Tara

I recently reread this book, in February 2011 and wrote a new review. It's a lengthy review, but I learned a lot on the second reading, hence the length. I posted that review on my blog, so here's the link: http://left-handedright-brained.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-of-their-eyes-were-watching-god.html.

***I decided to remove the original review I posted for this book due to the new review I wrote in February 2011. The original review I posted for this book is no longer how I feel about the book and therefore wanted to move forward with the 2011 review. If you decide to visit my blog to read my review, thank you for reading it, I know it's long. I appreciate the time you've given to read my review.

Thank you, Tara Nelson
(December 2014)

I was expecting to be really frightened by this book. After talking with my mother about her reactions to the book and the original movie (I believe it came out in the 50s or 60s), I was expecting this book to send chills down my spine and really freak me out. Either I have been desensitized by all of the crime/violence on TV or I just don't get freaked out easily. I thought this book was well written and the premise behind it was fascinating: a group of men move their families to a community where all of the women go through mysterious transformations from independent, career-minded women to sex-kitten housewives with the sole goal of serving their husbands. Okay, how do the wives get that way? Well, although I knew how they got that way, I didn't really feel that the book did a very good job of telling the reader. I've seen the remake with Nicole Kidman, Glen Close and Matthew Broderick and I knew that the goal of the director was not to remake the suspense filled original movie, but to give it a humorous edge. It did just that. The original film, IMHO, was more suspenseful than the book, but still not quite enough to send chills down my spine. This book is a quick read and easy to get through.

My advice: in all honesty, don't bother reading it, just watch the remake. It has some good laughs and is a much more enjoyable experience than reading the book.