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4.0 

The Warmest December

By Bernice L. McFadden
The Warmest December by Bernice L. McFadden digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

The long-awaited reissue of McFadden’s best-selling second novel praised by Toni Morrison, USA Today, Washington Post, and others—published simultaneously with McFadden’s new novel Gathering of Waters.

“McFadden’s reissued second novel takes an unflinching look at the corrosive nature of alcoholism . . . This is not a story of easy redemption . . . McFadden writes candidly about the treacherous hold of addiction.” —Publishers Weekly

“Riveting . . . so nicely avoids the sentimentality that swirls around the subject matter. I am as impressed by its structural strength as by the searing and expertly imagined scenes.” —Toni Morrison, author of Beloved

For Kenzie, growing up in the Lowe household means opening the bottom drawer of her father’s dresser to choose which belt she’ll be whipped with that night, furtive trips to the Bee Hive liquor store for her father’s vodka, and dreaming of the day she can escape apartment 5A.

Buoyed by the lyrical, redemptive voice that characterizes McFadden’s writing, The Warmest December tells the powerful, deeply moving story of one Brooklyn family and the alcoholism and abuse that marked the years of their lives. Narrated by Kenzie Lowe, a young woman reminiscent of Jamaica Kincaid’s Annie John, the story moves fluidly between the past and the present as she visits her dying father and finds that choices she once thought beyond her control are very much hers to make. The Warmest December is ultimately a cathartic tale of hope, healing, and forgiveness.

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72 Reviews

4.0
Slightly Smiling Face“The Warmest December Book by Bernice McFadden The Warmest December is the moving story of one family and the alcoholism that determined years of their lives. My review ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ And leaning to 5 star bc the ending took the rug from under my feet. I just didn't see it coming in that way. Very sobering. It had me in some deep reflection of my own relationships. This book was a strong hard drink and you will want a cozy chaser if that's your thing. The way it was written felt like reading under the influence. Creative and effective with the tone of the book. Looking forward to reading more from the author. Specifically her memior First Born Girls released 2025”

About Bernice L. McFadden

BERNICE L. McFADDEN is the author of ten critically acclaimed novels including Sugar, Loving Donovan, Nowhere Is a Place, The Warmest December, Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors’ Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), Glorious, and The Book of Harlan (winner of a 2017 American Book Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction). She is a four-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of four awards from the BCALA. Praise Song for the Butterflies is her latest novel.

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