie is what happens when you spend decades in unfullfilling relationships. You jump at the first good looking thing that smiles your way. She did it with her second husband, and did it again with Tea Cake.
I also feel that some of the scenes dragged a bit and could've been edited out. I could care less about that damn mule, or whatever it was that the narrator was carrying on about.
I should also mention that this was an audiobook narrated by Ruby Dee and she did a WONDERFUL job. I love zora's writing, but I can only say that I just 'liked' this book. Which still puts in on my list of great classics worthy of a read.
Follow Hardy Publications on Facebook!
Hardy Publications is an affiliate of Amazon.com. and receives a commission from purchases made through provided links