Yellow Wife is historical fiction that takes place in Antebellum Virginia between 1850 and 1857 (with an Epilogue from after the Civil War ended) and was inspired by the life of the slave Mary Lumpkin. This novel is a fast read and a fascinating story. The characters are believable with all their joys, sorrows, and woes. Yellow Wife tells Pheby’s story from her relatively worry-free life on a plantation to her being taken by slavers to Lapier Jail where she was “rescued” from the slave auction. However, her rescuer was also the jailer of slaves being readied for auction (hence Pheby’s name for him: the Jailer.)

There are heart-wrenching moments in reading about the treatment of slaves that is described in hard-to-read details. But we also see the love that Pheby has for her children, knowing that she would do whatever is necessary to ensure their innocence and safety. We also get to know the other slaves in the household who are like family to Pheby (both on the plantation and later at the jailer’s house) and she goes out of her way to care for them. There is one part of the story that I felt was not quite believable but other than that, Yellow Wife brings the characters to life on the page. You will be amazed by Pheby’s spirit despite her diminished circumstances. You will be horrified by the Jailer and his treatment and punishment of the slaves in his jail. Yellow Wife tells a story of slavery that is engrossing and gripping, a novel that is well worth reading.

The Author’s Note after the Epilogue tells how she learned of Mary Lumpkin and Lumpkin’s slave jail in Richmond, VA where Robert Lumpkin enslaved (and sold) over three hundred thousand people from 1844 until 1865. Her research inspired her to write this fictional account of Mary’s life, incorporating many of the details gained from her research.

Yellow Wife was a totally captivating historical fiction! Inspired by a true story, this was a slice of history I knew nothing about. It was a harrowing tale and one that will stay with me for awhile.

Pheby is an enslaved girl, sold on her 18th birthday. She’s taken to Devil’s Half Acre, a jail where slaves are tortured and sold. It’s here that she’s forced to become mistress to the jail owner. What follows is a story of resilience, strength, and sacrifice.

This was a powerful book. I was horrified by what went on with the slaves. I was heartbroken by Pheby’s story. And I was was captivated by her strength and tenacity. The author did meticulous research for this book and it shows. I learned a lot about this infamous jail and continued to read about it after finishing the book. This was a stunning book and one I highly recommend! 5⭐️ My thanks to @simonandschuster for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a sentimental one. This book makes is impossible to stop thinking about life back then. At times it was hard to read the story, however it was well worth it.

I already know this is going to be one of my favorite books of 2021 if not of all time. It is beautifully written although it is difficult to read. It is heartbreaking and graphic and very descriptive. I couldn’t put it down! Fast paced, well researched and thought provoking. My emotions ran the gamut.

Pheby’s story will stay with me. The strength and the courage that she showed, probably when she thought she had nothing left was mind blowing.

This story did not disappoint! Thank you for providing me with an advanced reader copy. I will be strongly recommending this book.

This was my last book of 2020 and what a good note to end on! I gave this book 4.5/5 stars. It would've been a 5/5 for me, but I wanted a touch more of an ENDING with a wrap-up. Otherwise, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to historical fiction lovers and those looking to diversify their reading lists.

Pheby Dolores Brown, the daughter of a slave and her master, is referred to as "high yellow," a term used to describe a light-skinned person of mixed race. (This label is old-fashioned and out of favor.) Though her father promises her freedom, his wife sells Pheby out of spite, and Pheby ends up managing the slave auction house and brothel of her new master, Rubin Lapier. Because of her skin color, Lapier makes Pheby his mistress and the mother of his children, and she must adapt and endure new miseries throughout her time on his compound.

Pheby is uniquely positioned as a witness to the events of the novel and I was desperate for the book to be better than it was. Pheby doesn't consistently anchor her first-person narration in details, dialogue, or emotion. The writing frequently tells rather than shows or repeats itself by doing both. Pheby feels naive and inattentive to both her inner and outer experience. There are flashes of insight and simple illustrative language, but much of this novel's great potential is lost in uneven execution.

Full review will appear in January in The Washington Post. Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a historical fiction story based on a real life of an enslaved woman. I finished this book in one sitting as Sadeqa Johnson did an amazing job of telling this story. Pheby Delores Brown was no tragic mulatto. Her constant fight to save the people she loved during constant abuse was heartbreaking. With her research of the history of the Lumpkin jail at her fingertips, this author crafts a story that will tear at your insides. Its fully engaging and heartbreakingly sorrowful but necessarily needed.

I wasnt sure if I could get into this book BUT i couldnt put it down. The story is so well written. I devoured thisin 2 days. Highly recomment this book.

This was a very emotional,well written novel. The characters were very vivid and kept me engaged. Pheby will be with me for a long time.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion

The Yellow Wife is a heartbreakingly beautiful gut-wrenching story about a young slave girl who had been promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. Sadly, the promise was broken and the young lady's life was turned upside down.

This is a story that gripped me from the first chapter. I cannot remember the last book that I read in less than two days. Johnson does an unbelievable in character development and storytelling, making the reader have to know what happens to this woman. This is a story of unbelievable survival, a mother's love and heartbreak.

I have no doubt that this will be one of 2021's top historical fiction books

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

THIS BOOK WAS HEAVY.
I absolutely love any historical fiction book that has to deal with African American history during slavery so I was so excited when I got approved for this arc on NetGalley. I was shocked to find out that Yellow Wife was loosely based on the story of Mary Lumpkin and the Lumpkin Jail in Richmond, Virginia.

Yellow Wife follows the life of Pheby Delores Brown, a mulatto slave girl who resides in Virginia. Pheby's story is a story of life, love, loss, redemption, and sacrifice. Despite being a slave, Pheby's mother, Ruth, is promised Pheby's freedom when she turns 18. Sadly, that promise never comes to fruition because Pheby's mother's life is tragically ended early and this causes Pheby's life to be turned upside down. Not only does she lose her mother to a carriage accident but she also loses her lover because he is believed to have fathered the baby growing in the misses (master's wife) belly.

Pheby is plucked from her plantation and sold to slave traders by her evil white female slave owner. I really liked this dynamic that was explored here. I think we often overlook the MAJOR role wives played in the slave trade. Pheby finds herself being held in HORRIBLE conditions at Lapier Jail in preparation for her being auctioned off to the highest bidder. Pheby's tenacity and opposition to being r***** prior to being sold caught the eye of, Rubin Lapier, the owner of the jail. Lapier immediately shows favor towards Pheby and his slaves warn Pheby that his kindness comes with a STEEP price.The next six years follow Pheby as she becomes a mother, a talented seamstress, and an amazing pianist. We see just how much Pheby has to sacrifice as the partner of the most ruthless slave traders in the South.

This book was amazing and clearly well researched. Johnson's writing made me feel as if I was experiencing every moment of Pheby's life with her. The vivid imagery and character development were amazing. I found myself rooting for every single character that Pheby came in contact with. I appreciated reading the author's note which described why Johnson decided to tell this story. This is a must read.

I'm so grateful to have received an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Simon & Schuster) and/or author (Sadeqa Johnson) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This captivating story was something I couldn't put down.

From beginning to end I loved everything about this book. Sadeqa Johnson has written a beautiful historical tale that draws you in with it's beautiful cover and keeps you enthralled with each turn of the page. I would highly recommend to everyone who loves historical fiction!

This is my first read by this author. I am a lover of historical novels. Although slavery is a sore subject in history, those stories need to be told. The story followed Pheby from her life in the Big House on the plantation that she grew up on to the place that she would eventually call home, The Lapierre Jail.  Pheby was mixed race with fair skin.. She was treated better than the average slave. Her .
complexion was a blessing and a curse. We see Pheby struggle with having compassion for slaves  and guilt over being treated with such high regard. We see a mother struggle with raising and loving her children who she feels should be, but aren't treated equally. We see how much a mother will sacrifice for the safety and security of her children. Sadeqa Johnson's writing had me smelling the stinch of the jail and envisioning the deplorable conditions. She tugged at my emotions. This book is EyeCU Reading Approved & Recommended

I devoured this book.

We are following a young slave girl, Pheby, who is the child of her Master and therefore treated slightly better than the other slaves. She was educated in secret and promised her freedom when she turned 18.

However, just before her birthday she is thrown into the depths of slavery at the Devil's Half-Acre. One of the worst 'slave jails' where slaves are sent for extreme punishment, and selling.

Pheby's story is one of perseverance and a mother's love. What this woman endured for the sake of her children is truly unfathomable. I was immediately captured by the beautiful writing and haunting story. Pheby felt so alive to me that I struggled to put this book down and when I was not reading it it was consuming my thoughts. You will find yourself crying alongside Pheby as life throws everything in her way and she still has the strength to overcome and pull through.

this is a tale of heartbreak and misery that will leave you haunted by the realities of our past.

This is a really difficult book to read. I have always been drawn to the stories of slaves and the families and communities they created within their confines, and this story does have that. In fact it starts that way, on a single plantation, depicting those beautiful bonds that are created but then it turns very dark. The rest of the story takes the reader into the world of slave traders and slave jails. Not subject matter that I had ever read about and again, really difficult to read. But, being based on the real life of Mary Lumpkin, it was a fascinating tale and I was left with the hopeful feeling of imagining how her family spread and left its impact on the world.

I am a sucker for historical fiction. I am also a sucker for well written historical fiction by authors of color.

This book was a sad, powerful book. Inspired/based on the true life of a woman who married a jailer to slaves, Yellow Wife is one of those books that I'm sure will make the round in some book clubs and will leave you thinking about it when finished.

I have never read anything by Sadeqa Johnson but she has a true talent for writing characters that feel real. I truly felt and mourned for every bit of Phelby's struggle - from the plantation that she started off on to the jail that became her home.

The only reason that I rate it down a star is, as others said, the book ends rather fast and ends up with an epilogue. I wished to know the outcome but I guess one can gleam from the letters of what the outcome was and what did or did not happen. I don't know what I was looking for, but it just felt off to me.

Nevertheless, this book hit me hard and I thank NetGalley and I thank Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read a copy.

A beautifully written historical fiction set mostly in Virginia 1850. This one touches on so many raw emotions ....love, hate, resentment, fright, loss, family whether it be conventional or not. Well researched and fast moving storyline that tells such a deep emotional story of the slaves and being sold, separated from everything they ever knew and how loved ones are lost due to nobody simply caring. Pheby's story is one that will stay with you for a long time. If you liked the Kitchen House this one is for you. I highly recommend it.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson is a story of sadness, loss, unimaginable pain, heartache, love, and family. I had so many emotions while reading this book, that it is hard to know where to start. Pheby is the daughter of a slave and her master (Lord, how I hate saying those words). The love her mother has for her is Pheby's strength, and that love saves her on numerous occasions. I am not going to give the story or plot away, but I will say this... You will walk away from this book with a heavy heart, more knowledge, and love for an author that knows how to write and tells an amazing story!

Thank you to Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and Sadeqa Johnson for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Fascinating historical novel set in America during 1850. This book was a quick read, but packed so much into this book. I really enjoyed the depth of the characters, especially Pheby. I also love that this novel about enslaved people was actually written by a Black author. The short chapters made it hard to book the book down, and I like how the book ended without any major cliff hangers. The author explains her inspiration at the end of the book and that was interesting to read as well.

Background: I am such a fan of historical fiction, but I knew this one was going to be a harder read because of the subject of slavery in America, especially since the story takes palace in my home state of Virginia. Growing up, we learned about the Civil War, but the education left out a lot. I guess the adults at the time did not truly understand and/or could not comprehend the true horror of events that took place in our state. The author, Sadeqa Johnson, did a great deal of research for this book and has recommended several other books about this topic that should be required reading. She has motivated me to go back to Richmond to explore the Richmond Slave Trail and find out more about Lumpkin’s slave jail that was the inspiration for this book.

The Story:
The Yellow Wife is a story about a slave named Pheby Delores Brown who was promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. Growing up on the plantation her mother always reminded her that she was more than her current circumstances. “Member now, even in the big house you’s still Phelby Delores Brown, born on Christmas Day. You the gran-daudder of Vinnie Brown, who was the gran-daudder of a Cameroon queen. You a slave in name, but never in your mind, chile.” We also find out that she is actually the daughter of the plantation owner, a fact that makes her hated by his wife, Delphina, and subjected to her abuse. When his wife gets the chance, she sells Pheby to the slave traders. When it is Pheby’s turn to be placed up for auction, she is rescued by a man named Rubin Labier, who seems to show her kindness, but is she really safe? We learn that Rubin is actually the owner of the slave jail that has the reputation for being known as the Devil’s Half Acre. “Who do you think is the Devil?” The conditions of the jail are absolutely deplorable and the stories of the people Pheby encounters will break your heart. Phelby is forced to make difficult choices in order to survive her environment and take care of the ones she loves. Some of the quotes in this book really resonate. The slaves try to find a delicate balance to avoid punishment. “Mama always said the way to keep peace with the white folks was to be available and invisible at the same time.” The book forces the reader to be honest about the true horrors of slavery. Mr. Labier often states, “There is no pity in this business.” The book also makes you appreciate the true determination and tenacity of the ones who survived. I hope the author will follow up with stories from the perspectives of Phelby’s son and daughters. Thank you to #netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC. I look forward to promoting this book when it comes out in January 2021.