Now, women forget all those things they don’t want to remember and remember everything they don’t want to forget. The dream is the truth.
When, at sixteen, Janie is caught kissing shiftless Johnny Taylor, her grandmother swiftly marries her off to an old man with sixty acres. Janie endures two stifling marriages before meeting the man of her dreams – who offers not diamonds, but a packet of flowering seeds. Rediscovered and championed by Alice Walker in the 1970s, Hurston’s lyrical novel of self-discovery is now acclaimed as one of the greatest American classics of the twentieth century.
INTRODUCED BY ZADIE SMITH
‘There is no novel I love more’ ZADIE SMITH
‘This novel is a packet of surprises’ GUARDIAN
‘One of the greatest writers of our time’ TONI MORRISON
‘Zora Neale Hurston was a knockout’ MAYA ANGELOU
‘There is no book more important to me than this one. It speaks to me as no novel, past or present, has ever done.’ ALICE WALKER
When, at sixteen, Janie is caught kissing shiftless Johnny Taylor, her grandmother swiftly marries her off to an old man with sixty acres. Janie endures two stifling marriages before meeting the man of her dreams – who offers not diamonds, but a packet of flowering seeds. Rediscovered and championed by Alice Walker in the 1970s, Hurston’s lyrical novel of self-discovery is now acclaimed as one of the greatest American classics of the twentieth century.
INTRODUCED BY ZADIE SMITH
‘There is no novel I love more’ ZADIE SMITH
‘This novel is a packet of surprises’ GUARDIAN
‘One of the greatest writers of our time’ TONI MORRISON
‘Zora Neale Hurston was a knockout’ MAYA ANGELOU
‘There is no book more important to me than this one. It speaks to me as no novel, past or present, has ever done.’ ALICE WALKER
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
This novel is a packet of surprises as we have no idea what's going to happen next. Many romantic novels basically have the same plot, but this novel is something no one would have ever imagined
One of the greatest writers of our time
Zora Neale Hurston was a knockout in her life, a wonderful writer and a fabulous person. Devilishly funny and academically solid: delicious mixture
There is no book more important to me than this one. It speaks to me as no novel, past or present, has ever done
Zora Neale Hurston was a knockout in her life, a wonderful writer and a fabulous person. Devilishly funny and academically solid: delicious mixture
A poignant story, told with almost rhythmic beauty
To the last page that fills the soul with tears, Hurston's novel delivers. To me, it is also a welcome reminder that books are democratic, subversive and life-changing
For me, Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the very greatest American novels of the twentieth century. It is so lyrical it should be sentimental; it is so passionate it should be overwrought, but it is instead a rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive. There is no novel I love more
For me, Their Eyes Were Watching God is one of the very greatest American novels of the 20th century. It is so lyrical it should be sentimental; it is so passionate it should be overwrought, but it is instead a rigorous, convincing and dazzling piece of prose, as emotionally satisfying as it is impressive. There is no novel I love more
There is no book more important to me than this one. It speaks to me as no novel, past or present, has ever done