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mellabella 's review for:
The Yellow Wife
by Sadeqa Johnson
This wasn't an easy read. I typically have to brace myself before reading about slavery.
Pheby is interesting character. I was interested to see where her journey took her. Learning that she was based on Mary Lumpkin made it a little bit more intriguing. Pheby was born on a plantation. The owner of the plantation was her father. She was promised freedom on her 18th birthday. However her mother (the plantation seamstress and medicine woman) and her father get into an accident and her mother dies as a result of her injuries. During his convalescence, her fathers wife sells her. She winds up in a brutal jail owned by a brutal jailer (and slave trader named Robert Lumpkin) who has his eye on her. The jail is also based on a real life place called "The Devils Half Acre". Pheby lives there for ears, being forced to bear Roberts children all the while wishing for freedom.
I found myself more invested in what happened to Monty and July than Pheby.
I also questioned some of the language. Certain phrases seemed like they'd be said now in modern times.
The ending was anti climatic. But all in all this is a heart wrenching read.
Pheby is interesting character. I was interested to see where her journey took her. Learning that she was based on Mary Lumpkin made it a little bit more intriguing. Pheby was born on a plantation. The owner of the plantation was her father. She was promised freedom on her 18th birthday. However her mother (the plantation seamstress and medicine woman) and her father get into an accident and her mother dies as a result of her injuries. During his convalescence, her fathers wife sells her. She winds up in a brutal jail owned by a brutal jailer (and slave trader named Robert Lumpkin) who has his eye on her. The jail is also based on a real life place called "The Devils Half Acre". Pheby lives there for ears, being forced to bear Roberts children all the while wishing for freedom.
I found myself more invested in what happened to Monty and July than Pheby.
I also questioned some of the language. Certain phrases seemed like they'd be said now in modern times.
The ending was anti climatic. But all in all this is a heart wrenching read.