The Yellow Wife, Sadeqa Johnson
The Yellow Wife, Sadeqa Johnson
8 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

The Yellow Wife

Author: Sadeqa Johnson

Narrator: Robin Miles

Unabridged: 9 hr 31 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/12/2021


Synopsis

From the New York Times bestselling author of House of Eve—a 2023 Reese’s Book Club Pick!

*A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Christian Science Monitor*

Called “wholly engrossing” by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this “fully immersive” (Lisa Wingate, #1 bestselling author of Before We Were Yours) story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother’s position as the estate’s medicine woman and cherished by the Master’s sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.

She’d been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.

About Sadeqa Johnson

Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels. Her most recent novel, The House of Eve, was an instant New York Times bestseller, Reese’s Book Club selection, NAACP Image Award nominee, and Goodreads Choice award finalist. Her previous novel, Yellow Wife, was the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner, Goodreads Choice Award finalist, Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, and a BCALA Literary Award honoree. Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa currently lives near Richmond, Virginia. For more information, go to Sadeqa.net.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bookishrealm on February 10, 2021

Whew this isn't an easy read, but it's a necessary read. I don't think I really even read the summary of this book before diving in and part of me wished I would have. It didn't take away from the importance of the novel, but this is one that you need to be mentally prepared for before diving in. CW......more

Goodreads review by Terrie on February 22, 2021

"Yellow Wife" by Sadeqa Johnson is beautifully written African American Historical Fiction! Pheby Delores Brown is born a slave on the Bell Plantations in Charles City, Virginia. Her mother the plantation's medicine woman, her father the plantation owner, Master Jacob. Master Jacob and his sister, M......more

Goodreads review by Annette on October 23, 2020

This story is inspired by the story of Mary Lumpkin and Lumpkin’s jail in Richmond, Virginia. Bell Plantation, Charles City, Virginia, 1850. Pheby Delores Brown, after losing her mother and after broken promise of freedom, she is being sold to traders. At an auction, she is “rescued by gentleman’s ki......more

Goodreads review by Misty Marie on April 01, 2022

I love historical fiction, but I usually stay away from this time period. I end up crying all the way through it and mad at the ignorance. So needless to say, yes, I cried over these pages. A mother's love is endless. It will go through the depths of hell to provide safety for our children. For even......more

Goodreads review by Danielle on May 27, 2022

Note: I received a free copy of this book, in exchange here is my honest review. Uhhhhhhh….. my heart aches!! 💔 This was such a powerful and heart wrenching read. Pheby was an amazingly strong willed and determined character. ❤️ But the message of motherhood and the utter nature of giving oneself ove......more