Their Eyes Were Watching God

By Zora Neale Hurston

One of the most important novels of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God illuminates a Southern love story unlike any other. Initially rejected by audiences for its portrayal of its strong black female protagonist, the work has since been epitomized in the canon of African-American literature, solidifying Zora Neale Hurston as one of our most influential voices.

Penguin Random House Canada is proud to bring you classic works of literature in e-book form, with the highest quality production values. Find more today and rediscover books you never knew you loved.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Feb 12, 2019
• ISBN: 9780735253629

Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston was a novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist. She wrote four novels (Jonah’s Gourd Vine, 1934; Their Eyes Were Watching God, 1937; Moses, Man of the Mountains, 1939; and Seraph on the Suwanee, 1948); two books of folklore (Mules and Men, 1935, and Every Tongue Got to Confess, 2001); a work of anthropological research, (Tell My Horse, 1938); an autobiography (Dust Tracks on a Road, 1942); an international bestselling nonfiction work (Barracoon: The Story of the Last “Black Cargo,” 2018); and over fifty short stories, essays, and plays. She attended Howard University, Barnard College, and Columbia University and was a graduate of Barnard College in 1928. She was born on January 7, 1891, in Notasulga, Alabama, and grew up in Eatonville, Florida.

Reviews for Their Eyes Were Watching God

[nx74defiant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story of a young women in the south. She marries, falls in love, movies to a black town in Florida. She has 3 husbands. Very well done.

[clmueller · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great discovery. The language is brilliant, poetic, and strong. Loved every moment and it led me to research on Harlem Renaissance.

[afrank9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing. I read it in my junior year English class and wouldn't be able to forget it if I tried to. A marvelous example of what living should be. Janie shows all who have read this book the lack of importance in material things and the necessity of love in one's life. Her love for everything immediate and connected to life itself is so refreshing. I loved reading this book and felt like a new person with new vaules and corrected priorities.

[elenaestrada_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a masterpiece, but it is not for every reader. First of all, the language is difficult because the author wrote authentic Southern dialect and in the beginning the reader must be patient and learn how to interpret the language into Standard English. Secondly, it is necessary for the reader to understand slavery and American history, particularly the 1930’s in order to understand the motivation of the characters. On the surface, this is a romantic story about the journey of a beautiful black woman in her quest to find love. However, her psychological journey is that of a woman trying to learn to love herself. She learns how to exist without her considering, “Who do I need to become to make my Grandma happy?” or “Who do I need to become to make my husband happy?” She learns to ask, “Who do I need to become to make myself happy?” When she finally allows herself to live her life without family and social restrictions, she doesn’t need to be loved by anyone. I also think that she is able to make this self realization because of her financial independence. I just loved the book, and I consider it a classic for its literary merits, its ethnic qualities, social commentary, historical significance, and sublime feminist point of views.

[sprainedbrain · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantastic book. The writing is so good...I can see how the dialect might be challenging in print, but Ruby Dee's narration made this book an experience on audio. Some parts of the story made me literally stop in my tracks, they were so beautifully described (a death and a hurricane, among other scenes). I can absolutely understand why this is widely considered a seminal novel in both African American and women's literature.

[adonisguilfoyle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel has been my false-starter for ten, and took longer than necessary to read, but I finally came to find the rhythm of the black colloquial dialogue and appreciate the humour and wisdom of the narrative. Sadly, I would have to side with Zadie Smith's friend, quoted in her introduction, and call this 'Just this long, whiny, trawling search for a man!' Janie doesn't so much 'take some time to find the man she really loves' as ricochet from one insecure egomaniac to another. Her grandmother marries her off to 'some old skull-head in the graveyard' with sixty acres, who she then leaves for Joe Starks, who takes her to Eatonville and sets himself up as mayor of the all-black town. We are then supposed to believe that she meets the love of her life in Tea Cake Woods, but I couldn't tell the difference between a man who spends her money on gambling and a guitar and asks her to work alongside him in the fields so he can keep an eye on her, and the previous two candidates. Still, as Janie says, 'You got to go there to know there'.I did like Janie's homespun wisdom and clever phrasing, though. Hurston writes lines like 'Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board' and 'She stood there until something fell off the shelf inside her'. I just wish Janie was as smart and forthright as the author who penned her!

[aleahmarie_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

 'Janie saw her life like a great tree in leaf with the things suffered, things enjoyed, things done and undone. Dawn and doom were in the branches.'One might say that Janie knew how to get along, but she never was one to settle. Buffeted along by the social dictates of her time Janie made do in the depression era South as best she could. She was married off young, her ambitions were shrouded for years, yet through it all Janie remembered the joy of being a bee kissing a pear tree.Zora Neale Hurston captures a cultural history of America that few remember. Through Janie, Hurston tells the story of being an African American woman in America's awkward adolescence. She tells a love story set to rival anything written since. A painfully honest recount of a time not so long past, this breathtaking novel is a must read.

[mamzel_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Few authors are like Hurston, who can move me with their words. Sentences with such emotion and structure that I stop and reread them like taking small bites of a delicious chocolate to make the flavor last longer on the tongue. This is the story of Janie, who was married at age 16 and soon left her husband to follow another man, Joe Starks, to a town in West Florida populated solely by blacks. He wanted to be on the ground floor of a place where he could make something of himself. He did. He appointed himself mayor and built a store. Janie struggled with running the store but persevered. After his death she allowed the assistant to take over and luxuriated in a little freedom. Soon, she drew the attention of Tea Cake, a drifter, and set the town on its ear. Her progression from small town girl, abandoned by her mother, raised by her grandmother, and growing to an independent and strong woman, was wonderful to watch.

[girlingreen4090 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It's hard to say that any given classic isn't good. Despite this fact it is quite easy to say that I did not enjoy reading this book at all. It was assigned as a school assignment which automatically makes is worse, but over all there wasn't really anything good about it. It was hard to relate to the characters and they weren't very likable. It is supposed to have a good plot, but I just didn't find anything very interesting about it. I'm wasn't booking for action or anything, I was looking for something new and exciting, but I just didn't find it.

[jenkimar · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it .Can"t help but think this would make a great movie. The section describing the hurricane was immaculate .I could actually feel the terror of that nightmare storm.

[victoriahallerman · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Difficult to pierce the language, but when you pierce it, you're in

[lanthanides-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

a little hard to digest the dialogue. sad book.

[joeydag · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent story teller. Very poetic writing filled with images. Obvious master of the spoken culture of the poor African-Americans in Florida during the thirties. I found the use of dialect distracting but I realize the author is being faithful to her characters, but Ah do get tired uh readin dialect. Umph

[laikac-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel does an amazing job of elucidating. She throws light on the inner strength that women have...on love...and grief. It's beautiful...read it.

[kandersonia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nice story about a woman named Janie as she goes through life, love and marriage. The dialogue in this story really helps the reader connect to the characters along with helping the reader her the words s they would be said.

[librarycin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

2.5 starsThis 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…

[mounen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I haven't finished the book yet, but to me it almost doesn't matter what happens, I'm just soaking up the words. I think Zora Neale Hurston was a very special writer, very intelligent, creative, and observant.I love her description of Janie's sexual awakening, it's very poetic: "She was seeking confirmation of the voice and vision, and everywhere she found and acknowledged answers.....She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life....Through pollinated air she saw a glorious being coming up the road." Everything she's written feels deliberate and deeply thought out.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of Janie, a black woman in the 1930's South, living through three marriages, finding and losing love, and struggling to be the strong, independent person she was born to be.The story is fascinatingly told, and the very best thing about the novel is the writing: beautiful throughout, and in parts full of absolutely breathtaking turns of phrases.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It is easy to see why this is a classic, especially with Hurston's wonderful writing.

[greeniezona · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

HOW DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK IT WAS WONDERFUL.

I was surprised by this book's capacity for joy. After being stuck in bad situation after bad situation, Janie suddenly runs out of fucks to give and decides to be happy -- no matter what anyone else thinks. She is a hero for our generation.

I had forgotten until I got there that I already knew the ending from other books that had discussed it. In fact, it kind of blew me away how vividly those scenes already existed in my mind - as I'm fairly sure I've never seen the movie, only read about it - but my impressions were so visual. I suppose that now I will have to seek out the movie to be sure.

I can hardly say anything new about this book, so I will just say: read it.

[amandacb_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this novel until I had to teach it. :) Well, I chose to teach it because I loved it so much, even though I knew the prevalent dialect in the book would put off students.However, once I led them through the first few chapters using an audiobook, they were hooked. Janie's story is just incredibly interesting, and *everyone* is shocked at the ending. That, of course, causes a great discussion about Janie's choices.

[wassilissa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In den 1920er Jahren spielt dieser Roman. Janie lebt bei ihrer Großmutter, die noch die Sklaverei erlebt hat. Entsprechend wünscht sie sich für ihre Enkelin, dass diese ein wohlhabendes Leben leben soll. Eine gute Partie mit entsprechendem finanziellen Rückhalt ist da der erste Schritt.Janie selbst geht es aber um etwas anderes: Sie möchte respektiert und geachtet werden, in ihrer Lebensgemeinschaft als Person anerkannt sein. So geht sie drei Beziehungen ein, und erst in der dritten, vollkommen unpassenden, erfährt sie die gewünschte Achtung.Das Buch schildert das Leben der schwarzen Südstaaten-Bevölkerung Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts aus Sicht einer Frau, die in der afro-amerikanischen Gemeinschaft lebt. Es geht um das Zusammenleben, Mann und Frau, die Liebe. Es macht nicht den Rassismus zum Thema, wie man es klischeehaft von schwarzer Literatur erwartet. Es schildert vielmehr ein Frauenleben, das spezifisch in seiner Situation ist, aber allgemeingültig in seiner Lösung: Dem eigenen Gefühl folgen, sich auf die Liebe einlassen. Für diese Thematik wurde die Autorin von vielen Stimmen gelobt, ihr Buch wird von vielen gepriesen, gerade auch von Autorinnen, die ähnliche Themen in späteren Jahren bearbeiteten: Toni Morisson, Alice Walker, Zadie Smith. Die Autorin steckt einiges von ihrer Biografie in das Buch, doch sie selbst suchte eine ganz andere Lösung: Ihr Weg war Bildung, Forschung und dann die Schriftstellerei. Die große Liebe ihres Lebens gab sie auf, da ihr Partner ihre Unabhängigkeit nicht gut heißen konnte. In Erinnerung an diese Liebe und vielleicht auch im Wunsch, das Scheitern zumindest schreibend umzudeuten, schrieb sie dieses Buch. Meine positiven Worte sollen nicht verheimlichen, dass das Buch schwer zu lesen ist. Es ist wohl sehr schwer, den Originalsound zu übertragen, die direkte gesprochene Sprache der Handelnden. Der Übersetzer geht den Weg, dass er einzelne Sätze des englischsprachigen Originals belässt und dann übersetzt, dass er versucht, in rhythmisch-poetischer Sprache zu schreiben, die an Bluessongs erinnert. Das gelingt mitunter und ist zum Teil enorm poetisch, ist aber nicht immer flüssig.Dennoch ist dem Übersetzer ein tolles Buch gelungen. Wie tief er in das Buch eingetaucht ist, zeigt auch das gelungene Nachwort.

[cindywho-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was one of those books that I just never got around to reading - until now. The dialect was a little difficult to follow but opened up a window into the past and gradually into the life of the protagonist, Janie. It was intense and sad and lovely by the end.

[rareflorida · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have put off reading this book because I didn't figure my profile fits the target audience but I was wrong. The author and I may differ skin color and gender; however, neither of us panders much to anybody. Hurston wrote with truth and many did not like hearing such a thing. Country White folk sound much like country Black folk but another author of the era, Richard Wright, thought Hurston was dumbing down Blacks. Use phonetic spellings does make the book difficult to read and I could have used some easier to read narrative but I see why she wrote with such style. Hurston's love/hate relationship with Black men probably irritated Wright. Hurston shows good and bad exists regardless of skin or gender, like I said she does not pander.

[berly_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston. There are several things that stand out for me, the first being the pear tree sequence; it is poetic and eloquent and one of the most beautiful erotic scenes I have ever read (puts bodice rippers to shame!). Janie “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….Then Janie felt a pain remorseless sweet that left her limp and languid." It is this ability to see the beauty in everything that is squashed by those around her. It did make me sad that Janie grew to hate her grandmother, after all she had done for her, but Janie did not know the confines of slavery and longed for new experiences and freedom, something her grandmother could not grasp.I was amazed that our heroine, Janie, blithely walked out on her first marriage and then just up and remarried that very afternoon. Different times. I wish her first husband, Joe Washburn, had been able to communicate his feelings for her in some way. He was a cold brick on the outside. Not sure how much he cared for her, but more than he showed. Jody Starks, her second husband, was not much better. He uses Janie as a showpiece and won't let her make any real connections with the other town folk. Fortunately, Janie’s third marriage to Tea Cake was just as fulfilling as that pear tree. With him, Janie unfolds and is allowed to embrace life fully and be true to her inner nature. Mirroring this growing self-awareness and the shift from object to subject, the narrative shifts from third-person to a blend of first and third person.Although Hurston does a masterful job with phonetic black vernacular, I had a really hard time with it and actually wished for the first time in my life that I had listened to a book rather than read it. Every time I saw "tuh" my brain froze and I had to stop and remind myself that it means "the." It really slowed the rhythm down for me. The discussion of “blackness” and the prejudice expressed by a light-skinned black woman was one of the most revealing scenes of this book. This insight into the hatred within the black community was sad and moving. This book is touted as a masterpiece of feminine and black literature and I would have to agree. I think it deserves a second reading down the road. I actually grew fonder of it as I wrote this review!

[sparkypants-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Listening to Ruby Dee read this book was a revelation. I remember trying to read this book a while back and being unable to hear the characters when they were speaking. I don't know if the accents Ms. Dee uses are accurate, but she sure brought each of those characters to life for me. Certain exchanges between characters took on a whole new meaning when she voiced them. I highly recommend listening to the audio book version of this novel.

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had been dragging my feet on reading this book, thinking that Their Eyes Were Watching God fell into that category of books that are part of a well rounded education (like Lord of the Flies), but are not that enjoyable. After finishing Zadie Smith's On Beauty, a thought provoking book about race and includes a character named Zora, I thought it was time to slog through this. What a pleasant surprise!

The main character is a fair-skinned black woman named Janie who is married off to an old man by her grandmother at a young age in the hope of giving her a 'decent' life and preventing the mistake her mother made of having an out of wedlock child. To the old man, Janie is a beautiful acquisition, but Janie feels no affection for him and runs off with a charismatic young man who becomes the first mayor of an all black community. Again though, Janie is still a trophy wife and is more of a possession than a person. Finally all changes when after her 2nd husband dies, Janie meets Tea Cake, a poor black laborer, and Janie finally finds love.

The story is beautifully written in a carefully crafted lyrical prose. The language is very colloquial and is filled with all of the dialect and grammar of Southern blacks. This could be an obstacle for people reading this book in print. I listened to the audio version, narrated by Ruby Dee. Every once in awhile a book is perfectly narrated in audio, and this is one of those instances. The emotion and feeling in this audio edition is amazing and unforgettable. Definitely listen to this one.

[sturlington_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After two loveless marriages, Janie finally awakens to love, happiness and self-realization when she meets Tea Cake and elopes with him to the Florida Everglades.It too me a long time to get to this book, and was I missing out. Hurston is such a terrific writer; she blows pretty much everyone else I've been reading lately out of the water. Her writing is lush, sensual, evocative and much sexier than Fifty Shades of Gray or whatever the kids are reading nowadays. She writes about the natural world and how we as human beings are a part of it, not separate from it or above it, as we like to pretend, that we are subject to overwhelming natural forces like sex and hurricanes, and we should allow ourselves to be carried along by them. In so doing, we open ourselves up to becoming fully ourselves, completely engaged with life and all its joys and tragedies. This book has so many truths to offer that it requires multiple rereadings, and I look forward to the next time I pick it up and let it enchant me.Read in 2015 in honor of Black History Month.

[bobbybslax · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It drags a little with a repetitive story but nevertheless it has near poetic prose to surround its heavily accented dialogue.

[charon07 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After I finished reading this, I felt like Pheoby: "Ah done growed ten feet higher from jus' listenin' tuh you, Janie."

Although some of this book was troubling to this 21st-century feminist, when the book and its protagonist Janie are taken on their own terms, it's a compelling story, an epic romance, and a womanist version of the heroic quest. Above all, it does what every excellent book does: help us learn more about what it means to be human.