Their Eyes Were Watching God
A Novel
-
-
3.8 • 15 Ratings
-
-
- $11.99
Publisher Description
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.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Zora Neale Hurston’s second novel tells the story of Janie Crawford, a young African American woman in central Florida. Despite her humble origins, Janie wants it all: love, beauty, and magic—or, as she says, “flower dust and springtime sprinkled over everything.” Their Eyes Were Watching God is a black feminist novel that was generations ahead of its time when it was published in 1937. Although it was initially dismissed by critics, it was rediscovered and championed by Alice Walker in the ’70s. Combining ’30s Southern dialect with strikingly beautiful descriptions, Hurston’s story of self-love contains many lines so poetic we stopped to read them twice.
Customer Reviews
Superbly written, just be ready for heavy analysis
This is a wonderfully written novel by Hurston, who employs such a great number of literary devices in order to shroud her messages regarding female empowerment and self-finding in a way that mirrors the complex intricacies of the lives many black women of her time, an indeed before that faced. Be prepared to analyze beyond the written pages, and explore the inner workings of humanity and its constant development. Recommended for men and women alike, of any age where the true meanings of love can begin to be understood.