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Memphis
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Historical Fiction (2022), Nominee for Best Debut Novel (2022)A spellbinding debut novel tracing three generations of a Southern Black family and one daughter’s discovery that she has the power to change her family’s legacy.
Summer 1995: Ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father’s explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis. This is not the first time violence has altered the course of the family’s trajectory. Half a century earlier, Joan’s grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass—only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city. Joan tries to settle into her new life, but family secrets cast a longer shadow than any of them expected.
As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Joan begins to understand that her mother, her mother’s mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger—that the sole instrument she needs for healing is her paintbrush.
Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of inheritance, celebrating the full complexity of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.
Summer 1995: Ten-year-old Joan, her mother, and her younger sister flee her father’s explosive temper and seek refuge at her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis. This is not the first time violence has altered the course of the family’s trajectory. Half a century earlier, Joan’s grandfather built this majestic house in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass—only to be lynched days after becoming the first Black detective in the city. Joan tries to settle into her new life, but family secrets cast a longer shadow than any of them expected.
As she grows up, Joan finds relief in her artwork, painting portraits of the community in Memphis. One of her subjects is their enigmatic neighbor Miss Dawn, who claims to know something about curses, and whose stories about the past help Joan see how her passion, imagination, and relentless hope are, in fact, the continuation of a long matrilineal tradition. Joan begins to understand that her mother, her mother’s mother, and the mothers before them persevered, made impossible choices, and put their dreams on hold so that her life would not have to be defined by loss and anger—that the sole instrument she needs for healing is her paintbrush.
Unfolding over seventy years through a chorus of unforgettable voices that move back and forth in time, Memphis paints an indelible portrait of inheritance, celebrating the full complexity of what we pass down, in a family and as a country: brutality and justice, faith and forgiveness, sacrifice and love.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published April 5, 2022
About the author
Tara M. Stringfellow
2 books891 followersFormer attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and Pushcart Prize nominee Tara M. Stringfellow’s debut novel Memphis (Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House) is a multi-generational bildungsroman based on the author’s rich Civil Rights history.
A recent winner of the Book Pipeline Fiction Contest, Memphis was recognized for its clear path to film or TV series adaptation and is due out in 2022. Third World Press published her first collection of poetry entitled More than Dancing in 2008.
A cross-genre artist, the author was Northwestern University’s first MFA graduate in both poetry and prose and has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, as well as Best of the Net.
Her poems have appeared in Collective Unrest, Jet Fuel Review, Minerva Rising, Women’s Arts Quarterly, Transitions and Apogee Journal, among others.
If she isn’t writing, she’s gardening. If she’s isn’t in Memphis, she’s in Italy.
A recent winner of the Book Pipeline Fiction Contest, Memphis was recognized for its clear path to film or TV series adaptation and is due out in 2022. Third World Press published her first collection of poetry entitled More than Dancing in 2008.
A cross-genre artist, the author was Northwestern University’s first MFA graduate in both poetry and prose and has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, as well as Best of the Net.
Her poems have appeared in Collective Unrest, Jet Fuel Review, Minerva Rising, Women’s Arts Quarterly, Transitions and Apogee Journal, among others.
If she isn’t writing, she’s gardening. If she’s isn’t in Memphis, she’s in Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,126 reviews
May 1, 2022
An engrossing story about three generations of women in Memphis. I love the details and how Memphis is a character too. There is a really nice sprawl to the narrative as it crosses time back and forth. I do wish more time had been given to Hazel’s story with stronger connections between her story and those of August, Miriam, Joan and Mya. Also, why didn’t Mya get any chapters? But I loved this novel overall. Stringfellow is a consummate storyteller.
July 24, 2024
if no one else got me, i know Generational Family Sagas got me
it was kind of silly how much this jumped from Historical Event to Historical Event, and there were times you could really tell it was a debut, but...
goddamn i loved the writing and the characters felt so full and this was sooo thematically rich and.
wow!
bottom line: best genre!
it was kind of silly how much this jumped from Historical Event to Historical Event, and there were times you could really tell it was a debut, but...
goddamn i loved the writing and the characters felt so full and this was sooo thematically rich and.
wow!
bottom line: best genre!
April 26, 2022
3.5 stars
Spanning three generations of a Southern Black family, this debut follows the women in the North family as they face many of life’s traumas and challenges. The author is a poet and the writing is beautiful. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I do not like flowery writing with an abundance of descriptive writing, often described as “poetic”. This book strikes the perfect balance, without overdoing either of those things.
The narrative is non-linear, moving randomly between multiple characters and eras. It was an odd choice as it serves to only confuse the reader. The “voices” of the characters are so similar that I found it difficult to remember who was narrating and which era I was in.
This is character-driven novel, which I love, but in this case, I wish it had a bit more plot to drive the story forward. There’s a lot covered in 255 pages: the rape of a child (off the page), domestic abuse, lynching (again, off the page), unfulfilled dreams, racism, a wayward son, and more.
However, the main focus isn’t on these tragedies. The heart of the novel is in the relationships between the women and their struggle to survive and triumph over adversity. I particularly loved the dynamic between the two sisters, Miriam and August, although one choice in particular involving Miriam and her daughters was difficult to fathom. August was a delightful character, and my favorite, although I would have preferred the anger and hate directed towards God to be toned down.
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for several days since finishing the book. The writing is worthy of 5 stars, but there were aspects of the story which I loved and certain themes that I did not, including the ending. However, it did inspire a terrific discussion with my reading buddy, Marialyce.
* please note the n word is used casually and frequently in this book, not as a racial slur, but by blacks referring to one another. It seems a strange choice to me, as it seems to be used primarily in rap music and by gang members. It is jarring and offensive to see it used anywhere, but especially in an educated and accomplished black family. Classics are banned in schools for doing the same.
This was a Jenna pick, and I hope some of our questions/reservations will be answered in the author interview.
In the dedication, the author said she wrote a “black fairy tale”, and I understand that to mean I shouldn’t expect everything in the book to be realistic, and it is not. But the overriding theme of a home, family and community that offers unconditional love and the redemptive power of forgiveness is a beautiful thing, even if imperfect.
The author’s tribute to her family in the acknowledgements was lovely. Unfortunately, she also chose to end the section on a sour note with mentioning restaurants throughout the world by name that have treated her with dignity, throwing the U.S. under the bus. Racism is rampant in most countries, including those in Europe, and EVERYONE needs to do better.
Spanning three generations of a Southern Black family, this debut follows the women in the North family as they face many of life’s traumas and challenges. The author is a poet and the writing is beautiful. Anyone who reads my reviews knows I do not like flowery writing with an abundance of descriptive writing, often described as “poetic”. This book strikes the perfect balance, without overdoing either of those things.
The narrative is non-linear, moving randomly between multiple characters and eras. It was an odd choice as it serves to only confuse the reader. The “voices” of the characters are so similar that I found it difficult to remember who was narrating and which era I was in.
This is character-driven novel, which I love, but in this case, I wish it had a bit more plot to drive the story forward. There’s a lot covered in 255 pages: the rape of a child (off the page), domestic abuse, lynching (again, off the page), unfulfilled dreams, racism, a wayward son, and more.
However, the main focus isn’t on these tragedies. The heart of the novel is in the relationships between the women and their struggle to survive and triumph over adversity. I particularly loved the dynamic between the two sisters, Miriam and August, although one choice in particular involving Miriam and her daughters was difficult to fathom. August was a delightful character, and my favorite, although I would have preferred the anger and hate directed towards God to be toned down.
I vacillated between 3 and 4 stars for several days since finishing the book. The writing is worthy of 5 stars, but there were aspects of the story which I loved and certain themes that I did not, including the ending. However, it did inspire a terrific discussion with my reading buddy, Marialyce.
* please note the n word is used casually and frequently in this book, not as a racial slur, but by blacks referring to one another. It seems a strange choice to me, as it seems to be used primarily in rap music and by gang members. It is jarring and offensive to see it used anywhere, but especially in an educated and accomplished black family. Classics are banned in schools for doing the same.
This was a Jenna pick, and I hope some of our questions/reservations will be answered in the author interview.
In the dedication, the author said she wrote a “black fairy tale”, and I understand that to mean I shouldn’t expect everything in the book to be realistic, and it is not. But the overriding theme of a home, family and community that offers unconditional love and the redemptive power of forgiveness is a beautiful thing, even if imperfect.
The author’s tribute to her family in the acknowledgements was lovely. Unfortunately, she also chose to end the section on a sour note with mentioning restaurants throughout the world by name that have treated her with dignity, throwing the U.S. under the bus. Racism is rampant in most countries, including those in Europe, and EVERYONE needs to do better.
January 18, 2022
Tara M. Stringfellow's beautifully written and moving debut charts the lives of 3 generations of black women, the sorrows, trauma, tragedy, poverty, violence, domestic and sexual abuse, sacrifice and heartbreak, and the consequences on the generations that follow. A blend of fact and fiction, the story takes places amidst the background of significant events in American history, such as the civil rights movement and the 2001 9/11 attacks, and the experience and impact of Southern American racism. Miriam finds herself escaping a violent partner and marriage with her two daughters, Joan and Mya, and with few choices open to her, she heads to Douglass, Memphis, Tennessee, to her family's ancestral home, built by her grandfather, a black detective, who was lynched, whilst her grandmother, Hazel, was pregnant.
In a non-linear narrative that goes back and forth in time, the exact nature of the horrors, hopes, dreams, love and challenges of the lives and what happened to the women, and their battles to survive, are slowly revealed. Miriam's sister, August, who has lost her faith in god and men, is having issues with her son, Derek. August welcomes Miriam and her daughters, she is a independent woman, with strong and supportive links in the community. A traumatised Joan finds solace and healing through art and the pictures she paints. There are a wide range of characters in the novel, vibrant and skilfully drawn, with each of the women having a distinctive voice.
This is a heartbreaking read, which I loved with its celebration of the strength and resilience of black women, of family, friendships and the community, in the face of the most adverse of circumstances. They have to deal with the poverty, inequalities, and the grief, despair and pain of the past, whilst trying to build and forge a future. This is such a terrifically memorable multigenerational family debut by Stringfellow, that it has me really looking forward to what she comes up with next. Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
In a non-linear narrative that goes back and forth in time, the exact nature of the horrors, hopes, dreams, love and challenges of the lives and what happened to the women, and their battles to survive, are slowly revealed. Miriam's sister, August, who has lost her faith in god and men, is having issues with her son, Derek. August welcomes Miriam and her daughters, she is a independent woman, with strong and supportive links in the community. A traumatised Joan finds solace and healing through art and the pictures she paints. There are a wide range of characters in the novel, vibrant and skilfully drawn, with each of the women having a distinctive voice.
This is a heartbreaking read, which I loved with its celebration of the strength and resilience of black women, of family, friendships and the community, in the face of the most adverse of circumstances. They have to deal with the poverty, inequalities, and the grief, despair and pain of the past, whilst trying to build and forge a future. This is such a terrifically memorable multigenerational family debut by Stringfellow, that it has me really looking forward to what she comes up with next. Many thanks to the publisher for the ARC.
July 13, 2022
This book was a FAIL for me. Here's why:
MEMPHIS is a hollow narrative about a place & the women in it, at the expense of both character and morality. Clothing, geography and architecture are described with far more detail, attention and insight, than any character or event. So much focus on how things look, how beautiful, how miraculous, how glamorous they are, flattens what is meant to be a gritty, hard-hitting narrative, crushing out any depth of perspective it might have had. Initially, it seemed cinematic, but two hundred pages later it feels superfluous & superficial, like a missed opportunity to make a thoughtful commentary on what's actually happening as opposed to trying to make everything "pretty" or "glamorous" when it's not. (Why is Hazel wearing a MINK COAT in 1968 when she is allegedly poor & dependent on her community? Why does Miss Dawn have locs in the 1930s? Why so much emphasis on August's melodramatic black widow outfit when she gave the egregious & unrealistic monologue at Derek's sentencing? Or Miriam's pretty privileged pink suit @ the pediatrician's office to to show that she & her husband are Respectable Black Folk™, not to be overlooked like the underprivileged brokies, wink-wink??)
Scenes float past about inflammatory, triggering topics such as child rape and domestic violence. But they aren't tackled with any nuance or depth, at all. I fail to understand why Joan and Mya are forced to live with a rapist and why the topic of child on child rape is sprinkled in so indelicately, just a plot point with no firm moral stance or psychological exploration of its effects. Men are alternately demonized or idolized, with nothing in between. A few monologues spoken by men in this book are shoe-horned in—probably by request of the editor—an attempt to add dimension to the wife beater Jax, two of which aren't even spoken by him but by his best friend and brother instead.
Rampant classism— I mentioned this before (Miriam @ pediatrician's office) but the author seems to think that the characters needed to "earn" their story, so despite their poverty, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, etc, respectability politics and exceptionalism prop up their pain, making them "good people" or rather "good women", deserving of a better life. For a story that uses poverty and marginalization as some of the primary themes, all of the characters are exceptional, the exception to one rule or another, the absolute BEST at what they do and thus, privileged.
Our MC(?) Joan is indistinct and difficult to care about. She doesn't have a personality outside of her trauma—which is a criticism that can also be extended to her mother Miriam, her aunt August, and grandmother Hazel. They fail to spring to life or distinguish themselves in any way that would make them feel like REAL people.
The book got worse and worse over time. The lush descriptions had me thinking this would be a simple fun ride, but the descriptions become tediously overwritten. The constantly shifting timelines that go back and forth and bounce from the perspectives of Joan, Miriam, August and Hazel robs the plot of any coherence, weakens the characters, and scrambles the narrative thread like eggs. EXAMPLE: where did August and Bird's (love story?) come from? It also felt like something added in the editing stage. It felt bizarre and out of left field. Why were we supposed to like the twin brother of a man who beat his wife, just because he pistol whipped a white waiter at their wedding for being white?? Come again?? And because of the structure of the book, that scene was not followed by any immediate action—we don't get any follow up until 20+ years later, with chapters focused on different characters & time periods in between. Is there even a fictive present at all??
At the end, historical events filter themselves into the plot in a way that felt like a forced attempt to create a logic behind the structure. The moments of "healing" and "inspiration" happen over the course of a few pages, rather than gradually throughout the course of the entire narrative.
Nobody:
MEMPHIS: Well when we run out of plot at least we have *insert historical moment* to talk about.
There's SO MUCH more I could say about this book's failings, big and small but I will just end it with these small annoyances—
page 20: "She had never seen anyone that dark. He was the color of a lonely street in the middle of the night. Almost indigo."
page 102: "He was the color of indigo. Hazel had never seen somebody that midnight dark before."
page 177: "Men and death. Men and death. How on earth y'all run the world when all yall have ever done is kill each other?"
😑 (What a GENIUS hot take coming from a woman whose son is going to prison for killing WOMEN & this is the reason why HE should not be put on Death Row?)
This book wants to be deep so badly, but apparently this author just doesn't have it like that outside of making cliché'd statements in thinly veiled Southern vernacular to make it appear profound—"Don't send my boy to death row. I did the best I could. Motherhood is an anchor. It has devoured me entire.."
MEMPHIS is a hollow narrative about a place & the women in it, at the expense of both character and morality. Clothing, geography and architecture are described with far more detail, attention and insight, than any character or event. So much focus on how things look, how beautiful, how miraculous, how glamorous they are, flattens what is meant to be a gritty, hard-hitting narrative, crushing out any depth of perspective it might have had. Initially, it seemed cinematic, but two hundred pages later it feels superfluous & superficial, like a missed opportunity to make a thoughtful commentary on what's actually happening as opposed to trying to make everything "pretty" or "glamorous" when it's not. (Why is Hazel wearing a MINK COAT in 1968 when she is allegedly poor & dependent on her community? Why does Miss Dawn have locs in the 1930s? Why so much emphasis on August's melodramatic black widow outfit when she gave the egregious & unrealistic monologue at Derek's sentencing? Or Miriam's pretty privileged pink suit @ the pediatrician's office to to show that she & her husband are Respectable Black Folk™, not to be overlooked like the underprivileged brokies, wink-wink??)
Scenes float past about inflammatory, triggering topics such as child rape and domestic violence. But they aren't tackled with any nuance or depth, at all. I fail to understand why Joan and Mya are forced to live with a rapist and why the topic of child on child rape is sprinkled in so indelicately, just a plot point with no firm moral stance or psychological exploration of its effects. Men are alternately demonized or idolized, with nothing in between. A few monologues spoken by men in this book are shoe-horned in—probably by request of the editor—an attempt to add dimension to the wife beater Jax, two of which aren't even spoken by him but by his best friend and brother instead.
Rampant classism— I mentioned this before (Miriam @ pediatrician's office) but the author seems to think that the characters needed to "earn" their story, so despite their poverty, domestic abuse, sexual abuse, etc, respectability politics and exceptionalism prop up their pain, making them "good people" or rather "good women", deserving of a better life. For a story that uses poverty and marginalization as some of the primary themes, all of the characters are exceptional, the exception to one rule or another, the absolute BEST at what they do and thus, privileged.
Our MC(?) Joan is indistinct and difficult to care about. She doesn't have a personality outside of her trauma—which is a criticism that can also be extended to her mother Miriam, her aunt August, and grandmother Hazel. They fail to spring to life or distinguish themselves in any way that would make them feel like REAL people.
The book got worse and worse over time. The lush descriptions had me thinking this would be a simple fun ride, but the descriptions become tediously overwritten. The constantly shifting timelines that go back and forth and bounce from the perspectives of Joan, Miriam, August and Hazel robs the plot of any coherence, weakens the characters, and scrambles the narrative thread like eggs. EXAMPLE: where did August and Bird's (love story?) come from? It also felt like something added in the editing stage. It felt bizarre and out of left field. Why were we supposed to like the twin brother of a man who beat his wife, just because he pistol whipped a white waiter at their wedding for being white?? Come again?? And because of the structure of the book, that scene was not followed by any immediate action—we don't get any follow up until 20+ years later, with chapters focused on different characters & time periods in between. Is there even a fictive present at all??
At the end, historical events filter themselves into the plot in a way that felt like a forced attempt to create a logic behind the structure. The moments of "healing" and "inspiration" happen over the course of a few pages, rather than gradually throughout the course of the entire narrative.
Nobody:
MEMPHIS: Well when we run out of plot at least we have *insert historical moment* to talk about.
There's SO MUCH more I could say about this book's failings, big and small but I will just end it with these small annoyances—
page 20: "She had never seen anyone that dark. He was the color of a lonely street in the middle of the night. Almost indigo."
page 102: "He was the color of indigo. Hazel had never seen somebody that midnight dark before."
page 177: "Men and death. Men and death. How on earth y'all run the world when all yall have ever done is kill each other?"
😑 (What a GENIUS hot take coming from a woman whose son is going to prison for killing WOMEN & this is the reason why HE should not be put on Death Row?)
This book wants to be deep so badly, but apparently this author just doesn't have it like that outside of making cliché'd statements in thinly veiled Southern vernacular to make it appear profound—"Don't send my boy to death row. I did the best I could. Motherhood is an anchor. It has devoured me entire.."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2022
This is just not a story-telling style I’m used to. The story was great though. The best way I can describe it is a story of three generations of women who all have different experiences in life yet all interestingly connected in a way, and not just because they are family. They were all stories of struggles but also stories of women who chose to fight in any way they could. This got really emotional at times which was a great way to grasp my attention here and there. Overall though, I couldn’t connect fully like I would have liked to.
April 5, 2022
There is a mesmerizing quiet beauty in this story, while also sharing a darkness that permeates the lives of these characters. The story of a Black family from Memphis whose story is shared through some of the most lovely prose I’ve found in a debut, a story so heartfelt, with so much heartbreak, but also love. A history of abuse over generations, secrets, trauma. The beauty of Memphis, the music, the fragrance of the magnolia blooms set against the history of racism. The good, the bad, and the very ugly, including some notable historic moments in time.
This goes back and forth in time, sharing the stories of the generations that came before in small pieces of time. Over time, the story is revealed in much the same way that a puzzle comes together, one piece at a time - until all the pieces are in place and it is revealed as a stunning work of art.
Family secrets withheld for generations are unfurled, the traumas endured shared which allows each generation to understand the one that came before a little better. The things they’ve witnessed, and silently bore through the years, the tears shed in solitude, the dark moments they endured.
An exquisitely shared story of the bonds of family, the women who show up for their children, sharing themselves and their love even when they are feeling exhausted and broken themselves. A story of life, of love, of heartbreak, the traumas imprinted on those who came before. A story of the lives of Black men, women and children, faith, mercy and the sacrifices made in the name of love.
Published: 05 Apr 2022
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House, The Dial Press
November 28, 2022
A very engrossing and heartbreaking book.
The author is a poet and her writing is lovely and worthy of 5 stars. This is a debut book and the story is quite good. Most of the story was a full 4 stars for me but it did dwindle in certain parts to a 3.5.
It's a story about three generations of Southern black women who have lived, some left and then returned to their home in Memphis. There's really no plot. It's just their stories and how they have coped with life and the hardships and good times they have encountered. The stories go back and forth in time and are non-linear. I listened to the audiobook and it was wonderfully narrated. I did not have a problem with following along.
This one was impressive and I'd certainly read or listen to anything else from this author. The acknowledgments at the end were read by the author herself. It read like poetry and it was lovely to hear. It felt like a little treat. This is an author to keep your eye-on.
I don't always follow Celebrity Bookclubs but this was one I'd been meaning to read. It was Jenna Bush Hager's pick-of-the-month for April 2022.
The author is a poet and her writing is lovely and worthy of 5 stars. This is a debut book and the story is quite good. Most of the story was a full 4 stars for me but it did dwindle in certain parts to a 3.5.
It's a story about three generations of Southern black women who have lived, some left and then returned to their home in Memphis. There's really no plot. It's just their stories and how they have coped with life and the hardships and good times they have encountered. The stories go back and forth in time and are non-linear. I listened to the audiobook and it was wonderfully narrated. I did not have a problem with following along.
This one was impressive and I'd certainly read or listen to anything else from this author. The acknowledgments at the end were read by the author herself. It read like poetry and it was lovely to hear. It felt like a little treat. This is an author to keep your eye-on.
I don't always follow Celebrity Bookclubs but this was one I'd been meaning to read. It was Jenna Bush Hager's pick-of-the-month for April 2022.
April 28, 2022
Wow, Memphis was excellent, some of the best writing I’ve read in a long time.
In 1995, at the age of 10, Joan arrives in Memphis with her mom, Miriam, and younger sister, Mya. They return to the house where Miriam grew up and her sister, August, now lives. There are men included in this book — fathers, spouses, sons — but the story is truly about the Black women of this family.
It’s a family saga, shifting between 3 generations of women and while the sound of nonlinear stories doesn’t always appeal to me, it worked well here. Though this is a fictional story, it’s frustrating to know how little some things have changed over the last several decades. Memphis has no shortage of hardship and tragedy as the women and girls contend with challenges in life, but it also shows the power of family bonds and strong community, and has some hopefulness.
I felt very invested in these characters and flew through this book — It’s one I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Tara Stringfellow is a fantastic writer and I hope she writes more in the future!
In 1995, at the age of 10, Joan arrives in Memphis with her mom, Miriam, and younger sister, Mya. They return to the house where Miriam grew up and her sister, August, now lives. There are men included in this book — fathers, spouses, sons — but the story is truly about the Black women of this family.
It’s a family saga, shifting between 3 generations of women and while the sound of nonlinear stories doesn’t always appeal to me, it worked well here. Though this is a fictional story, it’s frustrating to know how little some things have changed over the last several decades. Memphis has no shortage of hardship and tragedy as the women and girls contend with challenges in life, but it also shows the power of family bonds and strong community, and has some hopefulness.
I felt very invested in these characters and flew through this book — It’s one I know I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Tara Stringfellow is a fantastic writer and I hope she writes more in the future!
November 17, 2022
"Memphis" by Tara M. Stringfellow is the authors' debut novel!
Spanning the years of 1937 to 2003, this story traces three generations of North women from a Southern Black family in Memphis, Tennessee. The family home was built by Hazel and Miram North in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass.
In the Summer of 1995, ten-year-old Joan, with her mother Miriam and younger sister Mya, escapes her father's ferocious temper, to the safety of her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis.
There are other acts of violence in the past that have altered the path of this family. Joan remembers one such act. As she grows through her teenage years, she finds comfort in her gift of artwork, portrait painting, and the healing power of her paintbrush...
This non-linear narrative jumps back and forth in time, as you get to know the women of the North family: Hazel, her daughters, Miriam and August, and Miriam’s daughter, Joan. You begin to understand each of these woman and their contribution to the complex history of their family. Blended into this fiction story are actual events in U.S. history that took place through the three generations.
This is an emotional story with adversity and dark topics that are hard to read or listen to. It feels chaotic through most of the story but this family puzzle does come together to confirm the strength of family, bonds between women, mothers protecting children, and neighbors helping neighbors. There is also a hopeful ending!
The audiobook is narrated by Karen Murray and Adenrele Ojo. Two narrators give more believability to the voicing of the characters and with the constant shifting between timelines, it gives clearer distinction between the main character's voices.
A beautifully written debut novel and heart-wrenching family story that will break your heart and sooth your soul! I highly recommend!
Spanning the years of 1937 to 2003, this story traces three generations of North women from a Southern Black family in Memphis, Tennessee. The family home was built by Hazel and Miram North in the historic Black neighborhood of Douglass.
In the Summer of 1995, ten-year-old Joan, with her mother Miriam and younger sister Mya, escapes her father's ferocious temper, to the safety of her mother’s ancestral home in Memphis.
There are other acts of violence in the past that have altered the path of this family. Joan remembers one such act. As she grows through her teenage years, she finds comfort in her gift of artwork, portrait painting, and the healing power of her paintbrush...
This non-linear narrative jumps back and forth in time, as you get to know the women of the North family: Hazel, her daughters, Miriam and August, and Miriam’s daughter, Joan. You begin to understand each of these woman and their contribution to the complex history of their family. Blended into this fiction story are actual events in U.S. history that took place through the three generations.
This is an emotional story with adversity and dark topics that are hard to read or listen to. It feels chaotic through most of the story but this family puzzle does come together to confirm the strength of family, bonds between women, mothers protecting children, and neighbors helping neighbors. There is also a hopeful ending!
The audiobook is narrated by Karen Murray and Adenrele Ojo. Two narrators give more believability to the voicing of the characters and with the constant shifting between timelines, it gives clearer distinction between the main character's voices.
A beautifully written debut novel and heart-wrenching family story that will break your heart and sooth your soul! I highly recommend!
March 1, 2022
Memphis is an engrossing novel featuring the lives of three generations of a Southern Black family living in Memphis, Tennessee. The narrative takes place from 1937-2003. The timeline skips about from chapter to chapter, but this isn’t as disturbing as one might initially think. Each chapter is told from the point of view of one of the women from the North family—Hazel, her daughters Miriam and August, and Miriam’s daughter Joan. Miriam’s second daughter Mya also plays a significant role. The story also includes the men in their lives, but this novel belongs to the women.
The storyline weaves in and out of historic milestones during the time, including World War II, the civil rights movement, and 9/11. It covers multiple themes including domestic abuse, deep loss, failed dreams, faith/lack of faith, the power of community and friendship, and the sheer challenge of just surviving. The prose is sublime, and the characters are realistic as are their stories. I felt drawn into their lives, and I will miss these people. Though there is much hardship in this story, there is also hopefulness, joy, and achievement.
This novel will make you feel and will make you think. I recommend it for all readers of literary fiction and family drama. I look forward to seeing what’s next for this debut novelist.
On a personal note, many thanks to my Goodreads friend Cheri for recommending this book for me. Thank you also Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group/The Dial Press. and Ms. Tara Stringfellow for an advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
The storyline weaves in and out of historic milestones during the time, including World War II, the civil rights movement, and 9/11. It covers multiple themes including domestic abuse, deep loss, failed dreams, faith/lack of faith, the power of community and friendship, and the sheer challenge of just surviving. The prose is sublime, and the characters are realistic as are their stories. I felt drawn into their lives, and I will miss these people. Though there is much hardship in this story, there is also hopefulness, joy, and achievement.
This novel will make you feel and will make you think. I recommend it for all readers of literary fiction and family drama. I look forward to seeing what’s next for this debut novelist.
On a personal note, many thanks to my Goodreads friend Cheri for recommending this book for me. Thank you also Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group/The Dial Press. and Ms. Tara Stringfellow for an advanced copy. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
April 16, 2023
A bit underwhelming…. But what a great cover… right?!
No book can stand up to the hype of Bookstagram and I think this is why I felt so underwhelmed reading it. Don’t get me wrong this book kinda has the makings of what great books are about:
Beautiful cover
Multi-generational
Set in the South
Focuses on Black Women
Themes of resilience, sisterhood and motherhood expertly explored
I mean… what more could I possibly ask for? I guess I could ask for more memorable characters or a plot that feels more original. Yes, some of the characters I felt were so unforgettable and truly beautifully written, the rest felt one-dimensional and characters I won’t remember.
Memphis opens with Miriam driving her two daughters Joan and Mya to Memphis to her childhood home after leaving an abusive relationship. She is greeted by her sister August who never left Memphis and lives in the house that her Mother’s husband built with his two hands before he was killed. There is a lot of history under this roof and the North women are known in that part of Memphis. We see everyone adjusting to the new reality of living under the same roof.
I am not going to lie, the book was written well enough that I needed to see how things turn out. I had to see how each character turned out and whether they got closure in certain aspects of their lives.
Honestly, this one fell flat for me and it may not be the book’s fall. Beautiful cover though!
No book can stand up to the hype of Bookstagram and I think this is why I felt so underwhelmed reading it. Don’t get me wrong this book kinda has the makings of what great books are about:
Beautiful cover
Multi-generational
Set in the South
Focuses on Black Women
Themes of resilience, sisterhood and motherhood expertly explored
I mean… what more could I possibly ask for? I guess I could ask for more memorable characters or a plot that feels more original. Yes, some of the characters I felt were so unforgettable and truly beautifully written, the rest felt one-dimensional and characters I won’t remember.
Memphis opens with Miriam driving her two daughters Joan and Mya to Memphis to her childhood home after leaving an abusive relationship. She is greeted by her sister August who never left Memphis and lives in the house that her Mother’s husband built with his two hands before he was killed. There is a lot of history under this roof and the North women are known in that part of Memphis. We see everyone adjusting to the new reality of living under the same roof.
I am not going to lie, the book was written well enough that I needed to see how things turn out. I had to see how each character turned out and whether they got closure in certain aspects of their lives.
Honestly, this one fell flat for me and it may not be the book’s fall. Beautiful cover though!
February 24, 2022
Three generations of black southern women, set in Memphis. We follow the lives of these remarkable women for over seventy years as they struggle through some tough challenges. We hear from Hazel, August and Miriam, Hazels daughters and Miriam's daughter, Joan. Joans story also includes her younger sister Mya. A family who is extremely close and one with which I felt for and grew to love.
They face a changing neighborhood, their home in Memphis now controlled by two conflicting gangs.
A rare and disturbed family member, spousal abuse, even the horror of 9/11, all seen through their eyes. How they weather these tragedies, how they maintain their hopes and dreams of better things and do it together, is the story. The strength of these women to survive and thrive, how they lean on and learn from each other, is formidable. A very worthy read and one I highly recommend.
ARC from Edelweiss.
They face a changing neighborhood, their home in Memphis now controlled by two conflicting gangs.
A rare and disturbed family member, spousal abuse, even the horror of 9/11, all seen through their eyes. How they weather these tragedies, how they maintain their hopes and dreams of better things and do it together, is the story. The strength of these women to survive and thrive, how they lean on and learn from each other, is formidable. A very worthy read and one I highly recommend.
ARC from Edelweiss.
June 15, 2024
5/5 ⭐️ This was such a beautifully written but heartbreaking story about three generations of African American women with deep roots in Memphis. It is told in multiple POVs and it also goes back and forth in time between 1937-2003.
I loved this book so much. It had a lot of painful trauma that was hard to read for me but the characters were so resilient and strong. I admired them so much! My heart ached the most for Hazel and Myron 😔. I cried like a baby for them. It literally made my heart ache. I had to stop reading for a few hours because of it.
I also really loved the writing style. It kept me invested in the lives of the characters the entire time! I highly recommend this book but be prepared to cry 😭.
I loved this book so much. It had a lot of painful trauma that was hard to read for me but the characters were so resilient and strong. I admired them so much! My heart ached the most for Hazel and Myron 😔. I cried like a baby for them. It literally made my heart ache. I had to stop reading for a few hours because of it.
I also really loved the writing style. It kept me invested in the lives of the characters the entire time! I highly recommend this book but be prepared to cry 😭.
April 26, 2022
3.5 stars
Do you enjoy a book that leaves you with more questions that it seems to answer?
For lack of a better word this book seemed filled with so many happenings, feelings and instances that it left me in a bit of awe of what indeed was the purpose. Was it that life was circular, that all what goes round comes round, or was there something I missed some underlying reason that I feel troubled after reading this story?
Filled with lots of promise, there were things the truly bothered me about the telling. The first of which was the use of the "n" word which always seemed to hit a nerve in my reading. I know black rap stars use it, but it still bothered me.
The other thing that I found hard to keep up with were the abrupt changes in the timeline which often left me wondering where I was and who was it, I now was reading of. The characters seemed to get muddled and the story seemed to be riddled with unfinished business. Perhaps this was intentional, for human business is often unfinished.
While I love the setting of Memphis with the author's beautiful description, I often wondered where this story was headed. It seemed for the bulk of the story to wander about without a true heading, like a boat adrift in the current. The overemphasis on God hate was also one of the themes that seemed overdone.
Certainly, growing up in the South for black people was no charming environment, but for the life of me I couldn't fathom how this family comprised of women mostly with special talents chose to hide said talents under a rock. The other incomprehensible thing was a mother allowing her daughters to be in a home where one of her daughters had been raped at age three by her cousin. The cousin for a time lived in the same house and as a mother, I felt that living with a known rapist was a step beyond normalcy for a mother.
The writing though sometimes a bit flowery was really good, and certainly the author's talent is abundantly shown in her ability to tell a story. You could visually imagine the area with its flowering magnolias and wild blackberries, the very vision of Southern living.
I am not use to being befuddled about a story, but I was here. I would have preferred a more linear book, but then again, I was not the author, nor was I sitting atop her shoulder waiting to amass her thoughts. I would imagine this book providing many discussions for members of book clubs, as perhaps together they could puzzle out the way things were flowing in this story.
In Tara's words after the story, I was mesmerized by the story of her family, but couldn't for the life of me understand why she would include a list of restaurants that treated her with dignity. Of course, in her telling the US was at the bottom as if we are the only country who had racism! It's wrong to think so and many will attest to the racial component that runs through most countries of the world. It is fortunately something that we and other nations are trying hard to overcome it's long-ago shadow.
Overall, I did enjoy the telling and certainty will be on the lookout for more of Tara Stringfellow's books.
Thank you to Tara M. Stringfellow, Dial Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this book which has published already on April 5, 2022
Thanks, Jan, for reading this one with me. We had some discussions over this one!
Do you enjoy a book that leaves you with more questions that it seems to answer?
For lack of a better word this book seemed filled with so many happenings, feelings and instances that it left me in a bit of awe of what indeed was the purpose. Was it that life was circular, that all what goes round comes round, or was there something I missed some underlying reason that I feel troubled after reading this story?
Filled with lots of promise, there were things the truly bothered me about the telling. The first of which was the use of the "n" word which always seemed to hit a nerve in my reading. I know black rap stars use it, but it still bothered me.
The other thing that I found hard to keep up with were the abrupt changes in the timeline which often left me wondering where I was and who was it, I now was reading of. The characters seemed to get muddled and the story seemed to be riddled with unfinished business. Perhaps this was intentional, for human business is often unfinished.
While I love the setting of Memphis with the author's beautiful description, I often wondered where this story was headed. It seemed for the bulk of the story to wander about without a true heading, like a boat adrift in the current. The overemphasis on God hate was also one of the themes that seemed overdone.
Certainly, growing up in the South for black people was no charming environment, but for the life of me I couldn't fathom how this family comprised of women mostly with special talents chose to hide said talents under a rock. The other incomprehensible thing was a mother allowing her daughters to be in a home where one of her daughters had been raped at age three by her cousin. The cousin for a time lived in the same house and as a mother, I felt that living with a known rapist was a step beyond normalcy for a mother.
The writing though sometimes a bit flowery was really good, and certainly the author's talent is abundantly shown in her ability to tell a story. You could visually imagine the area with its flowering magnolias and wild blackberries, the very vision of Southern living.
I am not use to being befuddled about a story, but I was here. I would have preferred a more linear book, but then again, I was not the author, nor was I sitting atop her shoulder waiting to amass her thoughts. I would imagine this book providing many discussions for members of book clubs, as perhaps together they could puzzle out the way things were flowing in this story.
In Tara's words after the story, I was mesmerized by the story of her family, but couldn't for the life of me understand why she would include a list of restaurants that treated her with dignity. Of course, in her telling the US was at the bottom as if we are the only country who had racism! It's wrong to think so and many will attest to the racial component that runs through most countries of the world. It is fortunately something that we and other nations are trying hard to overcome it's long-ago shadow.
Overall, I did enjoy the telling and certainty will be on the lookout for more of Tara Stringfellow's books.
Thank you to Tara M. Stringfellow, Dial Press, and NetGalley for a copy of this book which has published already on April 5, 2022
Thanks, Jan, for reading this one with me. We had some discussions over this one!
April 18, 2022
I’ve read much better family sagas. The constant time jumps were irritating. This book is intentionally female-centric, but the male characters are too one-dimensional, either idealized or demonized. I hated the way one character prioritized her ancestral home and heritage over her children. How can a mother move her young daughters into a house to live with the boy who raped one of the daughters? And how could their father, an intelligent, sophisticated man, not have gone to court to stop that from happening?
In the very long Acknowledgments section of this book, the author lists the restaurants that have treated her with dignity. I found that a very odd way to look at the world. Like she is going through life expecting to be aggrieved. That feeling sort of permeated the book too. I doubt that I would read this author again.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
In the very long Acknowledgments section of this book, the author lists the restaurants that have treated her with dignity. I found that a very odd way to look at the world. Like she is going through life expecting to be aggrieved. That feeling sort of permeated the book too. I doubt that I would read this author again.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
June 30, 2022
I’m not exactly sure why I put this one on the backburner because the lowest rating any of my friends gave it was 3.5 (and that’s pretty dang good for us picky so-and-sos). I think I was in the spiral of vacation/beachy fluff and simply couldn’t pull myself out of it. Yesterday I was back to my old self and in the mood for something a little deeper and bleaker and boy did Memphis deliver.
The story here is told in vignettes. It begins with Miriam arriving at her sister August’s house with her children in tow and a face full of make up covering the last beating she received from her husband.
Then it flashes back to a moving sale featuring a free Shelby Mustang.
Followed by a flash back to Miriam’s first ride in said Shelby.
The narrative continues in the same manner throughout with one detail being the catalyst that propels the next chapter. This book was so good I texted Shelby during the workday to make sure she put it on hold at her local library. I was sure it was going to be 5 Stars. It ends up as a very solid 4 due to the major timehops back to the previous generations jarring the flow of the story. While those narratives were just as important to the story as a whole, they broke me out of the nearly complete hypnosis I found myself in while in the sisters’ lives trying to recall exactly whose life snippet I was reading and how she fit on the family tree. Also, can 9/11 stop being a thing in all depressing fiction novels? It really drives a quality tragedy into tragiporn territory almost 100% of the time.
A couple of quotes from August who will go down as one of my all-time favorite fictional friends . . . . .
“May I come in?” he asked. August cast her sister a side look. At almost fifteen, she already matched Miriam’s height. “Yes, of course. Welcome,” Miriam said, with a rush to her voice August had never before heard. “We really doing this, huh?” August threw her hands up. “Fine, come in.” She waved. “There’s the piano, the couch, the Victro—the old record player. That’s a random cat that must have come in when you interrupted my piano practicing, a lovely gold rotary phone. You got a carpetbag big enough for all this?”
“Come on, then. Follow me. Can’t have no half kin of mine walking ’round looking like Kunta Kente. Let’s at least get you looking like the Ike Turner you is.”
Hot damn but this was good.
The story here is told in vignettes. It begins with Miriam arriving at her sister August’s house with her children in tow and a face full of make up covering the last beating she received from her husband.
Then it flashes back to a moving sale featuring a free Shelby Mustang.
Followed by a flash back to Miriam’s first ride in said Shelby.
The narrative continues in the same manner throughout with one detail being the catalyst that propels the next chapter. This book was so good I texted Shelby during the workday to make sure she put it on hold at her local library. I was sure it was going to be 5 Stars. It ends up as a very solid 4 due to the major timehops back to the previous generations jarring the flow of the story. While those narratives were just as important to the story as a whole, they broke me out of the nearly complete hypnosis I found myself in while in the sisters’ lives trying to recall exactly whose life snippet I was reading and how she fit on the family tree. Also, can 9/11 stop being a thing in all depressing fiction novels? It really drives a quality tragedy into tragiporn territory almost 100% of the time.
A couple of quotes from August who will go down as one of my all-time favorite fictional friends . . . . .
“May I come in?” he asked. August cast her sister a side look. At almost fifteen, she already matched Miriam’s height. “Yes, of course. Welcome,” Miriam said, with a rush to her voice August had never before heard. “We really doing this, huh?” August threw her hands up. “Fine, come in.” She waved. “There’s the piano, the couch, the Victro—the old record player. That’s a random cat that must have come in when you interrupted my piano practicing, a lovely gold rotary phone. You got a carpetbag big enough for all this?”
“Come on, then. Follow me. Can’t have no half kin of mine walking ’round looking like Kunta Kente. Let’s at least get you looking like the Ike Turner you is.”
Hot damn but this was good.
March 17, 2023
Nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023
Listen, this is not a bad novel, but it is so conventional and predictable and exactly what you would expect to find on a generic Women's Prize list. Stringfellow's debut is set in her title-giving home town and tells the story of three generations of Black women who live there and rely on their resilience to overcome adversity. We meet grandmother Hazel, whose husband fell victim to a gruesome hate crime that speaks volumes about the history of the American South; then we have her daughter Miriam with her kids Joan and Mya as well as Hazel's other daughter August who, for some reason, has an evil son, Derek. How is he evil, you ask? Well, he starts out as a rapist when he assaults Joan while they are both still small children. That's the only notable male member of the family for you.
Stringfellow's chapters jump back and forth in time between WW II and the Afghanistan war, frequently incorporating historic events like the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and 9/11 to show how they impact the main characters. The author also alternates between the viewpoints of grandmother Hazel, her daughters Miriam and August as well as grandkid Joan, the latter an aspiring artist who wants to leave the world she knows behind. Joan is the only one granted a first-person narration, and while her voice is never believable (especially when we meet her as a young child), she is a very likeable character. The women of the family become victims of male violence and racism, but they are able to survive, also due to familial solidarity.
I'm all for telling the stories of marginalized groups, but this novel is a highly accessible bingo card, rendered in solid language. It's not a surprise that this was chosen as a Jenna Hager tv book club pick, and you can feel free to call me a snob for saying that. I want stuff that rattles the cage on a Women's Prize list! *sigh*
Listen, this is not a bad novel, but it is so conventional and predictable and exactly what you would expect to find on a generic Women's Prize list. Stringfellow's debut is set in her title-giving home town and tells the story of three generations of Black women who live there and rely on their resilience to overcome adversity. We meet grandmother Hazel, whose husband fell victim to a gruesome hate crime that speaks volumes about the history of the American South; then we have her daughter Miriam with her kids Joan and Mya as well as Hazel's other daughter August who, for some reason, has an evil son, Derek. How is he evil, you ask? Well, he starts out as a rapist when he assaults Joan while they are both still small children. That's the only notable male member of the family for you.
Stringfellow's chapters jump back and forth in time between WW II and the Afghanistan war, frequently incorporating historic events like the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and 9/11 to show how they impact the main characters. The author also alternates between the viewpoints of grandmother Hazel, her daughters Miriam and August as well as grandkid Joan, the latter an aspiring artist who wants to leave the world she knows behind. Joan is the only one granted a first-person narration, and while her voice is never believable (especially when we meet her as a young child), she is a very likeable character. The women of the family become victims of male violence and racism, but they are able to survive, also due to familial solidarity.
I'm all for telling the stories of marginalized groups, but this novel is a highly accessible bingo card, rendered in solid language. It's not a surprise that this was chosen as a Jenna Hager tv book club pick, and you can feel free to call me a snob for saying that. I want stuff that rattles the cage on a Women's Prize list! *sigh*
April 12, 2022
Memphis has played a complicated role in America’s racial history. In the mid-19th century, thousands of enslaved Black people were bought and sold at the market owned by Nathan Bedford Forrest, who later became a Confederate general and then the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. In the mid-20th century, Memphis was so central to the fight for civil rights that Martin Luther King Jr. went there during the sanitation workers’ strike to preach “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” The next day, he was assassinated at the Lorraine Motel.
Tara M. Stringfellow draws on this tragic past and the experiences of her own family to construct the sweeping plot of her debut novel, “Memphis.” It’s a story that moves back and forth across the decades from World War II to the war in Afghanistan following the struggles of three generations of resilient Black women….
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:: https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Tara M. Stringfellow draws on this tragic past and the experiences of her own family to construct the sweeping plot of her debut novel, “Memphis.” It’s a story that moves back and forth across the decades from World War II to the war in Afghanistan following the struggles of three generations of resilient Black women….
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:: https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Read
June 9, 2022I had to take my review and star rating off this one. This author's actions toward a reviewer have taken me aback. What could have been a teachable moment became foul and degrading. Nobody should be spoken to or mistreated in that manner.
February 23, 2022
Wow, this was a debut novel? The melodic prose, the strong black female characters, the messages of overcoming, community and sisterhood, the non-linear timeline and the shifting POV through 4 generations of the women of the North family - it all took my breath away.
This amazing story spans 70 years, but each nugget of the story is metered out in increments. Usually with a non-linear timeline and multiple POVs, there is one story that shines and I want to hear more from that voice. However, in this book, each voice, each timeline and each point of view was equally captivating. Della, a slightly removed generation, Hazel, the matriarch, Miriam and August her two very different but strongly bonded daughters, and Jane and Maya- Miriam’s girls. The daughters are brought back together when Miriam leaves her military husband and returns to her childhood home in Memphis.
This was a difficult story to read. So much death, racism, tragedy and loneliness. Yet what I was left with was the power of sisterhood, of self-love, of believing in God-given talents, of understanding and the of amazing healing powers of community. I loved the depictions of a city and a culture I am an outsider to, but can appreciate and celebrate with the author. I felt like I was there with these sisters as they endured hardship after hardship and persevered with grit and determination.
I loved Hazel for finding a love like no other, loved Miriam for finding the strength to leave an abusive situation and redefine herself, loved August for making the choice to be there for a son she could never control rather than follow her own dreams, loved June for ignoring the noise that tried to make her stop drawing and loved Maya for never letting outside voices temper her love for her father and her family. I loved Miss Dawn for investing in Miriam’s daughters as if they were her own and loved the community that surrounded the North girls.
“ The anger I had felt for years at my father was what I had had instead of him. It was all I had of him. So, I carried it with me always, like a rose quartz in my palm. And it was slowly disappearing, my quartz. Growing tiny. I was hardly feeling the rough edges of it anymore. I realized, as time passed in the kitchen, the grandfather clock in the parlor having sung its swan song three times now, that love was wearing me down. Love, like a tide, just washing over and over that piece of rock. And I believed that only God—and maybe Miss Dawn—could change a tide.”
As you can tell from the line quoted above, this book is filled with gorgeous, poetic observations that will make you stop and dwell on the words you just consumed. There were so many lines I highlighted in this book. The story captivates from beginning to end and the characters pull you in and invite you into their lives. This was a powerful read and is one to be treasured. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Press and Random House for the advance copy to read and review.
This amazing story spans 70 years, but each nugget of the story is metered out in increments. Usually with a non-linear timeline and multiple POVs, there is one story that shines and I want to hear more from that voice. However, in this book, each voice, each timeline and each point of view was equally captivating. Della, a slightly removed generation, Hazel, the matriarch, Miriam and August her two very different but strongly bonded daughters, and Jane and Maya- Miriam’s girls. The daughters are brought back together when Miriam leaves her military husband and returns to her childhood home in Memphis.
This was a difficult story to read. So much death, racism, tragedy and loneliness. Yet what I was left with was the power of sisterhood, of self-love, of believing in God-given talents, of understanding and the of amazing healing powers of community. I loved the depictions of a city and a culture I am an outsider to, but can appreciate and celebrate with the author. I felt like I was there with these sisters as they endured hardship after hardship and persevered with grit and determination.
I loved Hazel for finding a love like no other, loved Miriam for finding the strength to leave an abusive situation and redefine herself, loved August for making the choice to be there for a son she could never control rather than follow her own dreams, loved June for ignoring the noise that tried to make her stop drawing and loved Maya for never letting outside voices temper her love for her father and her family. I loved Miss Dawn for investing in Miriam’s daughters as if they were her own and loved the community that surrounded the North girls.
“ The anger I had felt for years at my father was what I had had instead of him. It was all I had of him. So, I carried it with me always, like a rose quartz in my palm. And it was slowly disappearing, my quartz. Growing tiny. I was hardly feeling the rough edges of it anymore. I realized, as time passed in the kitchen, the grandfather clock in the parlor having sung its swan song three times now, that love was wearing me down. Love, like a tide, just washing over and over that piece of rock. And I believed that only God—and maybe Miss Dawn—could change a tide.”
As you can tell from the line quoted above, this book is filled with gorgeous, poetic observations that will make you stop and dwell on the words you just consumed. There were so many lines I highlighted in this book. The story captivates from beginning to end and the characters pull you in and invite you into their lives. This was a powerful read and is one to be treasured. Highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley, Dial Press and Random House for the advance copy to read and review.
April 17, 2023
15/16 in my Women’s Prize 2023 rankings. My Bookstagram brief review and GR/book themed photo here: https://instagram.com/p/CrG9bEvrrUK/
This novel, recently shortlisted for the inaugural Waterstone’s Debut Fiction Prize, is a non-linear three-generational but always easy to follow celebration of black womanhood – in the face of both white racism and black male violence (but the latter largely caused by poverty, racism and military PTSD). The author has described the latter part of the book as a satire, when criticised for her portrayal of black men (and see below – she has not reacted well to criticism), but I am not really sure I quite saw that – although I can see that the book was political in conception (the author has spoken at it being inspired – if that is the word – by the racist undercurrent of the MAGA movement).
It is also I think partly a celebration of Memphis – although for me the City came across as a nightmare.
The book is also at least partly autobiographical – the author being from a military family background and her grandfather being the first black homicide detective in Memphis later found murdered (widely to believe to have been lynched by his own colleagues) – which is the fate of the family patriarch in this novel – Myron - in 1955.
The novel is told in third person by Hazel (Myron’s wife), Miriam and August her two daughters and in first person by Joan (Miriam’s oldest daughter). Joan’s sister Mya is the only female member of the tight family group not to have her own chapters, while the other key characters are Miriam’s husband Jaxson (who serves in the Marines including in the Gulf) and Derek August’s son.
The book opens in 1995 – the deterioration of Jax and Miriam’s marriage (due to his affairs and violence) leads to him hitting her after she (partly inadvertently) humiliates him at a regimental dinner and returning to Memphis with 10 year old Joan and 7 year old Mya, to immediate tension with the fifteeen year old Derek, now home on a form of parole and shortly to fall in with a local gang – the tension we quickly learn due to the fact that Derek assaulted the infant Joan 7 years before (an incident which contributed to the tension in her parent’s marriage).
The 30+ sections then range as far back as 1937 (when Hazel was 16) and as far forward as 2003 (when Derek’s gang involvement leads to his imprisonment).
What ultimately for me really rather detracted from the novel (which is very strongly conceived and well if not spectacularly written) was the rather high levels of melodrama – it feels like all the characters are permanently moving from one crisis to another in a way which took this away from the level of literary fiction and closer to soap opera, while also diluting the impact of the individual events.
While of course having the lynching is pivotal to the book (and autobiographical) I think also having (and I am sure I have missed some examples): one character raped by another – as an infant; one character perpetrating a bodged gang murder which leads to the murder of a child; one character having lead a squadron into the mass murder of some children in a military action was far too much. And while it is of course completely reasonable to have sections where we see the characters impacted by the assassination of Martin Luther King and the attacks of 9-11 (after all who was not impacted by those seismically terrible events) why, given the excess of drama already present have a side character assasinated quickly after King, and another two in the very centre of the attack on the Pentagon.
One other comment – Joan finishes the book with a life changing opportunity to move to England, one she claims as her destiny and causes her to reflect on her namesake Joan of Arc: it was harder for me to think of a historical character less suitable for inspiration for seeing England as a redemptive promised land of opportunity.
And I cannot let a review of the book pass without remarking on the author’s ill-advised attempts to criticise Instagram and other reviewers who did not fully like her book – for example this following a 4 star (!!) review: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=abGz0B_...
The things women do for the sake of their daughters. The things women don't. The shame of it all. The shame of her daughter's rape, the shame of her husband's violence, her nephew's psychopathy.
She had raised their daughters the best she could without his help. Raised them to ensure that they always provided for themselves, never relied on the whim of a man, because how far would a Black woman get with that.
This novel, recently shortlisted for the inaugural Waterstone’s Debut Fiction Prize, is a non-linear three-generational but always easy to follow celebration of black womanhood – in the face of both white racism and black male violence (but the latter largely caused by poverty, racism and military PTSD). The author has described the latter part of the book as a satire, when criticised for her portrayal of black men (and see below – she has not reacted well to criticism), but I am not really sure I quite saw that – although I can see that the book was political in conception (the author has spoken at it being inspired – if that is the word – by the racist undercurrent of the MAGA movement).
It is also I think partly a celebration of Memphis – although for me the City came across as a nightmare.
The book is also at least partly autobiographical – the author being from a military family background and her grandfather being the first black homicide detective in Memphis later found murdered (widely to believe to have been lynched by his own colleagues) – which is the fate of the family patriarch in this novel – Myron - in 1955.
The novel is told in third person by Hazel (Myron’s wife), Miriam and August her two daughters and in first person by Joan (Miriam’s oldest daughter). Joan’s sister Mya is the only female member of the tight family group not to have her own chapters, while the other key characters are Miriam’s husband Jaxson (who serves in the Marines including in the Gulf) and Derek August’s son.
The book opens in 1995 – the deterioration of Jax and Miriam’s marriage (due to his affairs and violence) leads to him hitting her after she (partly inadvertently) humiliates him at a regimental dinner and returning to Memphis with 10 year old Joan and 7 year old Mya, to immediate tension with the fifteeen year old Derek, now home on a form of parole and shortly to fall in with a local gang – the tension we quickly learn due to the fact that Derek assaulted the infant Joan 7 years before (an incident which contributed to the tension in her parent’s marriage).
The 30+ sections then range as far back as 1937 (when Hazel was 16) and as far forward as 2003 (when Derek’s gang involvement leads to his imprisonment).
What ultimately for me really rather detracted from the novel (which is very strongly conceived and well if not spectacularly written) was the rather high levels of melodrama – it feels like all the characters are permanently moving from one crisis to another in a way which took this away from the level of literary fiction and closer to soap opera, while also diluting the impact of the individual events.
While of course having the lynching is pivotal to the book (and autobiographical) I think also having (and I am sure I have missed some examples): one character raped by another – as an infant; one character perpetrating a bodged gang murder which leads to the murder of a child; one character having lead a squadron into the mass murder of some children in a military action was far too much. And while it is of course completely reasonable to have sections where we see the characters impacted by the assassination of Martin Luther King and the attacks of 9-11 (after all who was not impacted by those seismically terrible events) why, given the excess of drama already present have a side character assasinated quickly after King, and another two in the very centre of the attack on the Pentagon.
One other comment – Joan finishes the book with a life changing opportunity to move to England, one she claims as her destiny and causes her to reflect on her namesake Joan of Arc: it was harder for me to think of a historical character less suitable for inspiration for seeing England as a redemptive promised land of opportunity.
And I cannot let a review of the book pass without remarking on the author’s ill-advised attempts to criticise Instagram and other reviewers who did not fully like her book – for example this following a 4 star (!!) review: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=abGz0B_...
Touching its corners, I thought then about all that had passed in the eight years since we arrived in Memphis. The eighteen-hour drive in a busted-out van. The screaming matches with Mama every time I opened my sketchbook. Derek. Seeing himagain and being so stricken with fear that the piss just came. I remembered the night Derek was arrested. Auntie August, beside herself, muttering that a Black woman would never know the meaning of freedom. And I realized then that even my auntie could be wrong. Because I knew it now. Freedom. As God as my witness, it tasted just like one of Mama's warm blackberry cobblers.
April 5, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group- The Dial Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
A stunningly beautiful non-linear narrative about several generations of Southern Black women as they face the trials and tribulations of a seventy-year period.
I absolutely adored this debut novel and felt that each female character stood out to me in the narration. No one voice drowning out another. Author Tara M. Stringfellow is definitely on my radar and I will keep an eye out for future titles.
Expected Publication 05/04/22
Goodreads review published 04/04/22
#Memphis #NetGalley
A stunningly beautiful non-linear narrative about several generations of Southern Black women as they face the trials and tribulations of a seventy-year period.
I absolutely adored this debut novel and felt that each female character stood out to me in the narration. No one voice drowning out another. Author Tara M. Stringfellow is definitely on my radar and I will keep an eye out for future titles.
Expected Publication 05/04/22
Goodreads review published 04/04/22
#Memphis #NetGalley
February 12, 2023
Memphis by Tara M Stringfellow is one of several books i chose in celebration of black history month. I was not disappointed. This coming of age novel that spans over several decades and multiple timelines of 3 generations of a Southern black family. It told of a family that has survived multiple traumas in the South. Lynchings, rape, domestic abuse, a young man in prison for life. The criminal justice system that was supposed to protect but only let blacks down. The fight to survive, only to lose out on dreams. The fight to win! To win they do. Fantastic character driven book, with strong women at the helm.
June 2, 2022
[4+] I savored the writing in Memphis while being gripped by the story of four strong women over three generations whose lives are laced with violence and racism...and joy. An achingly superb novel.
May 26, 2022
i wanted to love this so bad. i typically really enjoyed character driven books like this, especially ones that follow a specific family or theme or take place in one setting. this book just didn't hit the nail on the head, but it was close.
a main issue with this book is the non-linear story telling. this is a new trope in modern literature, and i can confidently say it never benefits the story or the reading experience. it's use in this book was particularly bad in my opinion. it made for a lot of confusion and a lot of flipping around, at least for me.
despite there being multiple narrators, there were no distinct voices. even though there were characters that were 80 and characters that were 8, there was no difference in the way they thought or spoke or described things that happened. this added to the issue of confusion; i would find myself forgetting who was speaking because each character soundly exactly like the other three.
the was no consistent discernible plot. in my opinion, each separate point of view should feed into one plot point. for example, how the loss of myron affected each woman's relationship with men; how the house was a refuge in which the family and community could be apologetically black; the value of having relationships with elders. each of these were in the book, but they weren't constant or developed enough to be impactful.
despite all this, the writing style was beautiful. you can definitely tell that this author has a strong background in poetry. the descriptions of the house were particularly beautiful and strong. she involves all the readers senses in these moment and it allows you to become fully immersed in the story.
i think the idea and basis of this book is really great. there's a massive lacking of black voices and literature right now, and this was a really promising prospect as a modern classic. i just wish that there had been more time put into the characters and plot.
a main issue with this book is the non-linear story telling. this is a new trope in modern literature, and i can confidently say it never benefits the story or the reading experience. it's use in this book was particularly bad in my opinion. it made for a lot of confusion and a lot of flipping around, at least for me.
despite there being multiple narrators, there were no distinct voices. even though there were characters that were 80 and characters that were 8, there was no difference in the way they thought or spoke or described things that happened. this added to the issue of confusion; i would find myself forgetting who was speaking because each character soundly exactly like the other three.
the was no consistent discernible plot. in my opinion, each separate point of view should feed into one plot point. for example, how the loss of myron affected each woman's relationship with men; how the house was a refuge in which the family and community could be apologetically black; the value of having relationships with elders. each of these were in the book, but they weren't constant or developed enough to be impactful.
despite all this, the writing style was beautiful. you can definitely tell that this author has a strong background in poetry. the descriptions of the house were particularly beautiful and strong. she involves all the readers senses in these moment and it allows you to become fully immersed in the story.
i think the idea and basis of this book is really great. there's a massive lacking of black voices and literature right now, and this was a really promising prospect as a modern classic. i just wish that there had been more time put into the characters and plot.
July 30, 2022
A stunning kaleidoscope of characters and events in one of America’s most vibrant cities. Bold and perceptive, this novel charges head on to confront topics such as racism, abuse, and family secrets. This is also an ode to mothers, to sisters, to a community that stands together; to support, survival, and following dreams. With breathtaking prose, this story is incredibly haunting yet hopeful from beginning to end. One of the strongest debuts I have ever read.
March 17, 2022
Stringfellow’s very affecting novel brings us the lives of three generations of Southern Black women over a span from the late 1930s to 2003, set in Memphis, Tennessee. Hazel, the matriarch, married to Myron, has two daughters, Miriam and August. Miriam has two daughters, Joan and Mya. There are other men, husbands, sons, but they are transitory. The lasting family are the women and girls, soon to be women. Through their lives, we see much of the joy and sadness of the past century and the promise for the future.
Using a style that has become more familiar of late, the author moves back and forth in time, using Hazel, Miriam, August, and Joan as her narrators, to present pivotal moments and events within the family and their world. Stringfellow’s prose paints pictures of old southern neighborhoods, lazy summer gardens, joyful parties, horrified gatherings after assassinations. The black experience large and small over these decades.
A very well written book that deserves to be widely read.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Using a style that has become more familiar of late, the author moves back and forth in time, using Hazel, Miriam, August, and Joan as her narrators, to present pivotal moments and events within the family and their world. Stringfellow’s prose paints pictures of old southern neighborhoods, lazy summer gardens, joyful parties, horrified gatherings after assassinations. The black experience large and small over these decades.
A very well written book that deserves to be widely read.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
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August 3, 2022Removing my rating because this author is pretty rude and disgusting to readers of her work. If you'd like to know more information here's a link to my video regarding the way I was treated.
https://youtu.be/abGz0B_zfbY There is no way I can separate the artist from the work.
https://youtu.be/abGz0B_zfbY There is no way I can separate the artist from the work.
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