Zora Neale Hurston

Their eyes were watching God

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.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Macy HB

He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace. She pulled in her horizon like a great fish-net. Pulled it from around the waist of the world and draped it over her shoulder. So much of life in its meshes! She called in her soul to come and see.

The wind through the open windows had broomed out all the fetid feeling of absence and nothingness.

Everytime Ah see uh patch uh roses uh somethin' over sportin' they selves makin' out they pretty, Ah tell 'em 'Ah want yuh tuh see mah Janie sometime.' You must let de flowers see yuh sometimes, heah, Janie?"

Common danger made common friends. Nothing sought a conquest over the other.

The sea was walking the earth with a heavy heel.

They sat in company with the others in other shanties, their eyes straining against crude 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.

If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don't keer if you die at dusk. It's so many people never seen de light at all.

It was inevitable that she should accept any inconsistency and cruelty from her deity as all good worshippers do from theirs. All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.

Dancing, fighting, singing, crying, laughing, winning and losing love every hour. Work all day for money, fight all night for love. The rich black earth clinging to bodies and biting the skin like ants.

He drifted off into sleep and Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place.

She adored him and hated him at the same time. How could he make her suffer so and then come grinning like that with that darling way he had?

There was some more good-natured laughter at the expense of women.

She didn't read books so she didn't know that she was the world and the heavens boiled down to a drop.

They bowed down to him rather, because he was all of these things, and then again he was all of these things because the town bowed down.

Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman.

Instead she brushed back the heavy hair from Janie's face and stood there suffering and loving and weeping internally for both of them.

She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her.

Sadie Hoffman

Of course he wasn’t dead. He could never be dead until she herself had finished feeling and thinking. The kiss of his memory made pictures of love and light against the wall. Here was peace.

A PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick “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.” —Zadie Smith One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature.

A Novel

Elizabeth

She knew now that marriage did not make love. Janie's first dream was dead, so she became a woman.

There is a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought. 

Ah wants things sweet wid mah marriage lak when you sit under a pear tree and think.

Did marriage end the cosmic loneliness of the unmated?

Tain't Logan Killicks Ah wants you to have, baby, it's protection. 

Sarah Sammis

D D D 

Difficult to read for a number of reasons.

“Oh to be a pear tree – any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world!”
--
A powerful story with beautiful prose, charming characters, and touching melancholy. It is written with such soul that it feels more like a poem than a narrated story at times.
More than anything, I would recommend the audiobook, narrated by Ruby Dee, that is so impeccably done. At times, the narration just stopped me dead in my tracks, and all I could do was just gaze to the void with an open mouth while I listened to this impactful story.
Get ready to feel ALL the emotions.

Francesca Starecheski

Digital Fire

One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston. Out of print for almost thirty years—due largely to initial audiences’ rejection of its strong black female protagonist—Hurston’s classic has since its 1978 reissue become perhaps the most widely read and highly acclaimed novel in the canon of African-American literature.

So good! Obvi I knew it was good going in but it was so good. That dog was evil, man.

Eli Alvah Huckabee

I grew ten feet higher just from reading this book.

erin

I get why it's a classic, I do. It's just that reading it right after The Bridge of Beyond made it pale in comparison. I'd probably have given it 4 stars if I'd read it amid a slew of old dead white men. 

Oh well.

Claudiu

I wanted to read this book for ages, I even started it a couple of times but every time I was slowing down when reading the dialogs and not enjoying it as it deserved. Until a Litsy member mentioned the audiobook read by Ruby Dee so I gave it a try. What a revelation! The way she brings to life all the words I was struggling with and Janie's story it's simply amazing! I loved it!

kaitlan

Colleen

4 Stars

*A raw and visceral story of one woman’s search for happiness*


There is no doubt that Zora Neale Hurston was a ground-breaking author, and Their Eyes Were Watching God shows why. Not only was she a black woman published in a time when publishing was almost entirely white men, this story was also a bit scandalous for the times. 

This is the story of Janie, a young black woman trying to find fulfillment in her life. It is a character-driven story, so much hangs on whether or not you find Janie a sympathetic character. Although she was certainly a flawed character, she felt realistic. The story has a lot of feminist tones as if follows the ridicule that Janie suffered for daring to want something different from her life.


  “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 same 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.

Now, women forget all those things they don't want to remember, and remember everything they don't want to forget. The dream is the truth. Then they act and do things accordingly.”

Although at times her character might seem aimless and fickle, there was nevertheless something inexorably compelling about her search for love and purpose. Her pursuit of fulfilment and her willingness to move on when necessary certainly contained lessons that are still relevant today.


  “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.” 

As I mentioned, this is a character-driven story. Until the last bit of the story, there is not much plot other than following Janie from one stage of her life to the next. But I was never bored, and by the end, I was flipping pages quickly to see what would happen.


  “All gods who receive homage are cruel. All gods dispense suffering without reason. Otherwise they would not be worshipped. Through indiscriminate suffering men know fear and fear is the most divine emotion. It is the stones for altars and the beginning of wisdom. Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.” 

The writing style of Their Eyes Were Watching God is like two sides of a coin. On the one side, there are some absolutely gorgeous descriptions in this book. Hurston describes things in a way that is lush and vivid. I felt like I was in those moments of the story. On the other side though, is the dialogue. The dialogue seems to be the sticking point for many people who didn’t like this book. And I can see why. It is some of the thickest colloquial dialogue I’ve ever read. I don’t have anything against colloquial dialogue. In fact, I rather like it most of the time. Forcing every story to be spoken in the same generic, neutral English is just a continuation of Colonial conformist mindset. Not to mention, it is completely unrealistic to erase all nuances of regional speech. That being said, I did still have to reread a lot of lines. In the end, it wasn’t the colloquial dialogue itself that was bad; it was how much of it there was. This is not just a character-driven story; it is a story where much of the information is relayed through dialogue. Those gorgeous descriptions are surrounded by pages and pages of every word spoken by the townsfolk. I wish the sheer amount of dialogue had been offset by other types of writing. But if the dialogue is scaring you off from this book, then try the audiobook. This really is a wonderful, heartfelt story worth reading.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 3 Stars
Writing Style: 4 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 4 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 5 Stars

At first I thought it was really slow and a little hard to get through. It didn’t really have any big plot until later in the book, but those last 50 pages made up for it. Hurston writes so beautifully and with such cleverness and understanding. This book has so much deeper meaning and makes me want to live the life that Janie had in the end. Hurston makes you feel the love between Janie and Tea Cake, and become at peace with the fear that is to come with death. It is truly a book I would recommend for everyone 🌳

Beatrix Haase

Had to read this for class. It was a good book but I wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't for my class.

Maria Flowers

** spoiler alert **
           It wasn't a very enjoyable read and I wasn't on my toes throughout it either. However, it does accomplish a few things effectively. Foremost, we see Janie grow from a naive and optimistic girl into a hard-headed women who has life and it's ongoing obstacles figured out. Secondly, we are exposed to rich themes of faith, color, fleeting beauty, and false love; all of which intertwine throughout Janie's growing periods. The last thing I appreciate about the book was its touch on reality. It was not a typical love story and Janie didn't do anything too terribly exciting but maybe that's how we can connect with her. In a modern day situation, there are women who may live 20 years with her awful husband as Janie did with Joe. Janie's courage to leave the first marriage, passiveness with the second, and sacrifice for the last marriage are all realistic situations but again characterize an honorable woman with feministic qualities.
The book has several memorable quotes, but mainly all of the characters are fleeting. None stood out besides the grandmother, the second husband, the third husband, and the dog; all of which die after a few chapters. 
While the book wasn't engaging it did what it was supposed to do well: tell a love story of troubled and varying degrees of love while adding in discrimination, beauty, youth, and God.

'Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the very greatest American novels of the 20th century. It is so lyrical it should be sentimental; it is so passionate it should be overwrought, but it is instead a rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive. There is no novel I love more' ZADIE SMITH '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' When, at sixteen, Janie is caught kissing shiftless Johnny Taylor, her grandmother swiftly marries her off to and old man with sixty acres. Jane endures two stifling marriages before she finally meets the man of her dreams - who offers not diamonds, but a packet of flowering seeds. WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ZADIE SMITH Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor; and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame

Taylor

Half gods are worshipped in wine and flowers. Real gods require blood.

Fraser Simons

These are the prose I’m looking for. What a well executed book in every respect. A pleasure to consume, fantastic at conveying interiority of characters, and deft at swapping tone - a rare gift. It also manages to have quite a few things to say in a straight forward, but, I think, not simplistic narrative. Setting up the story by having Janie return home and sitting down with a friend to discuss what had happened to her was pretty effective for me. I always seem to like that framing. Though, the narrative does not actually look or feel as though she’s conveying her story in that way, to her friend. It does a time jump to those events. It felt surprisingly cinematic, actually. 

My one complaint most often seems a stylistic one. I felt this could stand to further breath in some parts. As beautiful as it’s told, I didn’t feel a sense of place all that much, and that seems to be, I’ve learned, a pretty central component to my 5 star reads. I have a mind that likes specificity when setting scenes and expounding on character. Without it, the world feels nebulous. I had this problem with Wolf Hall even, where the dialogue and prose are top notch, yet it refused to paint a scene and it bugged me to no end. This isn’t quite that bad. But it certainly made it somewhat difficult to populate the world sometimes. Some people won’t be bothered by this at all, and I can see why it has so many 5 star ratings from the people In my circle here.

Geoffrey Landward

An astonishing work. Like a book-length poem

Sarah Escorsa

I read this ages ago for an American Lit class and although I can't remember the story very well, I do remember that I didn't like the book much.

Ellie Younger

It was difficult for me to get into this book at first, but as the story moved along I lost my ability to put it down. Tragic ending, but beautiful writing

Kevin Bertolero

“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's one hell of a way to start a book.

Their Eyes were Watching God

Melody Izard

I may have read this before. I know I have seen part of a made for TV version of the story. But, well, it was worth reading, but wasn't earth shattering. I don't know why I put that much of a burden on poor Zora, but I wanted earth shattering.

Rose Stanley

This was great. Drank it down in a single day. For readability and writing talent, I'm prepared to overlook the fact that the author has one of her main characters rejoice in the name of Teacake.

Rob Erekson

The story of Janie Crawford discovering herself is an absolute joy to read. For a relatively short novel, the character building is incredible, and the storytelling is very vibrant and descriptive.

Celeste Sunderland Gottfried

Hurston is such an important voice in early 20th century African-American literature. Really enjoyed following the main character's travails in life and love. She's a compelling figure whose thoughts and actions should resonate with female readers from all walks of life.

Yoomi

This is a hard book to read because Hurston uses "black vernacular speech and rituals". I ended up reading it while listening to the audiobook and it made a world of difference. Ruby Dee does an amazing job and I highly recommend it.

Their eyes were watching God

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