Tuesday 11 March 2014

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God opens with the return of Janie Crawford to her home town in Florida.  As gossip mounts over where she has been, and where her husband has got to, Janie confides in her friend, Pheoby.  The granddaughter of a slave and the product of rape, Janie is married off young to a man that she doesn't love, but who can provide financial stability.  Unloved in her first marriage and abused in her second, Janie finally begins to find her voice with the arrival of Tea Cake, a man much younger than her, but who respects and encourages her.

There isn't much to say about Their Eyes Were Watching God that hasn't already been said.  It's a very powerful story of a woman finding herself and gaining some independence from the expectations placed on her, and I just loved it.  Janie's life is full of much hardship, so when she starts to realise the value that she has as a person, it becomes moving to read.  The depiction of Janie's second marriage, in which she is constantly dismissed and made to submit to her husband in every way, was particularly well done, and you could feel the life flowing out of Janie as the marriage continued.  When she eventually stood up to Jody in front of the other members of the town, it was a big moment.  The relationship with Tea Cake was well written, and I loved that Hurston showed them as being so accepting of each other, flaws and all.  Hurston never made their relationship too perfect, instead we got an honest portrayal of how two people can support and encourage each other, through the good times and the bad, and how a partner can help you to be yourself.

As I was reading Their Eyes Were Watching God, I was struck by Janie's strength.  She had been dealt a pretty tough hand in life, but she never gave up, and she always had hope that things would improve.  When something awful happens right at the end of the novel, I still had the sense that Janie would be able to pick herself up and continue her life in a positive way.  This made me think about my own life, and the way that I approach set-backs, and in this way Janie was an inspiring character for me.  I love that classics can do that, can make you reflect on your own experiences.

A lot of Their Eyes Were Watching God is written in dialect, which I thought might be an issue before starting.  But actually it was very easy to get into and I enjoyed rolling the words around in my head, imagining them the way Janie would have said them.  Once I got used to the dialect, I didn't even notice it.

I'm so glad the Classics Club spin selected this book for me.  It's relatively short but it definitely packs a powerful punch, and it's become a new favourite.


The Classics Club: Book 23/72
My list of classics is here.

Source: Personal copy
First Published: 1937
Score: 5 out of 5

17 comments:

  1. This one is on my list as well, and now I'm looking forward to it even more :)

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  2. Quite a few people have read (and loved!) this book recently - looks like I'll also have to add it to my list.

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  3. A 5 out of 5 book... Wow. I think I'll be looking in to this one a bit further seen as I've heard so many great things about this classic. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
    :-)
    Bits & Bobs

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    1. Yes, I had high expectations but the book certainly lived up to them!

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  4. Such an amazing book - so glad you loved it! If you get a chance sometime, listen to a clip of Ruby Dee narrating the audiobook. Sheer perfection.

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    1. I'll have to look into that, thanks for the recommendation :)

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  5. I have to confess that this is a book I had heard about, but I really had no idea what the story was about! It sounds like this is definitely one to put on my tbr list. :)

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    1. I hadn't even heard of it until I started compiling my classics club list and then randomly came across a review of it. I'm glad I did, because it was a wonderful read.

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  6. So glad to hear you enjoyed it. It's a moderately sized book but packs quite a bit in. Janie's story is certainly inspiring, even today, but I also wonder if it wasn't a little controversial at the time of publication.

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    1. I'm sure it would be controversial to some even now? I remember reading in the introduction that the book kind of sunk without a trace shortly after publication, before being rediscovered by authors like Alice Walker.

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  7. I've always wanted to read this, but I tried to listen to it on audio once and couldn't get around the dialect. I think reading it would work better for me. I love reading books that have inspiring women characters - I think Zora Neale Hurston was pretty inspiring herself.

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  8. This is one that I've picked to read for the Back to the Classics Challenge, so I will get it read some time this year. I'm glad to hear it's a good one!

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  9. I have to read it, I know it, but it sounds so heart-breaking... For what you say here, it is also a very empowering reading, but sometimes it is difficult to find that strength when sobbing, right?

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  10. Hurston intimidates me because of the dialect, too! I think I am going to try her in audiobook first. Seems easier :)

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  11. "Their Eyes" captures the universal experiences of pain and happiness, love and loss. And the whole story is told with both humor and compassion. If you haven't read it yet, read it; if you've already read it, read it again.

    Marlene
    Info site for Fishing Lodge Alaska

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