Their Eyes Were Watching God

By: Zora Neale Hurston

Narrated by: Ruby Dee

Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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)

Outstanding performance

Ruby Dee’s voice brings you into the (great) story from the very beginning and only continues to be great!

Amazing

Good story. It played with my emotions. Zora wrote this is such a way that it connected me with the characters. I may have cried at the end. I admire nothing.

Added to my shelf of great American novels

Hurston’s storytelling is a tapestry of rich, soulful characters interwoven with beautiful patterns of language that renders the human condition into an unforgettable work of art.

Extraordinary

I read this book about 30 yrs ago. I admit that I barely remembered the story. I am grateful to my sister for recommending it last week. It makes me sad that Zora Neale Hurston was not recognized for her phenomenal writing before her death. She captured the culture and time in history with her fantastic story telling abilities.
I totally enjoyed and devoured this Florida based novel through this audiobook magically performed by Ms. Ruby Dee.
I am thankful that Ms. Hurston's talents are celebrated each year with a festival in her name in the town of Eatonville, FL, the place where this novel started and ended.

A beautiful poem of a book.

This book has been languishing in my library for more than a year now - Oh how I wish I had visited it sooner.
What evocative prose. I felt every word. And the narrator? I am on a mission to listen to every book Ruby Dee has ever brought to life.

Amazing Reading - WOW!

I have never been more impressed with a ready than Ruby Dee’s reading. Wow. Amazing.

Amazing narration, short must read

Ruby Dee’s incredible narration makes this story come to life. I was completely captivated from start to finish. A short and powerful story, this is a must read for all!

One of the best books and a fantastic narration.

I rarely write reviews, but please listen to this book. It’s one of my all time favorites. I used to have another version of the audio, which I listened to many times, so I was hesitant to listen to the new performance. But it couldn’t be better. What a beautiful performance. The story itself is life-affirming and powerful. Do yourself a favor and listen. As many times as I’ve heard this story, I found I couldn’t stop listening. It draws you in and keeps you until the ending.

Phenomenal performance

This performance was phenomenal. The novel's dialect made it difficult to read, but narrator made the dialect and emotion come alive.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

I read this long ago. This time I listened and stayed away too long. This is à heartbreaking and heartwarming story of race, loss, and love. It takes place in Eatonville, Florida, the oldest Black incorporated town in the United States. It was the home of anthropologist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston, the setting is is no less a character than the men and women in Hurston’s pages. This is a wonderful and beautifully written story.