Reviews

Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

redone15's review against another edition

5.0

Such a fabulous picture of a woman growing from who people think she should be into the woman God made her to be. It was a pleasure to follow her on this journey, and Hurston does an excellent job of putting the reader right in the middle of it.

cearakelly's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

vereisnthere's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

susanreadstheworld's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Poetic
Layered
Sorrowful
Hopeful
Raw
Moving
It flows the way life moves, blinds the way love does, and leaves relief and regret in its wake. 

ilovethatbook42's review against another edition

5.0

SO GLAD I didn't give up on this book! Really had a hard time getting into it, but once I did I couldn't put it down. The language is absolutely beautiful. What a great protagonist ❤️❤️

carriepond's review against another edition

5.0

I really loved this book. I loved how Hurston splits the narrative between an omniscient narrator and the characters' own voices, in the vernacular of the day. I loved Janie's character, and how, even though there were these various romances and relationships throughout the novel, at the core of the story was Janie finding herself and her freedom. I love the focus on communal storytelling.

I recently read a great post on Instagram by @lupita.reads in which she discusses how books written by members from particular communities are frequently criticized if they fail to meet some threshold test for being "representative" of that community's experience or lack the version of "representation" that readers expect to see, and how we lose something if we hold writers to the unreasonable and limiting expectation of providing some singular version of a community's story.

I thought about this post as I read a review by a reader (a young white guy) who faulted for failing to address race and racism more squarely, and blamed this purported failure for his own failure to consider those issues until later in life. I thought about it as I read in the foreword that the novel was out of print for thirty years and, when it first came out, roundly criticized (mostly by men) for not depicting a version of Black life in the South that those critics wanted and expected to see from a novel by a Black author. It took the zealous advocacy of authors like Alice Walker for Their Eyes Were Watching God to finally get its due in literary circles and finally be recognized as a great work of literature. Thank goodness for Alice Walker. What would we have lost if we had continued to criticize Hurston's work for failing to be what we wanted or expected it to be instead of appreciating it for what it is-- a compelling novel about adventure, love, and a woman's journey of self-discovery in a world that doesn't want women, especially Black women, to be fully realized people.

bbrexbre's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

zosiablue's review against another edition

Well, I thought I didn’t like a romance but I’ve changed my mind after reading the story of Janie & Tea Cake. What a perfect book with some of the most beautiful lines I’ve ever read. I missed reading this in school & I’m glad - I can’t imagine my teen self would’ve understood it. I feel actual grief being done with this book. Erase my brain so I can read it new again.

hayleezimm's review against another edition

4.0

This book was such an emotional and interesting read. It was definitely hard to understand at times but made for a challenging read.

conklings's review against another edition

4.0

Loved Janie’s journey!