Reviewed by R. Yelk, October 2021
Their Eyes Were Watching God is the story of Janie Crawford, whose life is a quest to find true love. Janie narrates the story of her three marriages and her search for love to her friend, Phoeby. When Janie is young, her grandmother sets her up with a man named Logan Killicks, who becomes Janie's first husband. Logan treats Janie like a child but Janie is strong willed. When Logan threatens to kill Janie, she runs away with Joe Starks, a handsome and charming man. Joe and Janie move to Eatonville, Florida, which was the first all-black town in America. Joe, like Logan, has very rigid definitions of gender roles and expects Janie to not argue with him. Janie is too outspoken for this, and she and Joe have a rocky relationship. Joe eventually dies, leaving Janie independent. After Joe dies, Janie falls in love with a man named Tea Cake. They get married and move to the everglades of Florida. Janie finally has the love that she has longed for, and she and Tea Cake are happy, despite the fact that they're both occasionally jealous of each other. When a hurricane hits, though, things take a darker turn.
I would recommend this book to people that enjoy historical fiction. The author's style is a little hard to understand and could be a struggle for readers who are not used to it.