Their Eyes Were Watching God

Dec 04, 2012 Steve aka Sckenda rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: african-american, florida, women, love, freedom, 20th-century, marriage, folklore, race, regional, southern, migrants, oral-tradition, voice, time-100

“Two things everybody’s to tuh do fuh theyselves. They got tuh go tuh God, and they got tuh find out about livin’ fuh theyselves.” —Zora Neale Hurston (183)

Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of a woman’s search to find her voice and her fight to keep it. People dictate to Janie Crawford how she must act and think. First her grandmother and then a succession of men insisted on her submission. Freedom has a price of loneliness, and Janie is prepared to pay the cost. As you will see in the...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Jeffrey Keeten rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Jeffrey by: On the Southern Literary Trail

”Dey gointuh make ‘miration ‘cause mah love didn’t work lak they love, if dey ever had any. Then you must tell ‘em dat love ain’t somethin’ lak uh grindstone dat’s de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It’s uh movin’ thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it’s different with every shore.”

Janie Crawford knows about love. She knows how life is with it and she knows how life is without it. She had three marriages...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kick-ass

Another book that I recently re-read that stands up well to a second reading. Hurston's novel, unlike many classics, is as impressive and as relevant today as it was when written.

Hurston's story of Janie, a fair-skinned black woman caught in the time period between the end of slavery and the civil rights movement, is the first woman in her family who has the opportunity to be defined as something other than property. Despite this, Janie is unable achieve self-actualization or seek out the indepe...more Another book that I recently re-read that stands up well to a second reading. Hurston's novel, unlike many classics, is as impressive and as relevant today as it was when written.

Hurston's story of Janie, a fair-skinned black woman caught in the time period between the end of slavery and the civil rights movement, is the first woman in her family who has the opportunity to be defined as something other than property. Despite this, Janie is unable achieve self-actualization or seek out the independence for which she longs; however, this is not due to the racism or prejudices of white society (in fact, there isn't a prominent white character in the book). Instead, Hurston takes a fascinating look at intraracial racism. Janie's obvious "whiteness" sets her apart from the black community. At first, she's envied for her pretty hand-me-down dresses and hair ribbons that she obtains from the kind white family for which her grandmother works. Coupled with her straight hair (which hangs down to her waist), her exquisite beauty, and her light skin, she defies color categorization and leaves the question of "What is black?" lacking a definite answer. Later, she's an outcast because her second husband's "big voice" and quest for power in the all black community of Eatonville comes to be identified with the white masters of days gone by, and Janie comes to be seen in the role of the Southern plantation "mistress."

In addition, Hurston explores the repression of women in a patriarchal society. Janie's grandmother tells her that the black woman is the "mule of the world," the lowest of the low. Janie finds this to be true in her first two marriages, as she is treated like property by Logan Killicks and is later objectified by Jody Starks. It isn't until she meets Tea Cake, a man half her age, that Janie begins to live life on her own terms and not by the definition her man has set forth for her.

Whether you like the novel or not, it's importance to African-American and feminist literature is undeniable.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder (less)

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Mar 06, 2011 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: collegereadinglist1994-1998

I must be the only person who read this and hated it.

I read this book when I was a junior in college in an American Lit class. I was looking forward to reading it when I saw it on my book list and read the back cover. I enjoy the writings of Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, so I was looking forward to reading a book that took place in a past time period and was about black characters/community. I really feel like I got my hopes up for nothing. I was so disappointed in this novel.

I had difficultie...more I must be the only person who read this and hated it.

I read this book when I was a junior in college in an American Lit class. I was looking forward to reading it when I saw it on my book list and read the back cover. I enjoy the writings of Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, so I was looking forward to reading a book that took place in a past time period and was about black characters/community. I really feel like I got my hopes up for nothing. I was so disappointed in this novel.

I had difficulties liking the characters. I enjoyed reading the vernacular and I love when author's use it, but I just did not find the characters likeable or admirable, and none of them "tugged at my heartstrings" in any way. I think the only part I really enjoyed was the part with the rabid dog. Otherwise, I hated this novel.

My professor and I would spend many classes arguing this book. He was shocked that, as the only black woman in the class, I was the only student in this class who didn't like it. I've even discussed this book with my sister and mother, and they both completely disagree with me. I don't make apologies for not liking this novel, but this is my opinion. My honest opinion is that this novel is an okay piece of Black American literature. It does not rank up there with Morrison and Angelou. I do feel that it is unfortunate that Hurston never knew the fame that her book has given her posthumously, but I think i can understand why she didn't achieve the fame in life that she has achieved in death. This is not a very good novel, it's okay. There are better pieces of Black American literature out there that far outshine this one. I'm sorry, I just can't give this book more than 1 star and I just am not able to give it a good review.

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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.blogs.... (less)

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Jul 03, 2007 AJ Griffin rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people interested in historical ebonics, I suppose

Another "I don't remember it very well, but I know I liked it" story. Here's what I do recall:

A) The main character was a woman, and she had something like 3 lovers throughout the book. Saucy.
B) One of these dudes was named either Teabag, Cornbread, Teabread, or Breadbag. Or something.
C) There was some issue with the weather towards the end.
D) Zora Neal Hurston got arrested for fucking a kid, or something (I guess that wasn't really in the book, but whatever).

Somehow I managed to get through th...more

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Dec 08, 2012 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Mike by: On the Southern Literary Trail

Shelves: 1930s, 2012, 20th-century, african-american-literature, favorites, feminism, folklore, jealousy, loss, love, male-dominance, marriage, on-the-southern-literary-trail, prejudice, reputation, romance, sacrifice, group-read, florida, the-everglades, zora-neale-hurston, black-feminist-writing, harlem-renaissance, black-male-author-criticism-of-hurs, alice-walker, richard-wright, langston-hughes

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Zora Neale Hurston's Novel of an Independent Woman

"Dat's all right, Pheoby, tell 'em. Dey gointuh make 'miration 'cause mah love didn't work lak they love, if dey ever had any. Then you must tell 'em dat love ain't somethin' lak uh grindstone dat's de same thing everywhere and do de same thing tuh everything it touch. Love is lak de sea. It's uh movin' thing, but still and all, it takes its shape from de shore it meets, and it's different with every shore."

"Lawd!" P...more

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Feb 16, 2011 K.D. Oliveros rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Time 100, 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010)

Shelves: 1001-core

Time 100 Greatest Novels. Newsweek’s Top 100 Books: The Metalist. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010). Guardian’s 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read: The Definitive List.

But what attracted me really to this book is its title: Their Eyes Were Watching God. Why? Who were they? Why in past tense?

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was a popular black writer during the Harlem Renaissance (also known as “New Negro Movement”) in the 1920’s to 30’s. When the Great Depression came, this movement...more Time 100 Greatest Novels. Newsweek’s Top 100 Books: The Metalist. 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (2006-2010). Guardian’s 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read: The Definitive List.

But what attracted me really to this book is its title: Their Eyes Were Watching God. Why? Who were they? Why in past tense?

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was a popular black writer during the Harlem Renaissance (also known as “New Negro Movement”) in the 1920’s to 30’s. When the Great Depression came, this movement ended and taken over by a new bunch of black writers espousing “social realism.” Included in this was the highly political black novelist, Richard Wright who criticized this book as not a serious fiction and Harlem Renaissance as a cultural bourgeois movement. Hurston died penniless and buried in an unmarked grave. Her books stayed out of print for more than a decade and only came back to circulation when another popular black writer, Alice Walker rediscovered her works and wrote her 1975 essay, In Search of Zora Neale Hurston.

Critics compare this book to the more popular books about slavery in the South like “Absalom, Absalom” of William Faulkner or “Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison. Hurston, being a black woman writer has been compared to Toni Morisson. Those are obvious. However, remove all the references on being black from this story. What will be left is that this is just a story of a poor young woman searching for her place under the sun. Then in that search, she ends up experiencing three husbands , now rich, finally finds her “voice” and most importantly free and can start her life anew.

However, being black is this book’s essence. Just like being gay is the essence of Annie Proloux’s Brokeback Mountain. Thus, this book gives a resounding voice to women especially black women during that time. And that is reason enough for all those accolades that this book has gotten.

The black people at that time were looking watching up to God. They were hoping for better chances in life. This novel came out in 1937 when the US was just starting to recover from the Great Depression. My questions answered. My brain has just been feed with a good book once again.
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Jul 06, 2011 ·Karen· rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: f2f-book-group-reads, usa

Oh dear, I was just about to start my review by saying how I enjoyed the richness of the language in this novel until my GR friend Michele provided me with this quote from the Encyclopedia of African American Women:
--White reviewers, often ignorant of black culture, praised the richness of her language but misunderstood her work and characterized it as simple and unpretentious.
Does that condemn me as a white person who is ignorant of black culture? Well probably yes, it does, because surely the...more

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Feb 01, 2012 B0nnie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.
For some they come in with the tide.
For others they sail forever on the horizon,
Never out of sight,
Never landing
until the Watcher turns his eyes away in resignation,
His dreams mocked to death by Time.
That is the life of men.

So begins Their Eyes Were Watching God. It’s not actually written in verse - but it hardly seems to be prose either. The language is almost too lush and rich in metaphors to be merely a novel:

Death, that strange being

...more

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Dec 10, 2008 Beth F. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 1001-books, recommended-for-women, 2008, african-american, classic, tnbbc-winter-2008

Except for the scene where Tea Cake combs Janie’s hair and is actually scratching out all her dandruff (ew), I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I loved the writing style. I’m not terribly keen on poetry, per se, but Hurston’s prose felt poetic and many of the sentences beat out a steady rhythm I could almost hear, even reading silently to myself. The dialogue between the characters was it’s stark opposite, using a phonetic dialect commonly used by black people living in the south. Switching back an...more Except for the scene where Tea Cake combs Janie’s hair and is actually scratching out all her dandruff (ew), I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I loved the writing style. I’m not terribly keen on poetry, per se, but Hurston’s prose felt poetic and many of the sentences beat out a steady rhythm I could almost hear, even reading silently to myself. The dialogue between the characters was it’s stark opposite, using a phonetic dialect commonly used by black people living in the south. Switching back and forth between more traditional English and the spoken dialect slowed me down a little bit so it took me slightly longer to read this book than I’d anticipated, but that’s not a complaint. I really enjoyed it and think that this is one of those books that all women, regardless of race or geography should read at some point in their lives.

The main character is a young woman named Janie. She is 17 at the start of the story and living with her elderly grandmother, Nanny Crawford. Her grandmother had been a slave and when the Emancipation Proclamation came down, Nanny walked away with a baby in her arms (Janie’s mother) who had been conceived after Nanny was raped by a white man. When Janie’s mother was a young woman, she was also raped by a white man, which was how Janie was conceived. Shortly after Janie’s birth, her mother ran off and Janie was raised by her grandmother.

Since her father and grandfather were white men, Janie’s hair looks different from the hair of other black women. It is smooth and silky and even though Janie isn’t an exceptionally beautiful woman, men are still very attracted to her and her unusual hair. Her skin is also lighter, described as a “coffee with cream” color.

When Janie’s grandmother catches her kissing a no-good young man, she decides it is time for Janie to be married to a respectable man named Logan Killicks who is a wealthy but unattractive farmer and somewhat of a dud in Janie’s opinion. The only reason Janie agreed to the marriage in the first place was out of a sense of duty and obligation to her grandmother. Janie and Logan are only married for a very short time and when Janie finally realizes that she can’t fall in love with Killicks, she runs away with a second man named Jody Starks.

Starks was also wealthy, handsome, charismatic and for quite some time, Janie was content in her marriage to him. Jody and Janie moved to Eatonville, FL, an all black town in Florida where Jody was quickly promoted to Mayor. Before too long, Starks became controlling, verbally abusive and even physically abusive to Janie. He forced her to keep her head covered so none of the other men in their neighborhood could admire her “white” hair. He frequently scolded her, citing the reason a woman should do whatever her husband told her to do was because women were incapable of thinking for themselves. After 20 years of marriage, Starks dies due to kidney complications and Janie takes over running the store he had opened early in their marriage.

Less than a year after Joe Starks passed away, Janie meets and falls in love with a man who is 12 years her junior, Tea Cake Woods. Janie and Tea Cake get married. The relationship is passionate but not without problems. They are faced with jealousy and several issues crop up that seem to stem from the age difference between them. On top of all that, a biracial neighbor named Mrs. Woods begins to harass Janie for her involvement with Tea Cake, basically telling her that he isn’t worth the time because his skin is too dark and that mixed race people with dominant Caucasian features should be “classed up” and given rights that will both distinguish them from black people and move them closer to the spheres that are traveled by white people.

Overall, I thought the book was good. There were certain parts of it that probably could have been fleshed out a bit more and made the book even better. Regardless, the issues covered in the book are something that all Americans will have some reaction to, no matter our personal backgrounds.

From a female perspective, the book is about how Janie discovers herself and grows into her own self which is something that all women have to do at some point in our lives. Janie was able to discover herself after three marriages to three different men and that made me think about some of the experiences I’ve had so far in my life in comparison to the experiences other women have been through (sister, mother, grandmother, female friends, etc.). It’s interesting that so many of us “find” ourselves after being mistreated by men. When you talk to a man about how he discovered himself and what happened when he fully accepted and grew into his manhood, it seldom had anything to do with a woman. But even in our more progressive society, one where women are not second-class citizens, many of us are still in a position where we don’t recognize the power within ourselves to be strong and capable until we’ve been screwed over by a man. I’ve never really considered myself much of a feminist but when I read something like this, it almost makes me feel like a reluctant feminist. It was a very interesting book, one I could see myself rereading in the future.
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Feb 16, 2009 Chloe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Poets, Lovers and Screenwriters

Recommended to Chloe by: Sally

Shelves: fiction, racism_still_alive_and_well, classics, 1001-list, the_south_will_rise_again

You know those books that sit on your shelf and mock you for being too hesitant to pick them up? We all have them. They sit there, perched on the edge of the shelf like hooligans on a stoop tossing out insults to passersby and just daring them to pick them up and give 'em a spin. For me, Their Eyes Were Watching God was the ringleader of my abusive books. It would yell vicious things at me as I sat near the shelf and once, in collusion with my long-time archenemy gravity, contrived to whap me up...more You know those books that sit on your shelf and mock you for being too hesitant to pick them up? We all have them. They sit there, perched on the edge of the shelf like hooligans on a stoop tossing out insults to passersby and just daring them to pick them up and give 'em a spin. For me, Their Eyes Were Watching God was the ringleader of my abusive books. It would yell vicious things at me as I sat near the shelf and once, in collusion with my long-time archenemy gravity, contrived to whap me upside the head. Suffice to say, I was intimidated. Yet we all have to face our fears at some time and February seemed like the right time for me.

Looking back on my years-long avoidance of this book, I can't help but think that I make some truly awful decisions. This is one of the most lyrically beautiful books that I have ever read and, at the same time, one of the most ground-breaking portraits of an independent woman's voice that I've ever come across. Neale Hurston's book is simultaneously a work of art and a strong declaration of independence for the entire female gender.

Janie is a woman who first tries to conform herself to the molds that she has been taught in the form of two very dissatisfying marriages to men who feel compelled to, after heaping praise upon her for her independent spirit, snuff it completely out. After the death of her second husband, Janie chucks social propriety out the window and listens instead to that niggling voice inside that dares her to dream of a better life, even if the person she wants to share that life with is far beneath her on the limiting rungs of social positioning. Instead this man, the charming and appreciative Tea Cake, is a rascal who cares more about enjoying the everyday moments of life than he does for climbing to the top of the dung heap. His very lack of sober seriousness is what draws Janie to him, his living example proof of what is possible for her.

Hurston's style is beautiful, her poetic prose balanced perfectly with spot-on accurate renderings of the rural Southern dialect. J.D. Salinger, who I hold in the absolute highest esteem when it comes to rating dialogue, is put to shame by Hurston's ability to craft the slow drawl and missing consonants in her characters' speech. Reading it can not help but conjure each person's voice within your head so that, after a while, it's as though you're listening to a radio telecast rather than reading a book.(less)

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Jun 13, 2008 Melissa Rudder rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: master-s-exam, teach-it

When I teach Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, I tell my students the Alice Walker headstone story and teach the book as a Black Feminist novel that is far, far ahead of its time. I noticed this year that my introduction made my students expect the protagonist, Janie, to jump from the novel's pages as a woman warrior, take no shit from anyone, and--I don't know--burn her bra. But the real beauty of Hurston's novel is that her heroine is a real character living in a real world--a...more When I teach Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, I tell my students the Alice Walker headstone story and teach the book as a Black Feminist novel that is far, far ahead of its time. I noticed this year that my introduction made my students expect the protagonist, Janie, to jump from the novel's pages as a woman warrior, take no shit from anyone, and--I don't know--burn her bra. But the real beauty of Hurston's novel is that her heroine is a real character living in a real world--albeit, one that is touched by literary genius and reflective of literary genres as varied and vital as (Hurston's scholarly focus) African American Folk Tradition and the odyssey of the "high mimetic form". (A Black woman presented as the hero of an epic journey in 1937--simply amazing.) Janie struggles. Janie submits. Janie silences herself. But Janie grows. And, in my mind, a revolution begins.

Hurston's character construction is superb. At once, her characters are strongly allegorical AND so real that they are breathing entities in the reader's mind (and disturbingly remind you of that uncle you don't really like). Janie is as real as they come. By the end of the story, I, as a reader, am her best friend Pheoby, sitting on that porch with her and listening her to tale. I understand her insecurities, I feel her pain, I smile as she inexplicably giggles for two pages, and I am full of that emotion the conclusion of Hurston's epic tale creates.

I love that Hurston gives her readers the tools to understanding Janie's motivation and responses very early in the book in the form of her beautifully constructed pear tree and mule metaphors. It is a wonderful book to teach to those teenagers who still think literary analysis is a sham that teachers come up with to torture students, because Hurston stitches her novel together with meaningful patterns of metaphors and symbols that deliberately guide readers through Janie's experience.

Hurston's literary talent shines in her ability both to construct believable, life-like dialogue in strong southern dialect and to create poetic prose rich in metaphor and meaning, as well as in her ability both to spin a tale that leaves the reader in greedy suspense and to write a story that says so much about the nature of love, power, language, race, gender, and identity. The more I read this book, the more I like it.

On a side note: As the book is so strongly embedded in oral tradition, my classes listen to a few chapters of the audio book, which is read by Ruby Dee (who also played the role of Janie's grandmother in Oprah's movie). It is simply fantastic. If you're a fan of the book, you should definitely listen to it.(less)

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Oct 07, 2007 Lucy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was another book I had little knowledge of when deciding to add it to my "to-read" list. I'd heard of the title, learned it was an Oprah's Book Club choice, and saw it at Sam's Club which inspired me to put a hold on it at the library, but I didn't actually know what it was about.

For that reason, I was a little nervous when I read the foreward and the critic walked me through its rediscovery in the 60s (it was written in 1937) and subsequent controversy over its worthiness as a part of Afri...more This was another book I had little knowledge of when deciding to add it to my "to-read" list. I'd heard of the title, learned it was an Oprah's Book Club choice, and saw it at Sam's Club which inspired me to put a hold on it at the library, but I didn't actually know what it was about.

For that reason, I was a little nervous when I read the foreward and the critic walked me through its rediscovery in the 60s (it was written in 1937) and subsequent controversy over its worthiness as a part of African American literature. Yikes. What's a white, middle class, northerner to do? I prepared myself to read with a sheltered caution.

Honestly, I don't understand the controversy. I don't think it white washes over the ugly aspects of the south in the 1930s, but it also doesn't dwell on every injustice or the blatant unfairness of the times. It simply tells the story as is. Perhaps the African American community fears fingers and voices pointing to the book saying, "See? It wasn't so bad? Your history isn't all oppression and misery." If that is or was the case, I think its safe to say that while the Zora Neale Hurston's portrayal of African American history doesn't attempt the heights of horror of, say, a Toni Morrison novel, it also doesn't give the reader a rosy tinted view of their history either.

The main character, Janie, is an African American teenage girl, raised by a grandmother who, while a slave, was raped and impregnated by a white man. The grandmother bore a daughter, Janie's mother, who, later, was also raped by a peer while in school, which left Janie's mother traumatized and uninterested in her baby. Left to be raised by her grandmother, Janie's childhood and rearing was old-fashioned and she was left with a limited understanding of the world, especially the male/female romantic relationship. Janie does have a vivid experience involving watching pear blossoms being pollinated by bees, which leaves her yearning for romantic love.

Convinced by her grandmother that love can develop after marriage, Janie marries an older farmer who is looking for a hard working wife to help take care of his land. After a short amount of time, Janie realizes there are no pear blossoms there, and that this life does not make her happy. One day, while doing a chore, she comes upon a charismatic man named Jody, who dresses and acts like a free white man, much different than the other men she has been exposed to, and is on his way to live in an all-black community, Eatonville.

Jody smooth talks Janie into going with him and she leaves the farm and her husband in search of her pear blossom. Unfortunately for Janie, this new opportunity doesn't present happiness either and after 20 years or so of marriage and being a trophy to her powerful husband who became Mayor of Eatonville, she finally becomes a widow and experiences independence for the first time. With that independence, she meets and marries the much younger Tea Cake, her pear blossom, and begins to understand and enjoy the inner person she always knew she was.

The power of this novel comes from the phonetic dialogue which transports you to the black south, and the honest expose of the attitudes and expectations of blacks during this period of our country's history. I feel that Janie went through a great deal of growth and discovery and is an excellent example of the silent and dignified power women have and have always had, even when its ability to express itself is limited.(less)

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Nov 01, 2011 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Sue by: Carol

Shelves: american-southern, african-american, classics, literary-fiction, read-in-2011

Another classic (2011 is definitely my year of the classic) that I really enjoyed. I had heard that the use of dialect made the book somewhat difficult to read but I didn't really find it so. It just takes a heightened sense of concentration. No speed reading allowed.

Janie seeks an ideal love from her teenage years onward but finds disappointment from the day she is essentially given as a bride to a middle aged man. She sees the hard side of womanhood, being a man's possession to do his will, b...more

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Nov 06, 2010 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fiction

I wasn't going to write a review but the masses demand it.

All fiction, in one way or another, is about an ontological search self or some sort of truth and how those things fit into everyday existence. While I was reading this, I hated how the main character seemed to only be able to define herself in relation to men, or how the character let men define her, but on further examination, don't we all define ourselves in relation to others or our rebellion or acquiescence to society's demands?

I do...more

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Apr 03, 2011 rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-for-college, do-not-own, 2006-and-prior, re-read, 2011, of-the-south-or-its-environs, this-is-america, black-lit

I first read this for a 1920s American Lit class in college, taught by a professor whose grading scale depended upon how much you agreed with his opinions and how good you were at regurgitating them. That is not an exaggeration: I earned a D- for "failing to give Hemingway proper respect" when I chose to write my open-ended Farewell to Arms paper critically on the subject of Hemingway's approach to the female character, Catherine Barkley. <

i>Their Eyes Were Watching God didn't provoke such...more

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Feb 18, 2010 Alisa rated it 1 of 5 stars

I hate, hate hated this book, and I really can't explain WHY very well, but I'll try.

It was well written, the metaphors, etc were good (I read it for an English class so I know ALL about the metaphors), the characters were well rounded, it IS a really fine example of Hurston's work.

What I hated was the forward in the particular version I read. It was about a conference of women who loved the book or something, and one lady just went on and on how Janie is a strong female character, and somethin...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Judy by: Janice

Shelves: florida, fiction, audiobook-e-book, classics, authors-i-want-to-read-more-from

I really enjoyed listening to Their Eyes Were Watching God. The book gives a different perspective of growing up in the American South amidst a male dominated society. I really liked the characters of Janie and Teacake. The forward of my audiobook explained how Zora Neale Hurston didn't gain any acceptance for her book until after her death when Alice Walker "discovered" her writing. I am grateful to Alice Walker for making the discovery because Hurston's look at African Americans is too unique...more

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Jan 31, 2013 Isaac rated it 3 of 5 stars

Don’t be fooled by the summary on the book jacket, this isn't a love story. A more accurate title would be The Four Black People You Meet in Florida.

This genre is coming-of-age disguised as romance, and as far as the story goes it’s just one black woman trying to find her way through life. While the story has some interesting moments, the plot does not maintain a high enough level of interest to carry readers through to the end.

The main obstacle for me, initially, was the overpowering Southern...more Don’t be fooled by the summary on the book jacket, this isn't a love story. A more accurate title would be The Four Black People You Meet in Florida.

This genre is coming-of-age disguised as romance, and as far as the story goes it’s just one black woman trying to find her way through life. While the story has some interesting moments, the plot does not maintain a high enough level of interest to carry readers through to the end.

The main obstacle for me, initially, was the overpowering Southern dialect that almost every character in this book used, making extended sections of dialogue almost painful to read. It took quite some time to get used to, even for someone who has lived in the South. Eventually, I found that if their words weren’t quite clear, I should try to pronounce it using my mouth, not my brain, which often worked (and the book became far more entertaining). Hurston’s expertise in black culture and dialect is clearly evident, and while many might not appreciate it, the dialogue is the strongest point of this book.

The main weakness in this story is the difficulty of connecting to Janie’s (or anyone other character's) predicament. She grows up under the guidance of her grandmother, who wants Janie to live life well, not like some “mule uh de world” (14). To avoid this, her grandmother arranges a marriage to a man who wants a wife who can work the fields. In other words, a mule. Yes, this makes complete sense.

As to the question of why Janie would agree to marry a man she doesn’t love, I cut her some slack and presumed she was doing it to placate her dying grandmother. But instead of learning from this experience and trying to find a man she truly loves, she instead runs off with a man who effectively turns her into his servant. She’s trying to escape from being a “mule”, but that’s the only position she seems to get herself into. I want to root for Janie, but her actions don’t always seem rational to me. She’s the only person to blame for her unfortunate situation, because her choices were not well thought out.

Then there’s Tea Cake, whose name makes him sound like some sort of rapper. He’s almost the perfect guy, or as close as you can get without turning him into a sparkly vampire. Simply by treating Janie as an equal, being a hilarious joker and twenty years younger (oh, and did I mention Janie finds him ridiculously attractive?), suddenly she’s madly in love with him. She also happens to be very attractive for her age. As to what other factors she has going for her, Hurston does not explicitly say. Looks are good enough, it seems. Tea Cake hardly seemed all that charming to me and I was merely surprised, not saddened by his death. There just wasn’t enough depth to their love to be worth getting upset over.

I give the book a 3/5 not because it was poorly written, but because the story left something to be desired and the characters were not easy to relate to.
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Michael Clark Hmm. So many people have suggested I read your review...and while I appreciate the humor here, and the power of your voice as a writer, I wonder about...more
Jan 31, 2013 10:59pm

Isaac Michael wrote: "Hmm. So many people have suggested I read your review...and while I appreciate the humor here, and the power of your voice as a writer...more
Feb 13, 2013 02:53am

Nov 19, 2012 Christine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Let me start off by saying that I have read many books, both fiction and nonfiction, about the African-American struggle as well as the women's movement. I have also read books by African-American women which address both themes. Having said that, I had many reasons to think that I would be bored with this novel. In fact, it was among the books going stale in my "Currently Reading" list (along with Ilustrado). Last week, I picked it up again to clear that aforementioned list. And I'm glad I did....more

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Sep 26, 2011 JG (The Introverted Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fiction, banned-challenged, 4_stars, author_american, on_the_screen, read_in_2011, reviewed, setting_us, southern-lit, strong_females, covers_i_like

Janie Crawford is only 16 years old when her grandmother decides to marry her off to a man who is well-respected in the community. Nanny has had to work hard all her life and she wants Janie to have an easier life. She marries her off as soon as she notices boys noticing Janie. It comes from a place of love, but Janie wants to live life, not just settle for comfort. So she sets out to live the kind of life she wants to live.

You just have to admire Janie. My gosh, does she just take a big bite ou...more Janie Crawford is only 16 years old when her grandmother decides to marry her off to a man who is well-respected in the community. Nanny has had to work hard all her life and she wants Janie to have an easier life. She marries her off as soon as she notices boys noticing Janie. It comes from a place of love, but Janie wants to live life, not just settle for comfort. So she sets out to live the kind of life she wants to live.

You just have to admire Janie. My gosh, does she just take a big bite out of life and chew it with gusto! She does not have an easy time of it by any means. But she weathers the hard times and she wrings every drop of sweetness out of the good times. She learns early on that she shouldn't be too concerned about what others think of her choices. She's the one who has to live with her decisions, so she's the only person she needs to please. And besides, you can't make everybody happy, so why even try?

I already knew a little about the town of Eatonville from reading Zora and Me by Victoria Bond and T.R. Simon. That was getting a little out of order, but I did like reading this and seeing where some of their ideas about the young Zora came from. The town and the alligator stories were especially interesting to me.

I did have a little bit of a hard time with the dialect that the book is written in. I think for about the first half of the book, I was laboriously sounding out each word and translating it in my head. I finally learned to just let go. I could read at pretty much my normal speed and still understand everything. I wish I had managed to do that earlier.

There was some beautiful writing in here.

“When God had made The Man, he made him out of stuff that sung all the time and glittered al over. Some angels got jealous and chopped him into millions of pieces, but still he glittered and hummed. So they beat him down to nothing but sparks but each little spark had a shine and a song. So they covered each one over with mud. And the lonesomeness in the sparks make them hunt for one another.”

“It is so easy to be hopeful in the daytime when you can see the things you wish on. But it was night, it stayed night. Night was striding across nothingness with the whole round world in his hands . . . They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against cruel walls and their souls asking if He meant to measure their puny might against His. They seemed to be staring at the dark, but their eyes were watching God.”

“She was stretched on her back beneath the pear tree soaking in the alto chant of the visiting bees, the gold of the sun and the panting breath of the breeze when the inaudible voice of it all came to her. She saw a dust-bearing bee sink into the sanctum of a bloom; the thousand sister-calyxes arch to meet the love embrace and the ecstatic shiver of the tree from root to tiniest branch creaming in every blossom and frothing with delight.”

Take some time to get acquainted with this book and you will meet a character whom you won't soon forget. Highly recommended.(less)

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Dec 06, 2009 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, america, classics

12/3/09
3.5 stars

I'm of two minds about this book, but I am glad I read it and I do recommend it for the perspective it offers. It's interesting to see a slice of Negro life in the Florida of a century ago. Especially because much of this story takes place in Eatonville, a town the Negroes established for themselves in 1887. I liked seeing how they lived and interacted without white people around to inhibit them.

Hurston's writing contains some very arresting imagery. Her writing style doesn't alw...more

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Feb 10, 2010 Ellen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, novels

One of my all-time favorite novels. Most of all, I fell in love with the language in this book.

There's not really any way to spoil this novel, as so much is revealed in the first chapter. And, this book is driven by its characters and its language, rather than plot.

Their Eyes Were Watching God demonstrates the dual potential of language. Language may be used as an instrument of truth to express love, self-fulfillment, and honest emotions. Conversely, language may also be used as an instrument o...more

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Nov 22, 2009 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brian by: Maureen

Shelves: read-2009

I read this book and fell in love with a woman named Janie. And I think given the chance she would have loved me back for I would never have wanted to change her. Zora Neale Hurston created this woman and for that I feel much obliged. I imagine Janie is back in Florida, sitting on her porch and telling jokes and laughing and playing games. And I would love to stumble on to her porch, grab a chair and play a game of checkers with her. Later we could go fishing.

She knew things that nobody had ever...more I read this book and fell in love with a woman named Janie. And I think given the chance she would have loved me back for I would never have wanted to change her. Zora Neale Hurston created this woman and for that I feel much obliged. I imagine Janie is back in Florida, sitting on her porch and telling jokes and laughing and playing games. And I would love to stumble on to her porch, grab a chair and play a game of checkers with her. Later we could go fishing.

She knew things that nobody had ever told her. For instance, the words of the trees and the wind. She often spoke to falling seeds and said, 'Ah hope you fall on soft ground,' because she had heard seeds saying that to each other as they passed.

This is a story of real people, people that just jump off the page (or porch) and into your heart. Though the characters were African Americans in the early 20th century, I felt that they could have been any flavor of the human race in practically any century and in any place. Their zest for life was infectious. And their wisdom was overabundant. When told to keep a secret one woman simply says "Ah jus lak uh chicken. Chicken drink water, but he don't pee-pee".

One of the main characters of the story is the small town porch. Without the porch the story could not have been told. The porch was the heart of the community. It was a place to go to lift the spirits (and drink the spirits) and share the wonders of each day. Everyone should have a porch they can go to. I think the porch could be the answer to many of the world's problems (well, that, and bacon).

Zora Neale Hurston wrote this book in 7 weeks. She must of been a woman possessed because the tenor of the book is pitch-perfect.

Janie stood where he left her for unmeasured time and thought. She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her. Then she went inside there to see what it was. It was her image of Jody tumbled down and shattered

That's just beautiful writing. And one of my favorite parts is when ZNH personifies the buzzards. I really did love Janie and I loved this book.

After reading Sutton E. Griggs and his "oh we are oppressed and must fight or die" and then Nella Larsen and her "woe is me for being neither black nor white", Zora Neale Hurston's joy of life in the face of adversity was a refreshing song.(less)

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Feb 23, 2009 Ashley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adults

This book was a little hard to get into, just because of the styl of writing. Zora Neale Hurston uses authentic African-American language from times of slavery throughout the book, and for me, someone who has never read anything like that, it was very strange at first. There are times when I had to read out loud to understand what they were saying. However, this book sends a powerful message about the state of the African-American woman during and just after the time of slavery. It was very inte...more

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May 15, 2008 Amber Vaughn rated it 4 of 5 stars

“Their Eyes Were Watching God” is one of the best books I have read throughout my high school career. I usually don’t like books that have the country “slang” dialogue, because it takes me longer to read and comprehend. Even thought Zora Neale Hurston wrote this way in her novel, the was so interesting to me that I continued reading it even though I’m not accustomed to that type of writing. Every paragraph brought out my imagination, and I often found myself picturing the story in my head as if...more “Their Eyes Were Watching God” is one of the best books I have read throughout my high school career. I usually don’t like books that have the country “slang” dialogue, because it takes me longer to read and comprehend. Even thought Zora Neale Hurston wrote this way in her novel, the was so interesting to me that I continued reading it even though I’m not accustomed to that type of writing. Every paragraph brought out my imagination, and I often found myself picturing the story in my head as if it were a movie.
This novel took place around the 1920’s in the state of Florida. Janie, the main character was a beautiful young African-American girl with long silky hair like a white person. She was often praised and adored for her long beautiful hair. She was raised by her grandmother who was something like a maid. They lived in the back of a white family’s yard. Janie had never really known she was black until she saw her first photograph standing next to all the other white kids, and she realized she didn’t look anything like them.
Janie’s grandmother always wanted the best for her granddaughter, especially when it came to men and her financial future. A young man named Logan Killicks was the rich man in their town. He was intelligent, he had money, and land, but one thing Logan was lacking was good looks. All Janie’s grandmother was for her was a stable home and financial security when she could no longer care for Janie. Logan and Janie ended up getting married. Janie did this mainly to please her grandmother and make her happy. Later on things began to get rocky in their marriage, and Janie ran off with a man named Jody Starks who was roaming through her neighborhood one day. Jody Starks was very prosperous and became the mayor of his own town called Eatonville. Although Starks had money and power, he was the jealous type and became very controlling over Janie. He even went to the extreme of making her tie up her hair in the store they opened so men who came through could not admire it. Jody later died of kidney complications. After Jody died Janie met a nice young man named Vergibil Woods, but better known as “Tea Cake”. Janie loved Tea Cake with all her heart and Tea Cake loved her equally if not more. They would later move to the Everglades and be happily together as long as they lived.
Zora Neale Hurston has one of the most unique styles of writing. She leads you on many times in the story to make you contemplate what was going to happen next. An example of this is when she shows how all of Janie’s marriages start off so well but ended on a sour note. Many readers probably would have never expected those outcomes, because I know I didn’t. The way Zora Neale Hurston uses the southern dialogue to give you the depiction of where the story was set and how they lived was very interesting.
This story can appeal to many age groups and ethnicities. But it mainly focuses on African-Americans who lived in the south. It tells you about the way blacks were secluded from whites, and basically had their own cities. Throughout this novel you never really hear about any whites, except at the beginning with Janie and her white friends. It also shows how blacks had to employ each other and themselves by opening shops in their towns, farm, or raise enough food for just their family. I am pretty sure if you ask someone who was around back then they would be able to relate to this story in some way.
In certain categories this could be considered a great American novel, but in some categories it is lacking. This does not quite fit the depiction with the family who has achieved the life of the “American Dream”. There will never be a great American novel in my opinion. The great American novel will have to target more than one group of people and that may be very difficult to do. This book for example is more appealing to blacks, and therefore it may not reach out to other cultures as it does the black community. Although it may not be a great American novel it does have some of the qualities. It includes suspense, humor, and a realistic character base.
I had a very strong personal connection to this book and Zora Neale Hurston. Me being a black young woman who lives in the south is probably one of the main reasons. Many times when I was reading this book it made me want to put myself in Janie’s shoes and feel, see, and hear what she was going through. Books like this make me motivated to keep going. After all of her failed attempts at finding love Janie kept going. This keeps me going and always gives me something to look upon when I get discouraged. Three of four of my grandparents are still living today and I sometimes wonder how it was when their parents were alive back then. I wonder if their lives were similar to some of the things that happened in this story. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, especially teenagers who are in need of a life lesson.
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May 09, 2008 Alexis rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

Recommended to Alexis by: Chad Barwick

Have you ever tried to discover yourself, even if all odds were against you? Their Eyes Were Watching God is all about a lady named Janie road to self discovery. It was not a easy road to take either. The story was set in the 1930’s in Florida. Janie is not only a woman, but she is also bi-racial. At times, because of her ethnicity, things were even more complicated for her.
Zora Neale Hurston dealt with a lot of different issues that are still common in today’s society. One of the first issues...more Have you ever tried to discover yourself, even if all odds were against you? Their Eyes Were Watching God is all about a lady named Janie road to self discovery. It was not a easy road to take either. The story was set in the 1930’s in Florida. Janie is not only a woman, but she is also bi-racial. At times, because of her ethnicity, things were even more complicated for her.
Zora Neale Hurston dealt with a lot of different issues that are still common in today’s society. One of the first issues that you confront is love and marriage. Everybody has their own separate idea about love and what love is. With the high divorce rates going on in America now, more people really need to know and love themselves first, before searching for their own ideal of love. Hurston beautifully illustrates that throughout the book.
Janie was forced to marry at the age of sixteen to a man who didn’t really love her. That part of the story helps me relate with all of the people around the world who don’t get to chose love, but to whom it is forced upon by arranged marriage. Janie eventually gets out of that marriage and soon enough she is married again.
Have you ever wanted love, but all your partner was concerned about was having a trophy wife? Well, that’s exactly how Janie’s second marriage went. Jody, the husband, is on his own personal quest for power and money. I believe that happens a lot in today’s society. Especially with the entire power couples craze going on. Unfortunately, when you want love and your spouse wants power and money, a lot of the things you want are put on hold. Jody also had a serious problem. He viewed woman as subordinate to men. Woman couldn’t stand up or speak for themselves in his viewpoint. What Janie learned from this marriage was a very critical point in her journey for self discovery.
I wont ruin what happens in the third marriage, but think about the previous two and then make a good guess about how the third will be. Another issue that Hurston addresses in this book is racism and prejudices. I am a bi-racial child, and I could absolutely relate to this issue and the way Hurston confronted it is a classic. Even back in the 1930’s there was racism between the blacks and whites. Better yet, did you know that there was a clash between the light skinned and dark skinned blacks also? That still continues today. Dark skinned blacks believe that light skinned blacks think that they are better and so on.
Hurston illustrated this clash through a character named Mrs. Turner. Look out for her because she is one tough cookie, bent in her stubborn ways and views. Mrs. Turner has Caucasian looking features, and she praises Janie for her Caucasian looking features. Unfortunately Janie’s third husband, Tea Cake, is a really dark skinned brother. Mrs. Turner is set on breaking them up and hooking Janie up with her brother. I’m sure that everyone out there has met somebody who is like this. Actually, you can relate this towards the problem that some people have with biracial relationships. Have you ever seen a white woman and a black man together? Then of course you hear someone in the background, claiming that all the good men are being taken by the white people and so on. After seeing how Hurston handles this issue, I guarantee you that your outlook will change.
Hurston is also known for using a lot of little discreet symbols in this book. I will give a hint: Janie’s hair is one of the symbols. As you read the book though, you will recognize a lot more of them. A lot of this book relates to Zora Neale Hurstons own life actually. Hurston was born and raised in Florida. Hurston’s mother, like Janie’s, was absent throughout her life. After reading Hurston’s autobiography, you will realize a lot more similarities.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is old enough to read and especially to those who are about to get married.Everyone needs to go on their own separate journey to self discovery. Now, how everyone starts their journey and where it takes them will be different, but I promise you that reading this book will be a great starting point.
Another plus in this book is the language. An example of the language would be “Well, Tony tells me tuh humor her along. He moved here from up de State hopin’ tuh change her, but it aint.” The different character names in this book will have you rolling with laughter also. Basically, this book contains the perfect recipe for a great read. It has humor, drama, mystery, and more humor!
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Apr 01, 2008 Jackie "the Librarian" rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Harlem Renaissance readers

Shelves: adultfiction, classics

This is not your dusty dead white European man type classic. This is a colorful, romantic and dramatic story from the point of view of a black woman living in the southern US in the early 20th century.
I just have impressions of the story, which may be a bit jumbled, since I haven't read this since college. I remember the main character, Janie is a woman with long flowing hair who we see hanging over a gate and meeting a beautiful younger man named Tea Cake. But she has a mean husband who has to...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Prayuj Pushkarna rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Within the first few pages of Zoya Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the passionate metaphors and southern colloquialism that would dominate the novel run rife. I assigned this book four out of five stars, and I enjoyed reading it not only for its interesting, realistic plot, but also for its portrayal of 1900 southern African-American lifestyle, a theme I know little about.
Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the story of Janie, an African-American woman living in the Deep South. H...more Within the first few pages of Zoya Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the passionate metaphors and southern colloquialism that would dominate the novel run rife. I assigned this book four out of five stars, and I enjoyed reading it not only for its interesting, realistic plot, but also for its portrayal of 1900 southern African-American lifestyle, a theme I know little about.
Their Eyes Were Watching God follows the story of Janie, an African-American woman living in the Deep South. Having few relatives to look after her in youth, she suffered a convoluted relationship with her grandmother, who acted strictly with her out of love. Thus, Janie’s relative independence as a child precedes her three marriages, each of which shows Janie another side of herself and exposes what she wants out of life, forming a bildungsroman in Their Eyes.
Janie’s first marriage, to Logan Killicks, is an arranged marriage to force Janie to fit society’s bill: “’’Tain’t Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it’s protection.’” (19), says her grandmother, the architect of the marriage. Unsurprisingly, Janie feels unhappy with the relationship because of her inability to force love for Logan and the harsh orders he reciprocates: “Come help me move dis manure pile befo’ de sun gits hot” (37). This first marriage makes Janie realize that she is not a woman to sit idle and take insults, especially when Logan makes snide comments about her family and virtues.
She uses Joe Starks, a man with dreams to make it big in a proposed all-black town in Florida, as an escape route from her tiring life with Logan and finds herself the wife of the hotshot mayor of Eatonville. However, the love Joe lures her with is overshadowed by his insecurity, and Janie grows jaded toward him after he “str[ikes] Janie with all his might” (96) when she insults him out after feeling belittled. Janie’s retort shows a development in her character: she would not tolerate disparagement from her husband, whom she believed should treat her as an equal.
After Joe’s death by kidney failure, Janie finally finds “true love” with Tea Cake, a much younger man, and their relationship prompts disapproval from the Eatonville community. Still, even their Romeo and Juliet marriage is dysfunctional, Tea Cake beating Janie to “show possession” (181). Ultimately, Janie prioritizes Tea Cake’s love for her, especially his self-sacrificial acts, including playing the victim in the dog attack, over his faults. This marriage exposes Janie’s will to have a man who loves her as she loves him, above all other aspects of a relationship.
Their Eyes Were Watching God reinforced the idea that true love transcends physicality, a concept society repeats but I personally find difficult to grasp. Janie endured Logan’s corporeal torture and dismissed Joe Starks’ material wealth, noting that each one did not amount to real love: equality. However, the angle from which Hurston shows this message is unique and convinces me a little more: instead of taking the “I have everything already so I don’t care if you make me richer” attitude present in most of the literature I have read, she portrays a woman who starts off destitute as still uncaring about wealth.
The novel threw me into a completely new scene. I found myself reading the dialogue out loud; while the dialect the book was written in irritated some of my peers, I appreciated its realistic nature. Furthermore, while most of the secondary characters in the story did not face much development, I felt that this enhanced the growth of Janie throughout the novel, as I was able to easily see her change. I could actually connect with Janie as Hurston narrated the shooting scene at the end of the book because I could understand Janie’s undying love for Tea Cake and how much it would have hurt her to kill him. I recommend this book to anyone who was not an African-American woman in the early 1900s because I believe understanding how Janie, an individual handicapped by every prejudice, endured racism and poverty by always staying optimistic and stealing opportunities to better her life, is valuable. (less)

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Mar 28, 2009 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is just extraordinary and one of the best books I have ever read. The narrative and phonetic dialog transported me into that world, the world of central Florida (before Disney) and the Everglades. This is a lean book, spare, with no excess verbiage and no implied social criticism. Hurston lets you come to your own conclusions and packages it in a love story that shatters you with its truthfulness. For men and women alike....it is a must read.

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