The Two Lives of Sara, Catherine Adel West
The Two Lives of Sara, Catherine Adel West
54 Rating(s)
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

The Two Lives of Sara

Author: Catherine Adel West

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo

Unabridged: 11 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/06/2022


Synopsis

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2022 by Ms. Magazine, The Root, Popsugar, Bustle, and many more!

“An utterly absorbing and dazzling novel about the stories we tell to stay alive and the secrets we keep to protect ourselves.” — Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times Bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee
 

In 1960s Memphis, a young mother finds refuge in a boardinghouse where family encompasses more than just blood and hidden truths can bury you or set you free.  

Sara King has nothing, save for her secrets and the baby in her belly, as she boards the bus to Memphis, hoping to outrun her past in Chicago. She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar.

Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. News spreads of the Freedom Riders. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. are leading the fight for equal rights. Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times, and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a local schoolteacher. Romance blooms between them, but secrets from Mama Sugar’s past threaten their newfound happiness and lead Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives.

With a charismatic cast of characters, The Two Lives of Sara is an emotional and unforgettable story of hope, the limitations of resilience and unexpected love.

About Catherine Adel West

Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, where she currently resides. She graduated with both her bachelor's and master's of science in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her work is published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, and Better Than Starbucks, among many others. She is the author of Saving Ruby King and The Two Lives of Sara is her sophomore novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on October 26, 2023

If you’ve read Catherine Adel West’s debut, Saving Ruby King, you’ll remember Sara, a character introduced in that book. I knew after that introduction she had a story to tell, and I’m grateful to the author for giving Sara a voice. About the book: “A young mother finds refuge and friendship at a boa......more

Goodreads review by Tim on October 23, 2022

"There's the world we want, and the world we get." Catherine Adel West from The Two Lives of Sara. Narrated by Adenrele Ojo.......more

Goodreads review by Hannah on August 22, 2024

Hated this book. Hated the central character - to be more specific, hated how she was written. She was too hard to like for me to evaluate the book on any of its other merits.......more

Goodreads review by Jonann loves book talk❤♥️❤ on October 25, 2022

The Two Lives of Sara by Catherine Adel West Following Sara's pregnancy and angry departure from Chicago, Sara ends up in Memphis. Mama Sugar, the owner of a local boarding house, takes her in. Mama Sugar supports Sara but isn't afraid to speak her mind. She tells the truth, but she wraps it in love.......more

Goodreads review by Lauren on April 16, 2024

The Two Lives of Sara was a very eye opening and hard read. This is a prequel story to Sara King...and had I read that one, I felt like my expectations for this story and my enjoyment might have been improved upon. So...my overall enjoyment of this story was a 3 star BUT you can’t deny the author has......more