Their Eyes Were Watching God

Returning to her Florida town after a long absence, Janie recounts how she moved from a marriage arranged by her grandmother, through a controlling second husband, to Tea Cake, a younger man who treats her as an equal.

Hurston writes dialogue in rich Southern Black dialect, and the narrative sections soar with lyrical images of pear trees and storms. The book is as much about finding one's own voice as about romance.

The dialect takes a few pages to get used to, and the hurricane sequence is harrowing. In return, you get a landmark novel about independence, rendered with warmth and humor.