This was the last of the "Summer of Hurston" books and a re-read for me although it had been so long I had forgotten most of it. I listened to the audio book version read/performed by Ruby Dee and it was excellent. From the opening, the feeling for me is that not only were the characters "watching God", they were busy watching each other and passing judgement of them. The main character, Janie, goes through a life with three totally different husbands. The first, Logan, was the safe provider chosen by Janie's grandmother to keep her out of trouble. The second, Joe Starks, is a go-getter, determined to turn the all black communtiy of Eatonville, Florida into a prosperous town with himself running it. The third, Tea Cake, is the love match with a younger man, a gambler and grifter who sweeps her off her feet and makes her feel real love for the first time. Janie is on the receiving end of treatment by the first two that confines her to "her place" and keeps her from living as she would like. Tea Cake provides her with a freedom to be herself. The ending mixes tragedy with Janie's triumph over bowing to the opinions of others. I enjoyed this book and the discussions that went with it.
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