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Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel

Zora Neale Hurston
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Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel

Zora Neale Hurston
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“[A] brilliant novel about a woman’s search for her authentic self and for real love.” - Edwidge Danticat
“Their Eyes Were Watching God belongs in the same category with [the works of] William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway, that of enduring American literature.” - Saturday Review
“This is a deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don’t know how to live properly. Hurston is a lyrical writer, and lyricism is not usually my cup of tea, but there are talents that go beyond genre and taste. Her greatest claim over me is that she never was ashamed of the novel as a form—she believed in the transformative power of storytelling, and she took risks with sentiment that few contemporary writers are prepared to make.” - America Magazine
“This is a deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don’t know how to live properly. Hurston...believed in the transformative power of storytelling, and she took risks with sentiment that few contemporary writers are prepared to make.” - Zadie Smith, bestselling author of White Teeth and On Beauty
“Undoubtedly one of the important American novels.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Overall rating: 4.285714 / 5 from 7 reviews.

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Review topics: ["book","writing","janie","cakes"].

Review highlights

Reviews

A Classic

"Their Eyes Were Watching God is a classic that hits differently as an African Canadian reader. Janie’s journey of love, struggle, and self-discovery feels universal, but there’s something powerful about seeing a Black woman’s story told with so much depth and honesty. Hurston’s poetic writing brings her world to life, and the way Janie finds her own voice despite society’s expectations is inspiring. This book wasn’t appreciated in its time, but today, it stands as one of the greatest works in Black literature. A must-read."

— Lydia A. (5/5)

I loved this book!

"This was such a great book. It took some getting used to the southern black dialect, but it wasn’t too difficult and soon I was reading it easily. Janie was such a sympathetic protagonist - Ioved her. There were many laughs and equally many ‘oh no’ s through the telling of her life story. Neale Hurston’s prose is as good as it gets. Unbelievable that she wrote this in 2 weeks!"

— Mbluka (5/5)

it was ok

"This book was ok, however the story itself did not grab me"

— Slen (3/5)

Great Read

"This book is the story of a woman's life and her quest to find a deep and true love and happiness. It's a very interesting story of a girl becoming a woman, and how she eventually comes into her own as a person."

— Elloon (5/5)

Not for me

"2. 5 stars This book follows African-American Janie as she goes through three husbands during the 1920s? 1930s? in Florida. So, it seemed, to me, like it started off with a bunch of gossipy women. Shortly after, we went back in time to hear about Janie’s life and her three husbands. I wasn’t at all interested in the first husband and I remember nothing of what happened with him. The second husband was slightly more interesting, but for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out if she was married to “Joe” or “Jody”. It was only at the end of that section that I finally realized that they may have been the same guy. Her third husband, Tea Cake was more interesting, but I zoned out for parts of that section, as well. I was ready to rate it 2 stars until the surprising ending. That, combined with the slightly more interesting Tea Cake brought up my rating to 2. 5 stars. I do know that part of why I “missed” (that is, I wasn’t interested, so wasn’t really paying attention to what I read) much of the book was that the dialogue was written in a dialect that you really have to focus on to figure out. At least, it didn’t come easy to me, and I have a hard time slowing myself down to follow it better, so I missed much of the dialogue, but I know that wasn’t all, as there were other parts that I missed out on, as well. I know so many people loved this, but sorry, not me. Oh, and this isn’t this book alone, nor does it reflect this story, but once again, I HATE when publishers put an introduction, preface, foreword, etc of a classic where they pretty much reveal the entire plot!!! I started reading it, but when they started mentioning plot, I skipped the rest and read the book. I then went back and read the intro. Why, why, why do this? Why give it all away before one has even read the story!? Put these comments in an afterword…"

— LibraryCin (2/5)

Powerful

"This novel tells one woman's story or transcending societal limitations of race and gender in vivid prose. A classic I plan to reread one day."

— Frank (5/5)

A Classic

"A powerful novel that is well worth the purchase. Gorgeous writing that is vivid and striking. The spoken dialect takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do it flows and gives it a very authentic feel. Janie struggles against racism, gender inequality, and searches for love. But this is so much more than a mere romance novel. It is full of the struggles of life and discovery, fear and bravery, love and loss. Complex and deep, this novel is a must-read."

— Cris (5/5)

Q&A

  • Published date: Jan 03, 2006
  • Language: English
  • No. of Pages: 272
  • Publisher: HarperCollins
  • ISBN: 9780060838676
  • Dimensions: 5.31" W x 0.61" L x 8.0" H

One of the most important works of twentieth-century American literature, Zora Neale Hurston's beloved 1937 classic, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is an enduring Southern love story sparkling with wit, beauty, and heartfelt wisdom. Told in the captivating voice of a woman who refuses to live in sorrow, bitterness, fear, or foolish romantic dreams, it is the story of fair-skinned, fiercely independent Janie Crawford, and her evolving selfhood through three marriages and a life marked by poverty, trials, and purpose. A true literary wonder, Hurston's masterwork remains as relevant and affecting today as when it was first published -- perhaps the most widely read and highly regarded novel in the entire canon of African American literature.

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