Book Review: “Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neale Hurston

Jan 16

Håfa adai! February is Black History Month in the United States. Throughout February 2025, I will post reviews for books across various genres that are written by African American authors and/or depict important experiences and stories within Black history. My third selection of February 2025 is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Fiction bookshelf.

Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

Janie Crawford has returned to her hometown after a year of living away. The people of the town will say what they say, gossiping and judging Janie for everything from the way the carries and conducts herself to who she talks to and has relationships with. When her friend Phoeby comes to visit her and welcome her home, Janie sits with Phoeby to recount the past 20-plus years of her life and the journey that took her from a silent and agreeable girl to a self-determined woman.

Important Trigger Warning for Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God depicts generational trauma, domestic violence, bigotry, discrimination, colorism, and natural disaster. These scenes and themes are essential to the plot. If these are themes that would cause you distress or discomfort in any way, then please make sure to take necessary steps to prepare and protect yourself before and after reading this book.

My Thoughts on Their Eyes Were Watching God: 4.25 stars

Although it was received with mixed reviews at the time of its initial publication in 1937, Their Eyes Were Watching God was brought back to the attention of readers in the 1970s as schools across the United States developed African American Studies/Black Studies programs (different institutes call it different names) and as scholars continued to explore Black feminism (an intersectional study of feminism and racism that centers the experiences of African American women). Today, this novel is praised as being a classic of the Harlem Renaissance (a revival of African American intangible culture, politics, and scholarship throughout the 1920s and 1930s), a classic of both African American literature and women’s literature, and is still considered essential reading for many high school students across the United States.

Set in Florida from the 1910s to the 1930s, Their Eyes Were Watching God follows Janie Crawford's retelling of the previous 20-plus years of her life to her friend Phoeby after she returns to her home town. The story is told from the third-person perspective that primarily follows Janie but also features a few other characters in some scenes. Janie Crawford is a tall Black woman with a who catches the attention of all those near her with her youthful spirit and beauty, especially as it pertains to her long hair and lighter skin tone; which Zora Neale Hurston draws puts strong emphasis on. As was (and still is) the case of many beautiful women, people gossip and judge their actions, movements, words, and entire existence as simultaneously being too much and not enough.

Their Eyes Were Watching God explores complex themes in multiple layers. The story depicts discrimination, colorism, and bigotry, but does not center these themes. They are included to present a realistic representation of early 1900s life in Florida, but they are not what the story is about; they are the context of Janie Crawford’s life, but not her takeaway in her retelling of events. The overarching theme is how Janie developed her own sense of identity and womanhood despite Western society’s expectations of women, of Black women, and of middle-aged Black women. Through her decades’ long journey, Janie pushes against the perception that women go from existing as the property of their parents or other guardians/caretakers to the property of their husbands. Janie’s internalized feelings and externalized conduct throughout her relationships pushes against many of the heteronormative gender norms that existed in the early 20th century (and that persist today).

In my own interpretation of the story, I could not help but think of the role generational trauma possibly played in Janie’s pursuit of love and intimacy. Janie’s grandmother Nanny was born into slavery—before adoption of the 13th Amendment in 1865—and became pregnant with Janie’s mother Leafy after being raped by her White enslaver. Janie’s mother Leafy became pregnant with Janie after being raped by her schoolteacher when she was only 17 years old. Leafy, whom Nanny had placed her dreams of success and stability on, quit school after her traumatic sexual assault and later abandoned Janie to be raised by her grandmother. From Nanny’s perspective, marriage and a husband were supposed to be guarantees of financial stability and security. But from Janie’s perspective, marriage was supposed to be about love, trust, and respect. Despite the experiences of her grandmother and mother, and despite her own experiences with failed relationships, Janie remains hopeful throughout her adult life that marriage can be filled with love and intimacy. In that sense, Janie’s journey also pushes against generational trauma.

My overall rating for Their Eyes Were Watching God is 4.25 out of 5 stars. Possibly Zora Neale Hurston's most famous work of fiction, this book explores Western society's expectations of women, Black women, and middle-aged Black women—while touching on generational trauma, discrimination, colorism, and bigotry—throughout the course of Janie Crawford’s journey of self determination. I take some issue with what is portrayed as being Janie’s healthiest/least problematic relationship, which Zora Neale Hurston based on a real life relationship, but it is not so great an issue that it overshadows the other takeaways I left with after finishing the story. All in all, Their Eyes Were Watching God is a poignant and thought-provoking story that depicts the contrast between the internalized and externalized experiences of someone searching for an experience that a society has deemed they should not have.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.

Other Books Reviewed for Black History Month 2025:

Kindred by Octavia Butler
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.

Post Date: 17 February 2025