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Book Description
"Belongs in the category ... of enduring American literature." Saturday Review Fair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person no mean feat for a black woman in the '30s. Janie's quest for identity takes her through three marriages and into a jContinue
3 Reviews
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moogle said on Mar 28, 2007 | Add your feedback
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Readingrat said on Nov 27, 2007 | Add your feedback
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*** This comment contains spoilers! ***
A timeless classic of the Harlem Renaissance era.
After reading this novel and discovering that Zora Neale Hurston was the recipient of 2 Guggenheims, the author of 4 novels, 12 short stories, 12 essays, 2 musicals, and 2 black mythologies, I could not help wondering how this literary giant disappeared from us for nearly 3 decades. To my disappoint ... (continue)
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thegrits said on Oct 15, 2007 | Add your feedback
Book Details
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Rating:
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4 stars
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- English Books
- Paperback 224 Pages
- Edition: Reissue
- ISBN-10: 0060916508
- ISBN-13: 9780060916503
- Publisher: Harper Perennial
- Pub date: Feb 01, 1990
- Dimensions: 20 cm x 14 cm x 1 cm Just how big is that?
- Also available as: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Library Binding, School & Library Binding, Unbound and Others
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| ISBN | Edition | List | Sale | Seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9780060916503 | Paperback | $13.50 | -- | Amazon US |
| £8.19 | -- | Amazon UK | ||
| $20.00 | -- | Amazon CA | ||
| ¥1720.00 | -- | Amazon JP | ||
| €10.75 | -- | Amazon FR | ||
| Other editions → | ||||
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3 people find this helpful
Reading Their Eyes Were Watching God
In the past year or two, I've become quite interested in the literature of the Harlem Renaissance (for more information on this era/movement, read the excellent young adult book Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick Hill). This era, which saw a blossoming of art, liter ... (continue)
In the past year or two, I've become quite interested in the literature of the Harlem Renaissance (for more information on this era/movement, read the excellent young adult book Stomp! A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick Hill). This era, which saw a blossoming of art, literature, music and culture in the African-American community, took place right after World War I and was centered in New York City. Famous writers of the time include Nella Larsen, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Walter White, Richard Wright and Zora Neale Hurston, whose novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is the subject of this entry.
This heartbreakingly poignant novel centers on the growth of its female protagonist, Janie, as we see her move from a childhood amongst a white family (she is stunned when she sees a picture of herself with the group, realizing that she is black) to her arranged marriage to a man whom her grandmother selected for her. She then runs away with a snazzy, smart man who becomes mayor of the town where they choose to take up residence. In neither of these cases does she find the love that she so desperately desires. It is a younger man who goes by the dubious moniker of Tea Cake who finally makes her heart soar, though their together is turbulent and the reader is constantly left wondering if he is the man she believes him to be.
The style of the book is fairly ingenious, moving back and forth from eloquent descriptive prose to more down-to-earth dialogue. The reader grows with Janie; she is an entirely sympathetic character in a book that is a joy to read.
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