Their Eyes Were Watching God (original 1937; udgave 2006)

Outstanding recording of this classic book. Because it is written in dialect, I knew I would find a richer experience on audio. I was not disappointed. The narrator, Ruby Dee, was phenomenal the way she captured all the voices. I felt like I was right there with the characters. ( )

I appreciate Hurston's writing. She is an author who is ahead of her time, especially when it comes to depicting women as capable of being independent thinkers. It takes the main character, Janie Crawford, a Black woman in the 1920s, three marriages to get in touch with herself and realize that she can have an identity separate from her male spouse. Her growth throughout the story is remarkable. Her grandmother, a former slave, arranges Janie's first marriage. The marriage was destined to fail, and Janie then marries Joe Starks, a successful Black man. Joe provided well for Janie, but mistreated her and stifled her voice. Her third husband, Tea Cake Woods, is someone she truly loves and enjoys.

Black communities in Florida provide the setting for the story, during a time where there was little integration of Black and White people in mainstream society. Hurston doesn't focus on how Caucasians interact with Blacks, but rather how Blacks interface with each other, and she emphasizes the African American culture in the South. Many subtleties and assumptions are played out through dialog. Hurston tells us a great deal about the labor market, life choices, and the expectations in Black Floridian communities—mostly in West Florida, Eatonville, and the Everglades. The Lake Okeechobee Hurricane of 1928 plays a prominent role in the plot of this story.

Some of the symbols in the story truly enhance the book and provide beautiful imagery. The mule, road, porch, muck (The Everglades), and the hurricane are all used literally and symbolically. The messages of the book are multilayered and make the story timeless. I particularly liked the metaphor of the pear used a few times in the novel.

Oh to be a pear tree—any tree in bloom! With kissing bees singing of the beginning of the world! She was sixteen. She had glossy leaves and bursting buds and she wanted to struggle with life but it seemed to elude her. (p. 20). ( )

review here ( )

How a young independent thinking African-American woman in Florida finally realizes happiness after a life filled with sorrow. The heavy Southern dialect confused me for awhile and made the story slow going. I guess it did add "local color." An early feminist work. ( )

Janie Crawford’s quest for identity takes her on a journey of sorrow and love. When the book was first published in 1937, about a proud, independent black woman was mostly dismissed by male reviewers. Their Eyes Were Watching God has become the most read and highly acclaimed novel in the African-American literature canon.

Review from: The Write of Your Life. A List of Books About Racism.