Their Eyes Were Watching God cover art

Their Eyes Were Watching God

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Their Eyes Were Watching God

By: Zora Neale Hurston
Narrated by: Ruby Dee
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About this listen

 Their Eyes Were Watching God, an American classic, is the luminous and haunting novel about Janie Crawford, a Southern Black woman in the 1930s, whose journey from a free-spirited girl to a woman of independence and substance has inspired writers and readers for close to 70 years.

This poetic, graceful love story, rooted in Black folk traditions and steeped in mythic realism, celebrates boldly and brilliantly African-American culture and heritage. And in a powerful, mesmerizing narrative, it pays quiet tribute to a Black woman who, though constricted by the times, still demanded to be heard.

Originally published in 1937 and long out of print, the book was reissued in 1975 and nearly three decades later Their Eyes Were Watching God is considered a seminal novel in American fiction.

©1937 Zora Neale Hurston, Renewed 1965 John C. Hurston and Joel Hurston (P)1997, 2000, 2004 HarperCollins Publishers African American Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Women's Voices

Critic Reviews

"For readers who know Hurston's work, this program will be a joy; for those who are lucky and wise enough to discover her here, it will be an exceptional experience." (AudioFile)
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Beautiful recounted - a moving tale told with great care and emotion. Excellent narration thank you

Beautiful observed

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This is an important book, with a rich and deep story - I can’t recommend it enough.

Unfortunately the performance doesn't match the delicate and patient work of Zora Neale Hurston in telling Janie's story.

It's disappointing the narrator chose to perform most of the female characters in a kind of simpering, childish voice, which especially undermines the impact of Janie. It's hard to get past.

Secondly, even the slightest hint of elevated emotion on page is turned into Shakespearean drama, most of the time employing vocal fry techniques to deliver a 'shaky' emotional voice, that are way too harsh for the task - the effect is jarring, and the subtle workings of the author become a kind of audio pantomime.

There is an entire section during one of the narrative climaxes where the performance is so over-the-top, in terms of both volume and intensity, that it becomes comical, in a profoundly uncomfortable way.

An audiobook is not a radio play, the performance should blend into the story, and, in a way, disappear into it. The opposite happens here.

Wonderful book, but the performance is challenging

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