Their Eyes Were Watching God
- Downloads：3564
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-15 14:53:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Zora Neale Hurston
- ISBN：0860685241
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
At the age of 16， Janie is caught kissing the shiftless Johnny Taylor， so her grandmother quickly marries her off to an old man with 60 acres。 Refusing to compromise in spite of society's expectations， Janie endures two stifling marriages before meeting the man of her dreams。
Reviews
Laurie
，
I first read this book in college， more than 35 years ago。 It’s just as good as I remembered， but a 2021 reading brings with it new insights on my part。 Although the story is fiction， it reflects generational trauma in a very real way。 The fact that Tea Cake feels the only way he can prove Janie is his is by beating her is indicative of this。 Mrs。 Turner’s colorism， too， is especially troublesome。 That said， these topics need to be discussed， both in historical context and how they are still rel I first read this book in college， more than 35 years ago。 It’s just as good as I remembered， but a 2021 reading brings with it new insights on my part。 Although the story is fiction， it reflects generational trauma in a very real way。 The fact that Tea Cake feels the only way he can prove Janie is his is by beating her is indicative of this。 Mrs。 Turner’s colorism， too， is especially troublesome。 That said， these topics need to be discussed， both in historical context and how they are still relevant today。 It’s a shame more people haven’t been exposed to Hurston’s work。 Everyone should read her。 。。。more
Keysha
，
Ruby Dee brought so much life to this audiobook。 I'm so glad I heard this edition。 Ruby Dee brought so much life to this audiobook。 I'm so glad I heard this edition。 。。。more
Martina Bučková
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I am so in love with this book， this is what I call master piece。 I loved the style of the novel overall。Zora portraited a strong woman in this book Janie。 This novel is a real feminist awakening。I enjoyed the "black slang" there which gave the novel authentic flavor。 The whole story is switching between two voices， the other voice is of the author which is more sophisticated。 This specialty is giving the novel something that you won't find in any other book。I felt that this story could have bee I am so in love with this book， this is what I call master piece。 I loved the style of the novel overall。Zora portraited a strong woman in this book Janie。 This novel is a real feminist awakening。I enjoyed the "black slang" there which gave the novel authentic flavor。 The whole story is switching between two voices， the other voice is of the author which is more sophisticated。 This specialty is giving the novel something that you won't find in any other book。I felt that this story could have been written about any woman of any country or race ， in any marriage， at any time， and from that point of view the story is as applicable today as when it was written。 This is the story of a young black woman who grows and develops as a person through her three marriages to three very different men。 Did she love any of them？ I think she did， although only with the Tea Cake she bloomed in the swamps of Florida。 At the end I really wept for Janie， she was stronger than me throughout her life story。Hurston's character construction is amazing and her characters seem so realistic。Definitely one of the best classics I have read and I highly recommend this novel to anyone， who didn't read it yet。 （view spoiler）[ Janie Crawford， an attractive， confident， middle-aged black woman， returns to Eatonville， Florida， after a long absence。 The black townspeople gossip about her and -speculate about where she has been and what has happened to her young husband， Tea Cake。 They take her confidence as aloofness， but Janie’s friend Pheoby Watson sticks up for her。 Pheoby visits her to find out what has happened。 Their conversation frames the story that Janie relates。Janie explains that her grandmother raised her after her mother ran off。 Nanny loves her granddaughter and is dedicated to her， but her life as a slave and experience with her own daughter， Janie’s mother， has warped her worldview。 Her primary desire is to marry Janie as soon as possible to a husband who can provide security and social status for her。 She finds a much older farmer named Logan Killicks and insists that Janie marry him。After moving in with Logan， Janie is miserable。 Logan is pragmatic and unromantic and， in general， treats her like a pack mule。 One day， Joe Starks， a smooth-tongued and ambitious man， ambles down the road in front of the farm。 He and Janie flirt in secret for a couple weeks before she runs off and marries him。Janie and Jody， as she calls him， travel to all-black Eatonville， where Jody hopes to have a “big voice。” A consummate politician， Jody soon succeeds in becoming the mayor， postmaster， storekeeper， and the biggest landlord in town。 But Janie seeks something more than a man with a big voice。 She soon becomes disenchanted with the monotonous， stifling life that she shares with Jody。 She wishes that she could be a part of the rich social life in town， but Jody doesn’t allow her to interact with “common” people。 Jody sees Janie as the fitting ornament to his wealth and power， and he tries to shape her into his vision of what a mayor’s wife should be。 On the surface， Janie silently submits to Jody; inside， however， she remains passionate and full of dreams。After almost two decades of marriage， Janie finally asserts herself。 When Jody insults her appearance， Janie rips him to shreds in front of the townspeople， telling them all how ugly and impotent he is。 In retaliation， he savagely beats her。 Their marriage breaks down， and Jody becomes quite ill。 After months without interacting， Janie visits him on his deathbed。 Refusing to be silenced， she once again chastises him for the way that he treated her。 As she berates him， he dies。After Jody’s funeral， Janie feels free for the first time in years。 She rebuffs various suitors who come to court her because she loves her newfound independence。 But when Tea Cake， a man twelve years her junior， enters her life， Janie immediately senses a spark of mutual attraction。 She begins dating Tea Cake despite critical gossip within the town。 To everyone’s shock， Janie then marries Tea Cake nine months after Jody’s death， sells Jody’s store， and leaves town to go with Tea Cake to Jacksonville。During the first week of their marriage， Tea Cake and Janie encounter difficulties。 He steals her money and leaves her alone one night， making her think that he married her only for her money。 But he returns， explaining that he never meant to leave her and that his theft occurred in a moment of weakness。 Afterward， they promise to share all their experiences and opinions with each other。 They move to the Everglades， where they work during the harvest season and socialize during the summer off-season。 Tea Cake’s quick wit and friendliness make their shack the center of entertainment and social life。A terrible hurricane bursts into the Everglades two years after Janie and Tea Cake’s marriage。 As they desperately flee the rising waters， a rabid dog bites Tea Cake。 At the time， Tea Cake doesn’t realize the dog’s condition; three weeks later， however， he falls ill。 During a rabies--induced bout of madness， Tea Cake becomes convinced that Janie is cheating on him。 He starts firing a pistol at her and Janie is forced to kill him to save her life。 She is immediately put on trial for murder， but the all-white， all-male jury finds her not guilty。 She returns to Eatonville where her former neighbors are ready to spin malicious gossip about her circumstances， assuming that Tea Cake has left her and taken her money。 Janie wraps up her recounting to Pheoby， who is greatly impressed by Janie’s experiences。 Back in her room that night， Janie feels at one with Tea Cake and at peace with herself。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
julia
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2。5/5 stars。 RTC。 （probably not tbh oh well）
Marsha Casner
，
I can see why this is a must read。 I listened to the audio with Ruby Dee doing all the voices and I loved it。
Amy
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The dialect made it difficult to fully understand what was going on。 I appreciated the independent spirit of the main character， however， it was too bad how awful she was treated by all the men she was involved with。
Jenn
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I did something I typically don't do: I read this title solely because others had said "it is good" and knew NOTHING about the plot。The book was good but not what I expected。 It's the story of Janey， from 11 year old girl to "old" woman。 It shares her struggles with life， love， humanity， emotions， friendship and self identity。 Did I like it？ yesWould I read it again？ no I did something I typically don't do: I read this title solely because others had said "it is good" and knew NOTHING about the plot。The book was good but not what I expected。 It's the story of Janey， from 11 year old girl to "old" woman。 It shares her struggles with life， love， humanity， emotions， friendship and self identity。 Did I like it？ yesWould I read it again？ no 。。。more
AnnKristin
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Det er en klassiker fra 1937， og handler om livet til fargede Janie og hennes søken etter kjærlighet og tilfredshet。 Janie mer eller mindre giftes bort til sin første mann av mormoren - en mann som trenger hjelp i huset。 Så hun rømmer med mann nummer to， som vil ha en trofekone。 Med mann nummer tre finner hun kjærligheten hun har drømt om， men det er et tøft liv og et voldsomt forhold。Mange store temaer som kan diskuteres ut fra denne boka - kjønnsroller， status， diskriminering， hva livet gjør m Det er en klassiker fra 1937， og handler om livet til fargede Janie og hennes søken etter kjærlighet og tilfredshet。 Janie mer eller mindre giftes bort til sin første mann av mormoren - en mann som trenger hjelp i huset。 Så hun rømmer med mann nummer to， som vil ha en trofekone。 Med mann nummer tre finner hun kjærligheten hun har drømt om， men det er et tøft liv og et voldsomt forhold。Mange store temaer som kan diskuteres ut fra denne boka - kjønnsroller， status， diskriminering， hva livet gjør med deg osv。Det er i stor grad en tragedie， og det er nok derfor boka ikke passer for meg。 Kan skjønne at dette for mange er en flott bok， og til tider vakkert og poetisk språk。Hørt som lydbok 。。。more
Emmie
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This is a tough book to rate。 Although probably a 5* in importance， I'd say it was a 2* in enjoyment and perhaps also a 2* in writing style for me， so thats why I'm giving it 2* overall。I have learned that this is a book that is often on US highschoolers reading list and I completely understand why， especially after learning about the author and the time/ context she was writing in。 It is my understanding that the book is quite unique as it explores the everyday life of a sucessful black woman i This is a tough book to rate。 Although probably a 5* in importance， I'd say it was a 2* in enjoyment and perhaps also a 2* in writing style for me， so thats why I'm giving it 2* overall。I have learned that this is a book that is often on US highschoolers reading list and I completely understand why， especially after learning about the author and the time/ context she was writing in。 It is my understanding that the book is quite unique as it explores the everyday life of a sucessful black woman in turn of the century USA without overly exploring the racism and dynamic between the black and white community （though of course， it is always there lurking in the background）。 Because of this it is a book that I would recommend others read， as I am sure there is a lot to learn from it。 I can't really say much more than that as I am not American and only know the basic history around slavery and segregation。For those of you that only wish to read for pleasure， I found it to be a very slow book that didn't start to get exciting until the last couple of chapters。 The author writes the dialouge in an old-timey American dialect that was incredibly difficult for a non-american to read。 It took me a long time to finish the book even though it was not very long。 However， the author does write many beautiful metaphores and it felt like coming across a jewel every time I read a particularly good one。 。。。more
Christina
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Not my taste。。 The language in this book was very tough to read， and it took me so much extra time to read slowly， trying to decipher somewhat what was going on。 It did get better at the end， but I was very close to not finishing this one。
Andrea DiMola
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This is a book I read in high school but was definitely not ready for then。 Very glad I re-read this one as an adult。
Deborah Hann
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Vibrant and alive feel like the best adjectives for this book。 Much of it isn’t easy， but the characters and the events feel so real and immediate that I was completely drawn it。 I listened to the great Ruby Dee narrate it， and her performance made it even better。
Amelia
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Beautiful， Inspiring， captivating。 I was deeply affected by this book。 Thank you， Zora Neale Hurston
Lin Wilde
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The writing is so rich and beautiful。 The story is earnest， emotional and moving。 I know the use of dialect may be difficult for some readers to follow， but it made me feel like I was dropped right into Eatonville Florida during the early 1900's。 The writing is so rich and beautiful。 The story is earnest， emotional and moving。 I know the use of dialect may be difficult for some readers to follow， but it made me feel like I was dropped right into Eatonville Florida during the early 1900's。 。。。more
Natalie Cruz
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honestly read this for school， but i genuinely loved it omg。 go read it NOW it’s a quick read too！
Ammy Dollete
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Author's way of storytelling is so good， i suggest you join novelstar's writing competition on april。 Author's way of storytelling is so good， i suggest you join novelstar's writing competition on april。 。。。more
Ropah
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One word 。。。 Damn！
Amie Jimenez
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Not just a love story， but a falling-in-love story。 Loved it！ If you have some great stories like this one， you can publish it on Novel Star， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Quinton
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ending is heartbreaking - teacake falls into delirium and dies after janie shoots him in self defense。 Overall， the book is well written， lyrical and poetic in description and plot; I often found myself voicing the words in my head as much of the book is written in african american vernacular english， which makes it a bit hard for me to read。 The book does a good job of touching on issues in the 90's， especially racial segregation。 I liked how janie's character was a symbol of empowerment throug ending is heartbreaking - teacake falls into delirium and dies after janie shoots him in self defense。 Overall， the book is well written， lyrical and poetic in description and plot; I often found myself voicing the words in my head as much of the book is written in african american vernacular english， which makes it a bit hard for me to read。 The book does a good job of touching on issues in the 90's， especially racial segregation。 I liked how janie's character was a symbol of empowerment throughout the book - she left anyone who mistreated her and did not settle for anything less than a lover。 While teacake dies， Janie， the protagonist finds true love， the main focus of this novel。 。。。more
Clayson Shumway
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This is a really sweet love story， and I'm glad （or hope） that we as a society have progressed beyond the first two relationships。 The way the omniscient narration jars with the colloquial dialogue was obnoxious at first but once I got in the swing of reading it seemed to flow very nicely。 This is a really sweet love story， and I'm glad （or hope） that we as a society have progressed beyond the first two relationships。 The way the omniscient narration jars with the colloquial dialogue was obnoxious at first but once I got in the swing of reading it seemed to flow very nicely。 。。。more
Dc
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goodness。 do not waste as much of your life as i did by not reading this book sooner。
Caity Gill
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I remembered this being one of the few books I liked reading in my high school English class so I re-read it。 I love ZNH’s writing style even more now。😍 So artful。 I could read some of these sentences again and again。
Fic Abernathy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Probably closer to 2。5 stars than 3， but I round up。 The prose in this was stunning， and it was filled with valuable and bittersweet lessons about life。I'm a little dissatisfied with the ending， though。 Janie was bitten， so is she a dead woman walking？This book coincidentally found its way into my life right after I had seen what rabies actually looked like in humans （if you're brave， look it up on youtube）， so I knew what was happening to Tea Cake long before it was made explicit。 I just pray t Probably closer to 2。5 stars than 3， but I round up。 The prose in this was stunning， and it was filled with valuable and bittersweet lessons about life。I'm a little dissatisfied with the ending， though。 Janie was bitten， so is she a dead woman walking？This book coincidentally found its way into my life right after I had seen what rabies actually looked like in humans （if you're brave， look it up on youtube）， so I knew what was happening to Tea Cake long before it was made explicit。 I just pray that Janie doesn't meet the same end， though I have a hunch she will。I think this was the right time in my life to read this book。 Hurston has given me a lot to think about with regards to romance and hardship。 Take from that what you will。UPDATE as of June 2018:So， I had to reread this for work， and I've upped it to a four star read tentatively。 Something that I noticed when I was rereading this is I was incredibly engrossed in it in the first three quarters。。。and then staggered by Hurston's shift in tone。 This novel turns from a thoughtful piece on relationships and sexuality and turns it into something quite grim， which I really didn't care for。 Overall， I would say it's accurate that I "really like" this book， but that is what keeps it from rising into the ranks of my favorite novels。 。。。more
Darla
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This is the type of book that is a superstar in audiobook form。 The evocative prose would still shine in printed version， but the dialect does so well when spoken。 I am certain that my imagination would not have done half as well with all those conversations。 This book was on my TBR list ever since we spent the summer of 2018 discussing the Great American Read。 There are a ton of books on that list -- not just metaphorically。 I really do think if you piled them all up on a scale they would weigh This is the type of book that is a superstar in audiobook form。 The evocative prose would still shine in printed version， but the dialect does so well when spoken。 I am certain that my imagination would not have done half as well with all those conversations。 This book was on my TBR list ever since we spent the summer of 2018 discussing the Great American Read。 There are a ton of books on that list -- not just metaphorically。 I really do think if you piled them all up on a scale they would weigh over a ton。 Anyway， in the past few months I read not one， but two books with a main character who frequently referred to this book with reverence and recommended it to other people in the book。 That got my attention and then I saw the audio version。 Bingo！ I borrowed it on Libby。 The south Florida setting is perfect for the many metaphors of blossoming and dry seasons。 Janie is a character you will love spending time with and her love affair with Tea Cake is not to be missed。 Highly recommended -- especially on audio。 。。。more
Denise
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This book opened my eyes and expanded my view of life from the perspective of this stories' characters。 I'm looking forward to our book club discussion on it。 This book opened my eyes and expanded my view of life from the perspective of this stories' characters。 I'm looking forward to our book club discussion on it。 。。。more
Magali
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I've been wanting to read Zora Neale Hurston for some time now but never really had the chance。 I chose this book because I loved the title and I am very happy with my choice。 This was such a good story， with so many interesting characters and the writing really was something else。 I'm definitely going to read something else by Mrs。 Hurston soon， and I'm sure I'm going to love it。 I've been wanting to read Zora Neale Hurston for some time now but never really had the chance。 I chose this book because I loved the title and I am very happy with my choice。 This was such a good story， with so many interesting characters and the writing really was something else。 I'm definitely going to read something else by Mrs。 Hurston soon， and I'm sure I'm going to love it。 。。。more
Denise Sande
，
I have been on a Zora Neale Hurston binge the past month。 Their Eyes Were Watching God was a beautiful read。 Hurston's ability to describe the blossoming Pear Tree early in the novel was a tease for the readers and keeps us delighted as we join Janie throughout the novel。 The final two chapters were lyrical as Janie discussed her love for Tea Cake。 Pure， beautiful， a story that seeps into your skin and leaves its mark for some time after you finish。 I read the paperback and listened to the aud I have been on a Zora Neale Hurston binge the past month。 Their Eyes Were Watching God was a beautiful read。 Hurston's ability to describe the blossoming Pear Tree early in the novel was a tease for the readers and keeps us delighted as we join Janie throughout the novel。 The final two chapters were lyrical as Janie discussed her love for Tea Cake。 Pure， beautiful， a story that seeps into your skin and leaves its mark for some time after you finish。 I read the paperback and listened to the audio narrated by Ruby Dee。 What a treat！ 。。。more
Emily
，
i really appreciate what's at the heart of this story， the message it carries。i can't say i particularly enjoyed reading it， as i found it to be slow， but i truly don't think that is the fault of the book itself， it's just the nature of the story。so， i won't be rating this book， as i feel like that would only serve as an injustice。overall， this is an incredibly important story， just one that i personally found it difficult to get through。 i really appreciate what's at the heart of this story， the message it carries。i can't say i particularly enjoyed reading it， as i found it to be slow， but i truly don't think that is the fault of the book itself， it's just the nature of the story。so， i won't be rating this book， as i feel like that would only serve as an injustice。overall， this is an incredibly important story， just one that i personally found it difficult to get through。 。。。more
Caroline
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love zora neale hurstons language， kinda boring tho。 "no hour is ever eternity， but it has its right to weep。" love zora neale hurstons language， kinda boring tho。 "no hour is ever eternity， but it has its right to weep。" 。。。more
Nicole
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