-
Their Eyes Were Watching God
- Narrated by: Ruby Dee
- Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $30.79
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Beloved
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but 18 years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
-
-
Perhaps best read on paper
- By Mimi on 07-29-06
By: Toni Morrison
-
Invisible Man
- A Novel
- By: Ralph Ellison
- Narrated by: Joe Morton
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ralph Elllison's Invisible Man is a monumental novel, one that can well be called an epic of 20th-century African-American life. It is a strange story, in which many extraordinary things happen, some of them shocking and brutal, some of them pitiful and touching - yet always with elements of comedy and irony and burlesque that appear in unexpected places.
-
-
Sometimes it is best not to awaken them...
- By Darwin8u on 03-01-20
By: Ralph Ellison
-
Every Tongue Got to Confess
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s. The bittersweet and often hilarious tale, which range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, white folk, and mistaken identity to witty one-liners, reveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community.
-
-
Excellent!
- By Tracy on 03-03-16
-
Barracoon
- The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview 86-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation's history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo's firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage 50 years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States. In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile.
-
-
A "must hear"
- By D. Welch on 05-09-18
-
Dust Tracks on a Road
- An Autobiography
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dust Tracks on a Road is the bold, poignant, and funny autobiography of novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, one of American literature's most compelling and influential authors. Hurston's powerful novels of the South - including Jonah's Gourd Vine and, most famously, Their Eyes Were Watching God - continue to enthrall readers with their lyrical grace, sharp detail, and captivating emotionality.
-
-
About Time!
- By jeanne on 03-01-19
-
The Color Purple
- By: Alice Walker
- Narrated by: Alice Walker
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Celie has grown up poor in rural Georgia, despised by society and abused by her own family. She strives to protect her sister, Nettie, from a similar fate, and while Nettie escapes to a new life as a missionary in Africa, Celie is left behind without her best friend and confidante, married off to an older suitor, and sentenced to a life alone with a harsh and brutal husband. In an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear, Celie begins writing letters to God. The letters, spanning 20 years, record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment guided by the light of a few strong women.
-
-
way better than the movie
- By Ms. Blacq on 10-13-19
By: Alice Walker
-
Beloved
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but 18 years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe's new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.
-
-
Perhaps best read on paper
- By Mimi on 07-29-06
By: Toni Morrison
-
Invisible Man
- A Novel
- By: Ralph Ellison
- Narrated by: Joe Morton
- Length: 18 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ralph Elllison's Invisible Man is a monumental novel, one that can well be called an epic of 20th-century African-American life. It is a strange story, in which many extraordinary things happen, some of them shocking and brutal, some of them pitiful and touching - yet always with elements of comedy and irony and burlesque that appear in unexpected places.
-
-
Sometimes it is best not to awaken them...
- By Darwin8u on 03-01-20
By: Ralph Ellison
-
Every Tongue Got to Confess
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis
- Length: 6 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Every Tongue Got to Confess is an extensive volume of African American folklore that Zora Neale Hurston collected on her travels through the Gulf States in the late 1920s. The bittersweet and often hilarious tale, which range from longer narratives about God, the Devil, white folk, and mistaken identity to witty one-liners, reveal attitudes about faith, love, family, slavery, race, and community.
-
-
Excellent!
- By Tracy on 03-03-16
-
Barracoon
- The Story of the Last "Black Cargo"
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 3 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1927, Zora Neale Hurston went to Plateau, Alabama, just outside Mobile, to interview 86-year-old Cudjo Lewis. Of the millions of men, women, and children transported from Africa to America as slaves, Cudjo was then the only person alive to tell the story of this integral part of the nation's history. Hurston was there to record Cudjo's firsthand account of the raid that led to his capture and bondage 50 years after the Atlantic slave trade was outlawed in the United States. In 1931, Hurston returned to Plateau, the African-centric community three miles from Mobile.
-
-
A "must hear"
- By D. Welch on 05-09-18
-
Dust Tracks on a Road
- An Autobiography
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dust Tracks on a Road is the bold, poignant, and funny autobiography of novelist, folklorist, and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston, one of American literature's most compelling and influential authors. Hurston's powerful novels of the South - including Jonah's Gourd Vine and, most famously, Their Eyes Were Watching God - continue to enthrall readers with their lyrical grace, sharp detail, and captivating emotionality.
-
-
About Time!
- By jeanne on 03-01-19
-
The Color Purple
- By: Alice Walker
- Narrated by: Alice Walker
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Celie has grown up poor in rural Georgia, despised by society and abused by her own family. She strives to protect her sister, Nettie, from a similar fate, and while Nettie escapes to a new life as a missionary in Africa, Celie is left behind without her best friend and confidante, married off to an older suitor, and sentenced to a life alone with a harsh and brutal husband. In an attempt to transcend a life that often seems too much to bear, Celie begins writing letters to God. The letters, spanning 20 years, record a journey of self-discovery and empowerment guided by the light of a few strong women.
-
-
way better than the movie
- By Ms. Blacq on 10-13-19
By: Alice Walker
-
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick
- Stories from the Harlem Renaissance
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Aunjanue Ellis
- Length: 8 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is an outstanding collection of stories about love and migration, gender and class, racism and sexism that proudly reflect African-American folk culture. Brought together for the first time in one volume, they include eight of Hurston’s "lost" Harlem stories, which were found in forgotten periodicals and archives. These stories challenge conceptions of Hurston as an author of rural fiction and include gems that flash with her biting, satiric humor, as well as more serious tales.
-
-
Great Writer - Great Reader
- By Avid Listener on 09-09-20
-
Mules and Men
- By: Zora Neale Hurston
- Narrated by: Ruby Dee
- Length: 2 hrs and 57 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Mules and Men, some of the rich cultural heritage of black America is revealed and preserved. In the 1930s, Zora Neale Hurston returned to her home town of Eatonville, Florida, to collect and record the oral histories, songs, and sermons, many dating back to slavery times, that she remembered hearing as a child. These highly metaphorical folktales, "big old lies", and powerful songs helped her to recover her history, and preserve an important part of American culture.
-
-
ABRIDGED version
- By Ben on 02-06-19
-
You Don’t Know Us Negroes and Other Essays
- By: Zora Neale Hurston, Henry Louis Gates - introduction, Genevieve West - introduction
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Spanning more than 35 years of work, the first comprehensive collection of essays, criticism, and articles by the legendary author of the Harlem Renaissance, Zora Neale Hurston, showcasing the evolution of her distinctive style as an archivist and author.
-
-
Great Cover on Who We Are
- By Kindle Grandma on 02-05-22
By: Zora Neale Hurston, and others
-
The Darkest Child
- By: Delores Phillips
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 1958 Georgia, the shade of a 13-year-old black girl's skin can make the difference in her fate. Tangy Mae is the smartest of her mother's 10 children, but she is also the darkest complected. The Quinns - all different skin shades, all with unknown fathers - live with their charismatic, beautiful, and tyrannical mother, Rozelle, in poverty on the fringes of a Georgia town where Jim Crow rules. Rozelle's children live in fear of her mood swings and her violence, but they are devoted to her. Rozelle pulls her children out of school when they are 12 years old so that they can help support her by going to work.
-
-
My heart couldn't take it
- By NIXX1993 on 03-01-18
By: Delores Phillips
-
The Handmaid's Tale
- By: Margaret Atwood
- Narrated by: Claire Danes
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a staged terrorist attack kills the President and most of Congress, the government is deposed and taken over by the oppressive and all-controlling Republic of Gilead. Offred is a Handmaid serving in the household of the enigmatic Commander and his bitter wife. She can remember a time when she lived with her husband and daughter and had a job, before she lost even her own name.
-
-
Ridiculously stupid & gloomy
- By CW in ATX on 02-20-20
By: Margaret Atwood
-
To Kill a Mockingbird
- By: Harper Lee
- Narrated by: Sissy Spacek
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Harper Lee’s Pulitzer prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep south - and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred, available now for the first time as a digital audiobook. One of the best-loved stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than 40 languages, sold more than 30 million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the 20th century by librarians across the country.
-
-
It's all about timing and time
- By Fletch on 08-02-14
By: Harper Lee
-
The Sound and the Fury
- By: William Faulkner
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
First published in 1929, Faulkner created his "heart's darling", the beautiful and tragic Caddy Compson, whose story Faulkner told through separate monologues by her three brothers: the idiot Benjy, the neurotic suicidal Quentin, and the monstrous Jason.
-
-
Perfect!
- By Bryan on 12-07-05
By: William Faulkner
-
Sula
- By: Toni Morrison
- Narrated by: Toni Morrison
- Length: 5 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two girls who grow up to become women...two friends who become something worse than enemies. In this brilliantly imagined novel, Toni Morrison tells the story of Nel Wright and Sula Peace, who meet as children in the small town of Medallion, Ohio. Their devotion is fierce enough to withstand bullies and the burden of a dreadful secret.
-
-
Fabulous story, beautiful voice, terrible holes in narration
- By Vikings2473 on 04-06-19
By: Toni Morrison
-
The Personal Librarian
- By: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.
-
-
A Treat For This Academic Librarian!
- By AlTonya on 07-14-21
By: Marie Benedict, and others
-
The Poisonwood Bible
- By: Barbara Kingsolver
- Narrated by: Dean Robertson
- Length: 15 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - from garden seeds to Scripture - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family’s tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
-
-
A long time coming...........
- By RELAINE on 08-09-09
-
The Book Thief
- By: Markus Zusak
- Narrated by: Allan Corduner
- Length: 13 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It's just a small story really, about, among other things, a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist: books.
-
-
Glad I took a chance.
- By Robert on 08-20-11
By: Markus Zusak
-
Yellow Crocus
- By: Laila Ibrahim
- Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
- Length: 8 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Moments after Lisbeth is born, she’s taken from her mother and handed over to an enslaved wet nurse, Mattie, a young mother separated from her own infant son in order to care for her tiny charge. Thus begins an intense relationship that will shape both of their lives for decades to come. Though Lisbeth leads a life of privilege, she finds nothing but loneliness in the company of her overwhelmed mother and her distant, slave-owning father.
-
-
A rare find, a 5 star book!
- By Kathy in CA on 02-22-15
By: Laila Ibrahim
Publisher's Summary
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.
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)
Featured Article: 50+ Undying Quotes About Life from Acclaimed Authors
Though it's hard to argue with Merriam-Webster, we all know that life means something more than the standard dictionary definition—or, at least, we want it to. If you're searching for insights into the meaning of life, or words of inspiration to make your life more meaningful, there's no better source than authors of great works of literature. From Shakespeare to Alice Walker, from Jane Austen to Saul Bellow, iconic authors have a lot to say about life.
More from the same
What listeners say about Their Eyes Were Watching God
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jennifer
- 04-20-13
Ruby Dee is amazing
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
I would recommend this book to anyone, particularly the audio book. Not only is this an amazing story beautifully written, but Ruby Dee takes the words and the story and breathes a life into them that I'm not sure I could have managed with my own imagination.
What does Ruby Dee bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Ruby Dee can read the dialect of the characters in a natural and beautiful way that pulls the deepest meaning and emotion out of their words. The language is poetry to begin with but Ruby Dee adds beauty and emotion to the already powerful words.
98 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tracy P.
- 07-13-16
RIVETING!
If you could sum up Their Eyes Were Watching God in three words, what would they be?
BEAUTIFUL LITERARY GIFT
Who was your favorite character and why?
TEA CAKE was my favorite character because he was the one person Janie had encountered in her life up to the point of meeting him that allowed her to develop into her authentic self. He wasn't ( but then who is ) perfect, yet he had no qualms about being who he was. He enjoyed the people in his community! He truly loved being around people and seeing them have fun and lots of laughter. This being so, despite the hard times and unsure future. He lived in the moment, and that was refreshing for me, the listener.
Which scene was your favorite?
My favorite scene was when Janie's second husband (Joe Starks ) shut her out of his life as he was dying, and Janie refusing to let him die without hearing her out, and explaining why she said such hurtful things to him. She wanted to apologize, and also let him know that she didn't say the hurtful things for any reason other than reacting to the awful way he had treated her.
She truly wanted them to end things on a good note before he died. He denied he was dying, as he died in front of her. His denial, resentments, and insecurities led him to spend his last years angry and fearful.
He lived in so much self-centered fear that he was more willing to believe a witch doctor, who was only out for his money, rather than make peace with his wife, and allow Janie to provide his care. She had real concern for his genuine well being, and how sad he couldn't rid his resentments towards her, and die peacefully.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Hope, Courage, Joy, and Peace- One woman's journey to finding her authentic self.
Any additional comments?
Highly recommend! Great Novel! SO much to learn and ponder within this amazing literary classic!
51 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Brian
- 10-20-07
A real treat
I am new to audiobooks, and while I don't intend to stop actually reading, I now understand how a skilled narration can create a completely different experience for the listener, and enhance the enjoyment of a novel far beyond a simple read. It's a wonderful story and artfully written. But the narration is so well-done that I don't think I would have enjoyed the book as much had I read it myself. Highly recommended.
83 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Kenneth
- 03-03-09
Beautiful, poetic, and wonderfully performed!
This novel about a black woman in Florida in the 1930s who endures two bad marriages only to find the love of her life, and then to lose him, is beautifully written and a brilliant illumination of a time and place where race relations affected everything. Ruby Dee's performance of the characters is pitch perfect, from the snide commentary of gossipy women to the hilarious antics of men who know just how to stir each other up for an idle laugh on a summer evening. This is one of the best audiobooks I've ever heard.
47 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Leslie
- 07-09-06
a pleasure
This is the story of a woman struggling against the expectations of everyone in her life who is supposed to care for her; her grandmother, the man she wanted her to marry so she would have a "good life" but without love, and the man she ran off with to make a "better life" and what she thought was love, which turned out to be yet another disappointment. It is a bittersweet story, beautifully written with memorable, full-bodied, thought-provoking characters, and expertly read by Ruby Dee. I was pleasantly surprised from beginning to end. If you have a long, tedious project, pop this one in and you will be finished with both before you know it. Definitely recommend!
91 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Marilyn
- 05-09-11
Outstanding
Narrator Ruby Dee made this book come to life in a variety of voices, emotions, and moods. This book is poetry with a complex main character. It's a definite "must read" for book clubs.
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Jennifer
- 12-22-09
Perfect
The story itself is not gripping. It's a tragic tale of love long awaited and too soon lost. I usually avoid tragedies, but this came so highly rated that I thought I'd give it a try, and I am so happy I did.
You know from the beginning that it isn't a happy story, that the love isn't going to end well, but- despite not liking the leading man- you root for the couple and try to find a way around the impending tragedy.
The writing is heartbreakingly beautiful, with perfect dialect for the characters and breathtaking language in the narration. It combines the colloquial with the esoteric.
The narrator is perfect. She gives a rich preformance that makes characters out of people who otherwise could be caricatures and gives passion wisdom and heart to the voice of the narration.
40 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Mel
- 04-06-15
perfection
My sister-in-law and I share books, since we have similar tastes. In our latest conversation I suggested a few I'd just finished -- she gave me Their Eyes Were Watching God.
Uhhh...I have to admit, it was not one I wanted to read, and had in fact removed it from my TBR list. Why? Because I tried to watch the Harpo Production in 2005 and didn't feel it (hated it; nod to Sandy's review). The production felt like a piece extrapolated from art twisted for a motive. There was a sense of arrogance to the production, like that you feel when someone thinks they can improve on great art, and goes on to disprove that haughtiness by giving Mona Lisa a bigger smile. I feel vindicated for my harsh opinion -- I don't like to feel like a meany -- by the reviews I just read concerning that debacle:
"Catering to its TV audience, the film largely avoided the more controversial themes of race, gender, and power. "[Wikipedia]
Karen Valby of Entertainment Weekly comments, "While the book chews on meaty questions of race and identity, the movie largely resigns itself to the realm of sudsy romance."
New York Times critic Virginia Heffernan writes, "the film is less a literary tribute than a visual fix of Harlequin Romance: Black Southern Series—all sensual soft-core scenes and contemporary, accessible language."
*ouch-ouch-ouch* My purpose in bringing this up is that I had been so turned against this book I was never going to read it, and what a shame. Maybe this will change someone else's mind that turned the channel that day back in 2005.
But, when my sis-in-law said it was her favorite book of all time, I'm always excited to get a recommendation that someone is passionate about. Oh; not Proust, Nabokov, etc., those tomes that intellectuals can discuss together for years...I know they are great gifted writers. I've read them, I get it. But, I can't help but have an affection for the rare humble books that seem to be less about an author's abilities, and more a revelation from their heart. The kind of book so beautiful in its simplicity that it's a piece of the writer's soul that resonates in the reader. Those are the gems you find just once in a while; TEWWG is one of those rarities.
I'm not going to even attempt to describe the book; it would all feel like hyperbole that would cheapen my experience. 10 people can stand in front of a painting and see it differently; read a book and give a different * rating; sip a wine and give you everything from sooty, woodsy, to fruity. If I would have missed this book, I'd have missed one of the best *reading* experiences I've ever had. My caveat here is: I listened to Ruby Dee read this and that made all the difference in the world. Hurston's words come through Dee, and it was amazing. When I think back, I could almost swear my memories are from being in this place with these people -- not just listening to a book. I'll warn that in some spots it's hard to understand Miss Dee, just because she is speaking in the vernacular of another time, another culture (1937) and I don't hear well with one ear.
*FYI: I never did figure out the name...it's Tea Cake, yes it is.
119 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Choirlady
- 07-20-08
Sheer Enjoyment !
Truer words could not be spoken, when in the introduction, the narrator says, "performed by Ruby Dee". The narrator is none other than Ruby Dee, and her performance is spectacular! I listened to this book with my teenage granddaughter and we were enthralled. I remember when I first read the book while in college, how I frequently read out loud, to audibly hear the voice of the characters of the story. It is a story begging to be read aloud. Ruby Dee masterfully captures all the characters and voices. It is beautiful and mesmerizing. I loved it. This is my all time favorite audio book.
32 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Amanda
- 03-11-08
Thank you Ruby Dee
I've tried to read Zora Neale Hurston before, gotten ten pages in thinking "wow, she really can write" then put the book down and never picked it up again.
In audio I was drawn in and listened happily to the end.
I think this happens a lot to me, that with the voice in my mind I could read other Hurston (or any of a dozen other authors) cheerfully.
29 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- juanita
- 12-10-19
Fantastic story
I listened to this book in 5 days. It was so gripping I couldn’t put it down. The story was compelling and so well written. The descriptions and attention to detail transported me into another world. I could feel the words. The narration was brilliant! I could listen to this book again and would highly recommend it as a must read.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- "oboejoebo"
- 09-27-21
Fantastic book
I loved this book, absolutely charming, with wonderful characters, beautiful scenery, and a great plot.
The narrator was very good, and her voices and accents really brought the characters to life
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Jap23
- 12-02-20
Just an amazing story truly exceptional writing.
Just an amazing story, truly exceptional writing and a great voice actor that creates unique personalities that makes it easy for one to follow the story.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Peter Trumper
- 11-05-20
performance brings story to life
I started reading this in book form and struggled a little with the mixture of phonetic dialogue be and what seemed at times slightly high-flown prose, but the narrator made a real difference.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Ebasile
- 10-11-20
Glorious book, beautifully read by the legendary Ruby Dee
Highly recommended! Beautiful performance of an absolute masterpiece. Great story, amazing use of language, and impeccable performance.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- sochel rogers
- 08-25-20
Love is like the sea, its a moving thing
I really loved it. The narrators voice is perfect. I fell in love with Janie and Teacake, and all their wisdom.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- MRS SUZANNAH JONES
- 02-27-22
I feel like I just unearthed a stream of gold
I had never heard of Zora Neale Hurston and that is a crying shame because she stands up there with Toni and Maya and Alice. She needs to be given the same respect and wear the same crown. This book is ageless, timeless and oh so beautifully lyrical. Her characters are so wonderfully observed that they inhabit your imagination as fully formed beings. Ruby Dee is masterful in her craft at giving voice to the words on the page. This book is precious. Precious and priceless.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Anonymous User
- 02-04-22
beautiful, just beautiful!
a sweeping tale of love, pride and survival that i would recommend to anyone and everyone!!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Amazon Customer
- 09-21-21
Gorgeous audio version
Really beautifully read aloud, even more moving than when read quietly to yourself. Highly recommended.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Betty
- 05-26-21
Slow Burn
slow start to the book. Really have to concentrate to get into the rythem of the language. didn't warm to the two central characters until they were together . story then picked up
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story

- Milos
- 08-31-20
Wonderful book, but the performance is challenging
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.
1 person found this helpful