Their Eyes Were Watching God

From the beginning to the very end, this book was beautifully written—-especially when she and Tea Cake got together! After everything she had been through, I was so happy when she was with a man that allowed for her to experience a real and true love. And trust me, I was rooting for Tea Cake, but when he hit Janie, y’all… I was in shock. That felt so out of character for him! I was so mad at Tea Cake, that I had to put the book down for three business days—and that’s saying a lot! I was also so scared that she wasn’t going to be able to kill him when he had rabies because of her love for him, but I was so proud of her when she came through! Just to add—this is not a romance novel. While it explores romance, and Janie’s relationships, it’s ultimately about Janie’s quest for independence and self-discovery. I like the way that the main character, Janie Crawford, uses the relationships to find out who she is, based on what she liked or did not like in her different relationships with men. Overall, the language of this book was beautiful!

When I was recommended to read this book, I thought it would be an explicitly political book. Instead, it was a story about a woman and her personal journey (which is of course influenced by race due to the setting). It was a bit of a slow start, maybe because I had trouble understanding the southern accent, but by the end of the book, I was fully immersed. Hurston’s hold on language is amazing, and I found myself wanting to note something quotable on practically every page. I highly enjoyed reading about Janie gaining confidence in herself as a woman and her relationship with Tea Cake. I’m sure I’m missing some of the ‘deeper’ aspects of this book — maybe I’ll reread it some day.

I have conflicted feelings writing this review. I appreciate Hurston's writing on a base level for all that she has done in her anthropological efforts, but I can't say that I was taken with this book in the same way that other classics work. My real complication with this novel was that it was labeled as a feminist work but I had a hard time reconciling that with my reading experience. Though, that could just be me being uneducated about this story and I would like to hear others thoughts! But let me explain: even though the female protagonist Janie is labeled as independent, I do not see her as a feminist icon. It seems that her whole life is divided into three parts, and every part is defined by the man she is married to at that time. And although Janie does defy some misogynistic stereotypes and expectations, she ultimately lets her husbands define her and decide her fate, job, and appearance. She even says to her last husband Tea Cake, who is supposed to be her "true love", "...you come 'long and made somethin' outa me", implying she was nothing without him. Doesn't seem she is very independent or like she is being her own person as the book synopsis suggests. We barely even get a glimpse of her being alone throughout the novel except in the first and last chapters. Besides that, Janie takes a beating from her last husband to placate his insecurities about another man and we do not get that chapter from her perspective nor does it seem like she retaliated in any way with the novel implying that she willingly withstood it.

There were, however, some parts where readers can clearly see the feminist intent, with Hurston acknowledging the intersectionality that black women face throughout their lives. The treatment of black women throughout time in the U.S. is discussed as well with critiques being made of both the ruling of men and white society. Perhaps the novel was feminist during its time, but overall it did not function fully in that regard for me.

Otherwise, the novel did tell a very well-written and indulgent story. Going along with Janie's adventures was intriguing and I of course loved traveling through Florida with her. The setting and characters are very detailed and memorable. I would still suggest this novel for someone who wanted to explore more of Florida women writer stories, especially for black women stories!

Damn. What a book. A very powerful read. Trying to explain it won't do it justice, so I'll just say that this is one of those books always on those lists, and it is very deserving of being on those lists. Also, I read this on audiobook, and the narrator was excellent. I could see the characters so clearly through her voice.

Love is a choice now a days when love was found back then! I’ll have to listen to this book again and relish in all the protagonist was able to live out and seek for herself! My favorite quote was when Janie shouted she’s tired of living and grands way it was time for her to live her own!