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Book Information
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Written by Zora Neale Hurston
Narrated by Ruby Dee
Book Actions
Start ListeningEditor's Note
A stunner…
This powerful, beloved classic has earned a passionate following (as well as intense reactions for its sexuality). An anthropologist, Hurston beautifully illuminates dialect in a moving tale rooted in the people and histories of the South.
Description
"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.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Written by Zora Neale Hurston
Narrated by Ruby Dee
Editor's Note
A stunner…
This powerful, beloved classic has earned a passionate following (as well as intense reactions for its sexuality). An anthropologist, Hurston beautifully illuminates dialect in a moving tale rooted in the people and histories of the South.
Description
"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.
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Reviews
It's almost like listening to a play. Ruby Dee is a genius and Ms Zora's writing is immaculate. I enjoyed this book so much. I thought it was exceptional.
Rating: 5
An absolutely classic novel, deservedly renowned, exquisite writing, engaging plot and perfectly and compassionately observed characters and dialogue. A matchless reading by Ruby Dee, I can't imagine anything better. Six stars! Don't miss this.
Rating: 5What a beautiful love story, it’s a story to make you think about family, love, race.
Rating: 4This was a great book. It showed how she had to make a hard decision.
Rating: 5
You absolutely must read this book. It’s like your grandmother’s best-kept recipe. Every word, sweet and savory. The kind of sentences you read twice because they’re so deliciously concocted, and then you whisper quietly to yourself, “God damn, that’s good.” My appetite for Zora is kindled. She has my heart forever.
Rating: 5
Awesome awesome awesome awesome great reading I enjoyed this book
Rating: 5So glad I listened to this novel. Loved how the title was from the hurricane.
Rating: 5This is stunning. The narration is beautiful, she really brings the words to life. I’ll definitely reread it in the future!
Rating: 4Beautiful prose put to tragedy and an ugly history. Captivating love story.
Rating: 5
I read this over 25 years ago. I cried then. I just listened to it and I cried again. So beautifully written. You feel something for the characters, good or bad. Please, don't waste your time on the movie with Halle Berry. It pales in comparison. And does not give insight into any of the characters. Like her grandmother, her best friend, her husbands, not even Janey and Tea Cake. Also remember This was written in the early early 20th century. Language and social norms have changed. The characters are direct descendants of enslaved peoples. Put your idea of political correctness on the shelf. Enjoy
Rating: 5Perfect narration and reading that captured me completely from start to finish
Rating: 5I enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job. The book did get a bit slow at times but I was glad I stuck with it.
Rating: 4
I want to say something and I pray y'all don't hate me after. I think I am done reading classic black novels. The only person I can really take in fully is Maya Angelou. Zora Neale Hurston catches the spirit of African-Americans at that time and masterfully relays it to readers with a skillful mix of formal English. Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of those books that you feel you ought to love because it occupies such an iconic position in 20th century literature. I can’t say I found it an easy read.
4 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 44 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Powerful, emotional, understandable , and historical. It's a story of old, yet we still live in the ongoing separatist mindset instead of an enlightened zest for all life offers. That's the real tragedy in this story. Definitely worth reading and contemplating.
Rating: 5Simply amazing! This story is funny, sad, educational and very entertaining.
Rating: 5Ruby Dee's narration is wonderful! Exactly what I needed to bring the dialects of this beautiful story to life.
Rating: 5You can talk about Their Eyes Were Watching God for what it is - or what it isn't.What it isn't is a bitter angry get-Whitey book like some that came out of the Harlem renaissance. (I may be wrong but I don't think there is a white character in the book - which may be its greatest strength.)What it is, is a coming-of-age story or a questing story in the classic style, except it's about a woman, with slavery not that long ago in her bloodline, going out in the world to find her way and find her place. It's a book of lovely wonderful affectionate sketches of life among the Black communities of Northern Florida, in the time between the wars. There's love and laughter and fear and panic andlife and death. And people! And stories! Insightful revealing stories about the lives of those who live in small Southern towns. Twain does this. Hurston does it too. (Note that the Gullah accent that she renders flawlessly - if sometimes a little broadly - can take some getting used to.) And Janie our heroine does not charm us or try to make us like her - she just walks the world to love and grow and learn and keep moving. I think I've failed utterly in conveying to you the luminous quality of the writing, and the nitty-gritty dusty deep down details of Southern living that this book reveals effortlessly.But authors who can take you to a new world and show you around while telling a story are always amazing and always welcome in these parts.
Rating: 4In 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.
Rating: 4This book is heralded as an "African American Feminist Classic", which put me off a bit. In the age of what came to be known as "racial uplifting" in literature, I didn't look forward to yet another story of the hardship, bitterness, plight and struggle of the American Negro. The book was panned because she didn't use her voice to try to advance the movement, and her fellow authors turned on her, as they thought she had turned on them.
However, this is a story that celebrates community, rural living, family and, most of all, a woman choosing her own path in a day when she was still considered the property of her husband. This strong-willed woman could have been any color, but her being black added to the story, as opposed to shaping or forming the foundation of the story.
The writing here is intelligent, lyrical and absolutely beautiful. It has insight, daring, courage and transports the reader in time. I was in the Everglades. I was on that store porch. I was in the big house. And I was on the dusty road, looking toward my next destination. Hurston was a writer...an author...and you should read this book simply because it is American literature at its finest.
Rating: 5However, this is a story that celebrates community, rural living, family and, most of all, a woman choosing her own path in a day when she was still considered the property of her husband. This strong-willed woman could have been any color, but her being black added to the story, as opposed to shaping or forming the foundation of the story.
The writing here is intelligent, lyrical and absolutely beautiful. It has insight, daring, courage and transports the reader in time. I was in the Everglades. I was on that store porch. I was in the big house. And I was on the dusty road, looking toward my next destination. Hurston was a writer...an author...and you should read this book simply because it is American literature at its finest.
I liked the subtle character development of Janie as she transitioned between the different stages of her life; Hurston's little easter eggs throughout the book really opened my eyes and made me understand how deeply sexism and racism were embedded in society.It was a little hard for me to understand the long patches of dialogue because they were written in the slang and words of the community at the time. Although this contributed to the authenticity, I just felt like it was hard to process.
Rating: 3
In honor of Women's month I decided to reread a classic. I'm glad I did. It was even better the second time around
Rating: 5
This was a great book. The narrator told the story well. loved it!!!
Rating: 5The story of a woman, a wealthy woman, who falls in love with a man who loves her just as deeply as she loves him. And how the money was not what he was after. It was her that he loved.
In truth though, the book was about the way that people despise each other and are jealous of each other and are quick to blame each other and quick to speak against each other when they don’t even know the truth.
Rating: 4In truth though, the book was about the way that people despise each other and are jealous of each other and are quick to blame each other and quick to speak against each other when they don’t even know the truth.
It was ok
Rating: 1Wow. THIS is amazing writing, as well as a commentary on a time gone by. THIS is a must-read book
Rating: 5i always wanted to read this book and happy to have because the movie is no where near as interested as listening to the whole story. I Love This Book
Rating: 5Loved it
Rating: 5