Conjure Women, set in the South during Civil War times, tells the stories of two African American women. The story flips back and forth between Miss May Belle and her daughter Rue, telling of life during slavery and during “freedom.”

This novel was very atmospheric and lush. The dialogue and character descriptions made me feel that I was in the village with Rue and her mom. As you switched back and forth between May Belle and Rue, the pieces of the story slowly began to fit together. It managed to be both beautiful and horrifying.

I appreciated the novel, though it was more character-driven than plot-driven. Atakora drew up some very interesting imagery, especially with the foxes. Overall though, I felt that I didn’t fully grasp what the author was going for. I would’ve loved to have read this with other people and been able to discuss what was going on. Many times, I knew that I had read something important, but the imagery slipped through my fingers and it was lost to me.

This novel was extremely atmospheric and well-written, with the addition of a beautiful cover. Too often though, I felt lost and found myself grasping for the meaning.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the free ebook in exchange for my honest opinion.

I both loved and was frustrated by this story for the very same reason. - that I couldn’t predict what would happen next!! Which as Nia @_pagesgaloree reminded me, is the mark of a well written story.
The story of a mother and daughter , from slavery to post slavery. The safety and torture of being conjure women, the beauty and angst of being a mother. A few times I had to put it down and walk away- the pain was jus too much. At other times, my anger was just too close to the surface to continue.
Thank you @netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy, when this book releases on Tuesday, April 7th it’s going to come with firestorm of anticipation! Make sure you get this on Tuesday!!! #Netgalley #ARC #RandomHouse @randomhouse #ConjureWomen

The Civil War-era is not one that I often read about. Typically historical fiction that I gravitate towards is World War II so when I saw the setting and plot for Conjure Women by Afia Atakora, I was immediately interested. In the past, I have read and loved The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier, Yellow Crocus by Laila Ibrahim, and Cane River by Lalita Tademy all of which I highly recommend, all about slaves.

Here’s the synopsis:

Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a midwife; and their master’s daughter Varina. The secrets and bonds among these women and their community come to a head at the beginning of a war and at the birth of an accursed child, who sets the townspeople alight with fear and a spreading superstition that threatens their newly won, tenuous freedom.

Magnificently written, brilliantly researched, richly imagined, Conjure Women moves back and forth in time to tell the haunting story of Rue, Varina, and May Belle, their passions and friendships, and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love.

I can’t believe this incredible story was a debut novel! It’s such a fantastic read, so perfectly structured and written that I would guess it came from an author who has written many books. The themes of plantation life, the Civil War, healing, slavery, plus mothers and daughters are all present in this book. I think you will absolutely love it.

Published on April 7! Order here.

Afia Atakora’s debut novel, set in the rural South, in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, is a complex exploration of the deeply held tensions and continual trials that infuse a small, isolated community of former slaves.

The story centres around Rue, who has inherited the position of midwife and healer from her mother, Miss May Belle. Practicing the kind of “practical magic” that keeps everyone healthy and sustains amicable relationships between members of the community, she is a solitary, stoic figure who quietly and unceremoniously binds this small group of families together.

After the death of their master, these formerly enslaved members of the plantation have continued to run things as as they’ve always been. But two events threaten to tear apart their relatively peaceful lifestyle.

First, the birth of Bean, a baby Rue delivers, has a caul and dark eyes, which are taken by the community as a bad omen. Secondly, the arrival of Bruh Abel, a travelling preacher who has come to convert the them, upsets the delicate balance of their lives within this tightly knit group of people.

Flashing back and forth between “wartime” and “peacetime,” the first half of the book unfolds as a battle between Rue and Bruh Abel over the soul of the community, as her position as “conjure woman” comes under suspicion. Their struggle also evokes the tension between the past and the future, while pitting the older religious traditions against the Christianity adopted from their former masters.

But the second part of the story more closely follows the relationship between Rue and Marse Charles’ daughter Varina, who have been close their entire lives, and are woven together as two halves of the community’s whole. Varina’s continued existence on the plantation is a carefully guarded secret, and part of the enchantment that Rue surrounds them in, to place this former plantation away from the reaches of the outside world.

Conjure Women is part historical fiction and part magical realism, and one of its most compelling themes is the exploration of conjuring or “hoodoo” practiced by Rue. Any reader of African-American or Caribbean literature will recognize certain motifs, such as women transforming into crows and flying away, as well as the ways that magic is presented as a means to subvert the position of domination. But the kind of conjuring practiced by Rue is based less in enchantment and sorcery and more in care for the community, as well as certain strategic deceptions that allow for a peaceful existence in the new era of Jim Crow.

It is a strong first novel, that delves into themes such as the nature of freedom, and the deep intertwining of the world’s dark and light sides. Full of compelling characters and intense relationships, it offers the reader a complex and carefully rendered portrait of a transformative period in the lives of African-Americans.

I was drawn to this book because of the cover (yes, I do judge a book by it’s cover!) and the title, since I really enjoy books involving witches, voodoo, and hoodoo. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, although I usually like it when I do, but one of my reading goals this year is to read more historical fiction, so I really wanted to give Conjure Women by Afia Atakora a read. And I am very glad I did since this book is very well written and stayed with me for days after I finished.

Atakora writes very complex characters that show how deeply they are flawed and how full of life and hope they are filled, during a horrendous point in history. May and Rue work helping fellow slaves and the plantation owner’s family through herbs, midwifery, and hoodoo, but they are human and have wants and needs that benefit only them. Miss May Belle wants to shield Rue as much as possible, but in doing so makes Rue’s life harder in ways. And after May is gone, Rue continues on with her mother’s work, but she too has people she is trying to shield from harsh realities and this does not always work out in a good way.

Atakora also takes a look at how village’s wise women have been held in esteem until something can’t be fixed with herbal magic (a plague that starts killing the children) or when a man (in this case, a preacher named Abel) starts making the people question the wise woman via religion or a western approach to medicine. This is something that has been happening for thousands of years and still happens today.

This review doesn’t even cover a tenth of what takes place in the book. I highly recommend you read it and discover the amazing story for yourself.

Conjure Women is a gorgeous book which takes us to a slave holding plantation in the South. It takes place over alternating time periods before and after the Civil War. It was so immersive from the very beginning and I had a hard time putting this down.
Miss May Belle and her daughter, Rue, are healers in their community of slaves, and Verita is the last mistress of the big house.
After the war, the slaves stay on a now ownerless plantation, and prior to the war, their lives during slavery were often terrible with heartbreaking treatment. Even when freedom comes, it’s still at a high cost.
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The characters were rich and fleshed out. They felt so real, as did the relationships between them. The detail, the descriptions, the language—all so captivating and moving. I adored this book.

Conjure Women is a novel of loss and grief, and waiting. It follows the life of Rue, daughter of May Belle, the conjure woman of a slaveholding plantation in the American South. Lushly evocative, earthy, and sensual, the book is split into a dual timeline that chronicles the small triumphs and staggering atrocities of life as a young black woman on a Southern plantation before and after the Civil War.

Conjure Women is beautifully written and will itself conjure feelings both beautiful and heart wrenching, and just as bittersweet as the name of the protagonist suggests. Atakora’s debut is stunning in both its power and its depth—its world will haunt readers for a long time after reading.

A gripping debut that follows the lives of three women through the years as the Civil Wars looms, as well as the years that follow the war, and the people in this community. Shared through the thoughts and days of Miss May Belle, a conjure woman; her daughter, Rue, who is still a child as this story begins, but who will grow to learn her mother’s skills in both casting spells and delivering babies; and Varina, daughter of Marse Charles, the plantation owner, and who through their childhood, Rue believes to be her friend. Add to these Bruh Abel, a magnetic preacher who seems to have his own agenda, and a community who turns to Miss May Belle for healing and birthing, but who turns against her when they feel a need to blame someone.

The author did her homework, reading narratives by those who were enslaved during this time period, the stories gathered by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930’s. It touches on the horrors of both slavery and the years of post-war “freedom,” when there were rapes, lynchings and assorted other acts of terror on those whose skin colour was not white.

Still, this doesn’t dwell in those horrors, but shares a brief view into the hearts and minds of both sides in this place and these times. At the same time, it is primarily through a chosen few that Atakora shares this moving story of conjuring and the belief in miracles.


Pub Date: 07 April 2020


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group / Random House

Thank you to Randomhouse and #netgalley for the advanced copy for my honest review. This book comes out April 7, 2020!

Tiny Synopsis: A historical fiction centered on Miss Rue and her mother Miss May Belle , both local “healing women” and their master’s daughter, Varina during the times post civil war and up to the 1920s. Miss May Belle is wise and tries to teach her only daughter everything she knows but Rue is very reluctant to follow the life of a midwife in times where people are turning from hoodoo to the Christian teachings of Brah Abel. The story uncovers secrets amongst the 3 women and the journeys they all take during these changing times.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐.5/ 5 stars

I can only think of one other book I read with a similar tone/ theme that came out recently : the Water Dancer. I loved this one much more! These women are so different and it is heartbreaking what each has to go through in not such a distant era. It is a heavy book to read and I painfully got through it - not that the book wasn’t good, it is so well written and so much detail that you feel immediately transported into this era and smell the herbal concoctions they talk about - BUT it is hard to read because of what they all went through and so many of the revelations at the end really made certain things more understandable in their life choices.

I probably shouldn't keep trying to read historical fiction. Most of the time it is a huge fail for me. This book was way. too. slow. I just couldn't stand it. The premise was interesting. I wish she would have been more specific in her medicine making - kind of like how Outlander goes into a lot of detail about cultivating and using the herbs, etc. Then at least there would have been some interest in the slower parts. But really there just wasn't enough action and I was confused about what was happening for a lot of the book.

Conjure Women straddles the liminal period between slavery and freedom as three women, Miss Mae Belle, her daughter, Rue, and Varina, the master’s daughter and Rue’s playmate, circle each other with jealousy, suspicion, lies, and vengeance. Mae Belle is the healer, or “conjure woman,” on the plantation, tasked with keeping the slaves healthy but also providing magic secretly to them. Rue learns at her feet and inherits her mother’s position as the country is emerging from the war.

The freed slaves stay on the plantation land and create a community said to be protected by a spell incanted years before by Mae Bell with Rue as their trusted healer. However, as time passes, that trust erodes. The former slaves turn to Christianity taught by the roving prophet, Brother Abel, just as Rue delivers an infant with hauntingly disturbing black eyes and as the children of the settlement begin to die of a mysterious illness. Rue’s former friends accuse her of inciting the illness and cavorting with spirits in the wilderness. Meanwhile, the spell protecting the settlement appears to be weakening as incursions by angry whites harm people and property.

The novel has two timelines: before the war, focusing on Mae Belle and Rue as a child, and after the war, from the perspective of Rue as an adult. The differing time periods are a strength of the book as they so wrenchingly illustrate the everyday evil of slavery and its aftermath as well as the complicated relationships between the masters and slaves on plantations. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book for anyone interested in learning more about this time period; I can’t remember another book that depicts the immediate post-war experience for slaves so well.

I did have a hard time connecting with Rue, though. This may be by design; she was a reserved character, protected by layers of bravado, skill, and misdirection in order to protect herself and her secrets. Additionally, the presentation of information within each timeline was nonlinear in a way that I thought was jarring, but again, that might be deliberate.

Individual scenes in the book were so striking, I’ve been thinking of them long after I closed the cover. In particular, a scene with a celebratory dance the Master insisted on holding despite the Union army’s advance, and its implications for Varina and Rue has lodged in my chest.

Afia Atakora’s well-researched debut novel Conjure Women will appeal to readers of literary fiction and those interested in novels about slavery and the resilience of freed slaves.

An exquisite debut novel from Afia Atakora that deftly weaves the stories of Miss May Belle and her daughter, Rue, in the time before and after the US Civil War. Both May Belle and Rue are healers and "conjure women" on the plantation and their stories intertwine with the young mistress of the house, Verina, and the slaves who toil there. Well researched and beautifully written, this novel gives voice to those who had none. It focuses on themes of family, love, toxic secrets, and magic. It is bound to be a classic and is cinematic in structure and depth.

*Advanced galley copy courtesy of #NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. Upon finishing this book, I wanted more & went searching for more books by Afia Atakora only to find that Conjure Women was her debut novel. And once again, wow.

Conjure Women reads like the the result of an experienced writer creating the masterpiece of her lifetime. The book takes you through the life of Rue, her mother, May Belle, and their master's daughter, Varina. However, May Belle and Varina are secondary characters in this and this is ultimately the story of Rue. The book alternates between different time periods and throughout the transitions, you're griped with suspense to know how it all ultimately ends.

This book does take you into the darkest times of American history, and there are scenes which are hard to bear. There were multiple times when I needed a break from reading about the unthinkable things slaves were forced to bear and overcome.

Overall, this is an amazingly well-written book. I wouldn't be surprised to find Conjure Women on bestsellers lists.

Conjuring Women is a novel that is set between two periods of time, important to history -- the Civil War, and post-Civil War, or commonly known as Reconstruction.

Afia Atakora does a wonderful job weaving the story lines between Rue's mother, Miss May Belle, and Rue, her daughter, who have similarities in that they both have the same line of work, but also are different in the sense that Rue is naive, and periodically depends on her mother's opinion of things.

We follow Rue as she learns from her mother about healing and birthing babies for the slaves that live on Marse Charles' plantation. As the novel continues, the reader explores Rue's relationship with the slave community. At one point, the community used to lean on Rue for assistance, but after the ominous birth of Black-Eyed Bean, and the arrival of Bruh Abel, the community shifts to disapproval of Rue.

But Rue has her own secrets; secrets that have been festering within her for quite some time. She's been trying to hide them from the community, even after the Civil War has ended, but people are starting to figure them out. It takes her being baptized by Bruh Abel in order for the community to begin to trust her again, and not conjuring ghosts that are rumored to live in the woods thanks to her mother, Miss May Belle.

Atakora jumps between two different time periods, and I loved that slowly but surely, the time periods met in the middle, and the reader could see the full pictures of each character's development, especially Rue and Varina. Varina was Marse Charles's daughter, and was a danger to herself. She thought the rules did not apply to her, and consistently got Rue in trouble with her mother. During Reconstruction, you can also see how the war took a toll on everyone, especially on Varina, who became addicted to laudanum.

Though this is Atakora's first novel, I'm very excited to see what other future books she publishes. Historical fiction is always one of my favorite reads, and I haven't read one based during Civil War times in quite awhile.

Available April 7, 2020

Conjure Women is a dark and beautifully written story about the power of women in a dark time in history. Set in the American South, Conjure Women spans generations to tell the history of three women living on the same plantation. May Belle, a powerful healing woman with the power to conjure curses has taught her daughter Rue the secrets of their position. When Rue's friendship with the master's daughter Varian threatens her safety, May Belle does what she can to protect her daughter. Those actions will change the women's lives forever.
This is a haunting story of family and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. Told in alternating points of view, the story unfolds slowly to reveal an intricately laid plan of revenge, hope, and fierce loyalty. The writing is incredibly beautiful and compelling, insisting the reader digests each word before moving on to the next. Atakora paints a vivid picture of village life and the complexities of the healer's place in society. Both feared and revered, May Belle and Rue both in their times, do their very best to keep the villagers safe and calm during the most trying times. When the villagers turned on Rue, I was so invested in her safety and well-being that I couldn't put the book down. I had to know how her story ended and learn the secrets of her tumultuous relationship with her mother.
Richly written, Conjure Women is a compelling story of family, loyalty, and closely held secrets. Best part, this Afia Atakora's first novel. I look forward to seeing more from this amazing author.

I did not pick this book intentionally with everything going on, which made it even more eerie.

This is a beautiful literary/historical fiction book. It is written so gracefully that you cannot help but want to devour it, which is what I did. This is apparently the author's first book. She will definitely become a name in literary fiction. This book will probably win awards.

The characters are all intriguing and so well developed. You want to continue learning about them.

This book has a little bit of everything. Magic, spirituality, love, death, defiance, bravery, community, and healing.

It also touches on other societal issues as well. The story is about a former slave, she is a conjure woman. She helps deliver babies and heals her community, she is well regarded, as was her mother. But there is a virus going around that is killing the babies. Soon she is blamed for it and people are shunning her and even want to run her off, because they believe she cursed them. As we know right now, when things get bad people panic and often need someone to blame to help make sense of the bad.

This book was moving and beautiful. I will be buying a copy for my shelf.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ of five stars
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Thank you @netgally and Random House for giving me an ARC for an honest review.
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Publication date: April 7th
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This book was a dream! The writing style is stunning. The characters were well developed and the plot was intriguing to the point that I couldn’t put it down if I tired. I thought this book was so well written - then finding out that this is a debut novel!! I am very impressed!
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Synopsis: We are following the lives of women that live on a plantation; a healer and slave, her daughter and the daughter of the plantation owner. Baring witness to the struggles they face pre and post Civil War. The brutality that the salves faced everyday and the frightening unknown that their new found freedom gave them.
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Although Conjure Women isn’t my usual genre, I will be reading anything Afia Atakora writes! This was just so good!
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Conjure definition: “make (something) appear unexpectedly or seemingly from nowhere as if by majic.”

Quotes:

“Freedom was a word with weights. It meant deciding-to stay or to go. To have or not to have. It was a heady change-becoming the master of one’s own self.”

“You don’t love on a baby enough they come up wrongly.”

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora is her debut novel. It took me awhile to get through this book. Atakora is a beautiful writer but I felt the way the book was structured made it confusing, a bit slow and hard to get through at times. It is a book that I started off loving from page one because of the writing style, like the quotes above, but then early on found myself struggling to finish. I pushed on and the last fifty pages of the book picked up again. Everything came together at the end and I am glad that I finished and was able to find out how everyone was related and what happened to them because I was invested in the characters.

I felt that there was not really a plot to the story and I am a reader who likes a plot. I am not a fan of memoirs for this reason. Conjure Women is about the life of Rue, a Conjure Woman who learned hoodooing and birthing from her mother Mae Belle. Mae Belle and Rue are slaves on Marse Charles plantation. Varina is the daughter of Marse Charles and the reader will get engrossed in the relationship between Rue and Varina. Bruh Abel is a black preacher and the relationship between him and the rest of the slaves and white people is complex. The chapters alternate between Slavetime and Freedomtime. Freedom came for the slaves and for Rue but Rue never felt free because she was born to heal and felt she was a slave to healing after she was free.

Books on slavery happen to be some of my favorite reads. I really wanted to love this book, but there was a lot missing for me. It was a confusing read, with to much going on and not enough detail about what was going on until the end. It was written somewhat like a mystery which made it confusing and disjointed. That being said I would absolutely read another book by this author. Atakora has a beautiful way with words. It is an excellent book for book clubs to discuss.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is haunting, sad, and impactful. It was a graphic and difficult read, but also a very thought provoking and powerful story.

(This review is currently posted on my bookstagram account, where it will stay. That account is: chandra.lee.reads)

I have to say, for a debut novel, this was a great read! The story begins with of a mother (Miss May Belle) and daughter (Rue) who were slaves and could both heal and conjure curses. I was immediately drawn in by the subject matter alone, and I enjoyed delving into the relationships between the master’s family and their slaves, especially Rue and Varina. It was a very unique story, told both during times of pre-war slavery and after the slaves had been freed, that expressed the lengths one will go to protect themselves and the ones they love. But protecting the ones you love sometimes requires sacrifices, even if if that means threatening one’s reputation and freedom.

I did find that story ended a bit abruptly and didn’t feel entirely complete. I think if there had been a bit more about Rue at the end it wouldn’t have seemed so rushed. Other than that, I really enjoyed reading this wonderfully written debut novel.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3028720531