Rating: 
Summary: a moving experience of being human
Review: I don't like the fact that this book seems to be always classified as first and foremost a work of African-American literature. It certainly is that, in fact it's one of the most natural, poetic, subtle and unapologetic celebrations of black culture I've ever read. But it goes way beyond just being black writing. Even more than being about blackness, it's about being a woman, and even more than that, it's about being a human being and the perpetual quest for self-realization in the midst of an imperfect world. This book was widely criticized when it was published for not directly taking on the issue of black-white relations. But in a way, it is what makes this book more universally meaningful in the end than, for example, the writings of Richard Wright or Ralph Ellison. The incredible rage and disillusionment present in some other black literature of the time is absent from this book and it gives the book a much more timeless feel. Her characters were also accused of being racial stereotypes, but in fact, because they are not stuck in the role of being pitted against their white counterparts, Hurston's characters are allowed a freer range of identity, action and emotion. At liberty to be more than just "black people" they are a full spectrum of human beings. Beyond all the literary reasons to read this book, is the fact that it is a beautifully moving story of a woman searching to answer the calls of her soul for love, freedom, happiness and self-expression in the midst of the people around her who don't seem to value these things. I recommend this book to any woman who has ever felt the tug of longing in a relationship, or wondered if the chance will ever come to express the fullness of your womanhood. I resist calling this a feminist book. I guess you could say it is, but I think it's more of a book written by a woman with a lot of wisdom about her own heart. I would also recommend it to men, but I can't speak to what it might be like to read it as a man. I imagine men feel the same longing for fulfillment and self-expression and so it might be just the same. I absolutely wept at the ending, because the ending is so beautiful, but also because the experience of this book as a whole is so rich and full and funny and generous and wise. It's a treasure and a classic of American literature and you should buy it, read it, pass it on to your children. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read.....
Review: I recommend this book as a primer to Womenhood 101--this book is a must read for any women that has ever lived and loved or simply any women that has lived. I always tell my mother that I was born during the wrong era, oh, how I would have loved to have been born during the Harlem Renaissance, the literature during this period was so rich.
Rating: 
Summary: A wonderful book....
Review: I read Eyes for my term paper junior year and for my AP Lit class. It really did take a second read to enjoy the book for what it really is. After having had the benefit of researching Hurston's life and the autobiographical elements included in the novel, it was refreshing to learn Hurston's magnificent style and the underlying meanings through my AP Lit class. This book contains wonderful language and metaphor, as expected from any work by Hurston. I really enjoy the music of the novel while I am reading it, though the story line is almost dull until you look at it from the perspective of her mythic journey. Overall, the style is excellent, the plot is good, and the value of the book is greater than most other books on the market. I definately recommend at least one reading, especially for those who can recognize symbolism, underlying themes, and elements of literature in a work.
Rating:
Summary: Just lovely!
Review: I read this book first in a college course I took to try to "fill in the gaps" of American literature I felt I was missing from high school. I expected this book to be a yet another "oppressed minority woman social advocacy" book, but was so pleasantly surprised by the poignance of Ms. Hurston's tale. The dialect compliments the story so well, the culture and mental pictures are vivid and wonderful. I would place this right up there with Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," but this story leaves a much better taste in your mouth. Perfect summer reading!
Rating:
Summary: A book I want my daugher to read
Review: I don't write many reviews as I feel that others capture the tone and import of a book better than I. However, in this instance, I want to let other fathers of young daughters know about this book. As a caucasian middle aged man, I didn't think the story of an African American woman at the turn of the century would do much for me. I was so far removed from Janie that I believed the story would be an interesting diversion at best. I was wrong. As I read of Janie's self-discovery I realized that I had a little "Janie" in my life in my daughter. She is starting to ask questions about who she is and where she wants to go in this life, and Janie's struggles seemed to capture what my daughter may be experiencing in some way. I appreciated Hurston's presentation of Janie's self-discovery and will encourage my daughter to read this book in the near future. As Hurston so wonderfully points out, I can't live her life for her and bring her to God. She must do those herself. Maybe a book like this will help her along that road.
Rating:
Summary: Eye on the prize, telling a good tale, and creating a legacy
Review: To write such a seminal novel as Their Eyes Were Watching God, and for it to become a signature piece says quite a bit for a book that went out of print not long after its first appearance. Coincidentally, it stayed out of print for nearly 30 years. Like the proverbial lore of the Phoenix rising, it not only adds resilience to the author's legacy but proves without a doubt that good works'even neglected ones should be reexamined for overall viability and content analysis despite determined imperviousness to shame. The previous statement alludes itself to efforts by the establishment not understanding the style in which it was written, and the authors' ways of languishing (albeit negatively) in the public's eye. To understand this novel, one first need to know that Zora doesn't write directly about black people in the context of a white singular world, but writes exclusively within the confines of black expressionism. This is a book that, despite its lofty status as a classical force of a national epic, it offers a people his or her own spoken language freshly caught on paper and raised to the heights of poetry. Their Eyes'has universal implications for women in that it protests against the restrictions and limitations imposed upon women by a masculine society. Zora illustrates and give credence to a heroine, Janie Crawford, who must make a major decision about the course of her life. This fluid love story full of thoughtful interpretative realism, pays tribute to a black woman, who, thought constricted by the signs of the times, still demanded to be heard. The characters resonate with colorful imagery: Janie's three husbands, Mir. Killicks, Mayor Starks, her best friend Phoeby, Tea Cake, and the other images that she allows to come to life. The story is rather awkwardly told by both Janie, and an omniscient narrator, and is revealed, for the most part, in a flashback to Phoeby Watson. The key to the novel is Janie's idea of marriage, which is pitted against other, less romantic ideas of a perfect union. Janie ends up on trial for the murder ' in self-defense 'of the man she loved. The people who knew the couple side against her at the trial, hoping to see her hanged. It is the whites 'the judge and jury, and a group of women originally gathered just for curiosity's sake ' which see into the anguished depths of a black woman's love and acknowledge her dignity and ultimate innocence. Janie feels no compulsion to justify herself to the town, but she gives more homage and insightful explanation to Phoeby. This is a book that should be read by all, with its main thrust toward life and the fact of it being an affirmation rather than denial of why women possess much more strength than men'at least in this adaptation. I like it because it speaks for the self, for equality, for the pursuit of happiness instead of possessions, and lastly, it speaks for and seems to recommend a way of life uncluttered by tradition, sterotypes, and materialism. Zora had the right idea and made statements. She left us with a good signature, reminding us that we may yet learn the possibilities of ourselves only 'If you kin see de light at daybreak, you don't keer if you die at dusk wit so many people never seein' de light at all. Ah wuz fumblin' round and God opened de door'. This is Zora at her best!
Rating: 
Summary: A fair read!
Review: The author's description of Mrs. Turner was very interesting. I think you can find people like that even today. That statement "if it wuzn't for so many black folks it wouldn't be no race problem......" is classic. The author makes a very strong point here.
I also found the author's description of the hurricane that devastated the land, absolutely terrific.
I had problems with the plot, which I found simplistic at times.
Those silly mule jokes and the nature vs. caution topic didn't add anything. I also had a problem with the book starting at the very end when Janie Starks returns home.
Rating:
Summary: Hurston's masterpiece.
Review: My experience (as is most's experience) with this book was initially, required reading, having relatively low expectations, knowing relatively nothing concerning the book. However, as i began to read, i found myself more and more immersed into Janie's world. As a young woman, i could find situations that i had experienced, feared, etc. Some say that this is a diffucult read, however, i believe quite the contrary-I read this freshman year in high school and had no problem, nor did i find it a "romance novel" as some have called it. Hurston's novel deals with everpresent human themes of age, love, passion, race. Furthermore, the novel depicts southern life nearly immpeccably. This novel has something to say to everyone, whether white, black, male, female, gay, straight.
Rating:
Summary: An Enjoyable Read,
Review: It took me several attempts to actually complete this book. I was easily frustrated and distracted by the novel's rhetorical composure. But I am happy to say that upon adjustment I was able to enjoy this novel in its entirety. The many situations experienced in this book,I could easily identify with, since I myself am a young black female. This book may not be an easy read at first (it definitely wasn't for me), but it is sure worth the additional effort. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Their Eyes Were Watching God...Great!
Review: This book is very powerful in the struggles of a beautiful lady named Janie. Living a horrible life of heartbreaks and no love from her 3 marriages, Janie still moved on. She looked for a better life to live to recieve better treatment and be someones wive and not slave. When she finds Tea Cake, she realized that her life became better with him and that she could live a happier life. She realized that she didn't deserve all that [stuff] that she has been through from her other 3 marriages. This book is great and i would recommend it to everyone to read.
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