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3.5 

Wench

By Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s enchanting and unforgettable novel, based on little-known fact, combines the narrative allure of Cane River by Lalita Tademy and the moral complexities of Edward P. Jones’s The Known World as it tells the story of four black enslaved women in the years preceding the Civil War.

wench \'wench\ n. from Middle English “wenchel,”1 a: a girl, maid, young woman; a female child.

Situated in Ohio, a free territory before the Civil War, Tawawa House is an idyllic retreat for Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their enslaved black mistresses. It’s their open secret. Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at the resort, building strong friendships over the years. But when Mawu, as fearless as she is assured, comes along and starts talking of running away, things change. To run is to leave everything behind, and for some it also means escaping from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. When a fire on the resort sets off a string of tragedies, the women of Tawawa House soon learn that triumph and dehumanization are inseparable and that love exists even in the most inhuman, brutal of circumstances—all while they bear witness to the end of an era.

An engaging, page-turning, and wholly original novel, Wench explores, with an unflinching eye, the moral complexities of slavery.

“Readers entranced by The Help will be equally riveted by Wench. A deeply moving, beautifully written novel told from the heart.”—USA Today

 

177 Reviews

3.5
Surprised Face with Open Mouth
Believable charactersCharacters change and growDescriptive writingEasy to readOriginal writingAddictiveImmersive settingRealistic settingHeartbreakingThought-provoking
“WENCH by Dolen Perkins-Valdez Based on the real Tawawa House, a summer resort in Ohio, this story provides a glimpse into the lives of enslaved women who were brought to the resort as “mistresses” by southern slave owners. As you can imagine this was not at all a relaxing holiday. The author uses historical information and real life first-person narratives to tell the story of Lizzie and the women (Mawu, Reenie and Sweet) she befriends while staying at the resort. Unfortunately, I felt Lizzie wasn’t that interesting of a character. The other women, Mawu especially, had more compelling, impactful stories that I felt weren’t given enough attention in the end. Overall, the author gives readers a lot to think about and dissect. It’s real, raw and worth reading if you’re interested. Rating: 3/5 ⭐️”

About Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Dolen Perkins-Valdez is the author of the New York Times bestselling novel Wench. In 2011 she was a finalist for two NAACP Image Awards and the Hurston-Wright Legacy Award for fiction. She was also awarded the First Novelist Award by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association. She lives in Washington, D.C. @Dolen / dolenperkinsvaldez.com

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