Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • Their Eyes Were Watching God

  • By: Zora Neale Hurston
  • Narrated by: Ruby Dee
  • Length: 6 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (303 ratings)

$0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Their Eyes Were Watching God cover art

Their Eyes Were Watching God

By: Zora Neale Hurston
Narrated by: Ruby Dee
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

Mules and Men cover art
Rush Home Road cover art
Invisible Man cover art
Beloved cover art
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter cover art
The Color Purple cover art
The Poisonwood Bible cover art
Jane Eyre cover art
Jubilee, 50th Anniversary Edition cover art
A Kind of Freedom cover art
The Awakening cover art
Middlemarch cover art
The Power of One cover art
The Known World cover art
Yellow Crocus cover art
The Personal Librarian cover art

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)

Love Books? You'll Love Audible.

Transform your day

Transform your day

Replace endless scrolling with endless listening. Chores can be fun.

Listen everywhere

Listen everywhere

You can’t turn pages while you drive—but you can press play.

Carry your entire Library

Carry your entire Library

Your stories go where you go. Audiobooks don’t weigh a thing.

Listen and learn

Listen and learn

Discover stories that can change your mind, your well-being, and your life.

Reach your reading goals

Reach your reading goals

Download titles to listen offline, wherever you are in the world.

Find your niche

Find your niche

WIth thousands of titles to explore, there’s something for everyone.

Try for £0.00 £7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

What listeners say about Their Eyes Were Watching God

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    230
  • 4 Stars
    51
  • 3 Stars
    16
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    4
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    231
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    199
  • 4 Stars
    42
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

A gem.

This is breathtakingly wonderful. Ruby Dee's performance brings Zora Neale Hurston's words to life. Just amazing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

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.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautifully narrated by Ruby Dee

An absolute delight to listen to, Ruby Dee’s narration style had me hooked from the very beginning. Powerful story of Janie’s quest for a life worth living.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible reading

This book was so much more powerful listening to it with this performance. One of the best I’ve ever listened to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

An unexpected gem

The short but wonderful story of Janey...I loved it and Ruby Dee was an incredible narrator. So glad the book was reissued.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everything is great!

5/5 because Ruby Dee made all the greatest voices. The story was great too! Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Vivid and life-affirming audiobook

Hurston’s pulsating prose - essentially poetry in its density and intensity - is brought to life powerfully and atmospherically by a superb narrative performance. Ruby Dee evokes the verisimilitude of the novel and creates resilient, varied characterisation in what should be an enduring recording. Brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Kicking myself for only just discovering this book

Written in the 1930's, this astonishing little book feels fresh, heartbreakingly relevant and important.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautiful, just beautiful!

a sweeping tale of love, pride and survival that i would recommend to anyone and everyone!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Gorgeous audio version

Really beautifully read aloud, even more moving than when read quietly to yourself. Highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!