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A review by midwifereading
Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really don't know how to rate this book. I can't say that I liked it, but I don't know if I have to like it to respect it as a powerful Black story that I can probably never fully appreciate.
The story is based, at least in part, on the real stories of former enslaved people, gathered by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930's, and is a wide window into the day-to-day lives of Black people living in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.
It reminded me a lot of Toni Morrison's Beloved in tone and theme, and in its otherworldly feel. It's filled with beautiful imagery, and a strong sense of place. The plantation is almost a character in itself. It's haunting and sad and bittersweet.
It's definitely a darker story (of course, considering the subject matter), but the loose threads do all come together powerfully in the final chapters, and the ending is rather poetic.
I do think it deserves 5 stars, even though it isn't a story I would typically have all the feels about. I don't know if it matters what I think, honestly. Now that I have written all this out, I can see that it's an amazing piece of fiction. I wouldn't be surprised if this showed up as classroom reading in high school or college in the next few years. It's a story that needs to be told.
The story is based, at least in part, on the real stories of former enslaved people, gathered by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930's, and is a wide window into the day-to-day lives of Black people living in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War.
It reminded me a lot of Toni Morrison's Beloved in tone and theme, and in its otherworldly feel. It's filled with beautiful imagery, and a strong sense of place. The plantation is almost a character in itself. It's haunting and sad and bittersweet.
It's definitely a darker story (of course, considering the subject matter), but the loose threads do all come together powerfully in the final chapters, and the ending is rather poetic.
I do think it deserves 5 stars, even though it isn't a story I would typically have all the feels about. I don't know if it matters what I think, honestly. Now that I have written all this out, I can see that it's an amazing piece of fiction. I wouldn't be surprised if this showed up as classroom reading in high school or college in the next few years. It's a story that needs to be told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Slavery, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Rape, Terminal illness, and War
Content: There is one short s** scene that isn't explicitly graphic, but is emotionally descriptive.