Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Title: Their Eyes Were Watching God
Author: Zora Neale Hurston
# pages: 193
Date published: 1937
Genre: classic
Challenge(s): 100+ Challenge, 999 Challenge, Support Your Local Library Challenge, Pages Read Challenge

Rating: (Loved it!)



First sentence(s):

“Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.”

What is it all about? Their Eyes Were Watching God is an adventure story and a love story all wrapped up in one. It’s the story of Janie Crawford, an independent black woman living her life the best way she knows how and occasionally suffering for her nonconformity. Married off young by a grandmother who had a limited view of what a black woman’s life could be, Janie soon finds herself living with a man who wants her to do all the work. When Janie can no longer stand life with the domineering man, she leaves with a man, Joe, who will ultimately become her second husband. Joe brings Janie to Eatonville, Florida, the first incorporated all-black town in the United States (where Hurston was raised). But the larger he grew in statue, the more he tried to suppress Janie’s personal growth. After his death, Janie, much to the disapproval of the town, takes up with a younger man named Tea Cake and they strike out for the Florida Everglades. Only with Tea Cake in the Everglades does Janie find her true love and her true self.

Random thoughts: Reading the dialogue in Their Eyes Were Watching God was difficult at times, especially in the beginning. But after a while I was able to decipher most of it without slowing down and it makes the book much more powerful and authentic.

Favorite scene(s): There were several, but I really enjoyed reading about the hurricane - very exciting!

Fun tidbits:

1. Zora Neale Hurston Website

Recommended for readers who: have enough patience to wade through some difficult language in order to be rewarded with a fantastic, enduring love story. I’ll remember this one for a long time.