I received a free copy of Yellow Wife from Simon and Schuster, NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This is another story about slavery in the US South in the mid 1800's, and I began reading with the thought that having read many novels and books about that era, I had read it all. But Yellow Wife opens up a new dimension of the slave trade. It follows Pheby, a teen Mulatto who has been promised by her white father that she will be freed at the age of 18. After his death, her future changes dramatically and what follows is a horrific account of what many black slaves endured during that time period. At first, Pheby's life shows some improvement. She has been taken in as mistress by Ruben Lapier who runs a slave trading operation in Richmond, VA. But the Jailer as she calls him, is a cruel, ruthless businessman who treats the slaves in the most inhumane way imaginable. The author's descriptions of the conditions and treatment of the slaves is at times hard to read. But she makes it all very believable and her research seems very thorough. Pheby's character is developed well over the course of the book, as are the other characters. The ending was a bit of a surprise, and did leave a few questions unanswered. The epilog tied up a few loose ends but I felt that the story could have gone on a bit longer toward a more complete ending. I have never read any other books by this author but I plan to! Thanks for a great read!

Enjoyed this book as I read it all day just to see what would happen. The characters were really developed and with the descriptions you could picture each person.

This was a terrific novel. Historical fiction at its finest. I was sorry to get to the end of the novel. If you would like some excellent accounting of America’s past this is a great depiction of the slave trade and also what it meant to be “Yellow” neither black or white. But somewhere in between. Written from the perspective of Pheby, who is herself biracial, Sadequa Johnson makes Pheby so real and compelling we can and I fact should read her story. You will get caught up in this exceptional novel and you will learn. A win in my book. Special thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and Netgalley for this exceptional novel.

An historical fiction book based on facts and events that took place. It is the story of slave woman and her life set in the south before the start of the civil war. The characters are well developed and come alive. The fear that existed and some of the horrific events that take place in the novel kept it suspenseful. It kept me engaged and I did not want to put it down.

From goodreads

Sadeqa Johnson brings to brilliant life a little-told aspect of slavery...that of the African-American women who were forced to live with, have children by, and even to marry slave traders. Her eye for historical detail is brilliant- "small" things like real herbal treatments, how to wrap a child so it stays on your back without moving, how to treat whip injuries etc. just add to the eracity of the story. The afterward is especially interesting as you find out how much of the book is based on historical fact. Her characters are brilliantly drawn and so true to life and engaging. Except for a few brief breaks for cooking meals etc., I read it straight through.

It is a difficult read as there are extensive descriptions of slave mistreatment and its effects on their bodies/minds, child sex, and the difficulty of trying to build an actual life in the midst of a horror-filled situatin. I couldn't put it down, and Yellow Wife will be in the back of my mind for a long time.

I was lucky enough to get an advanced ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A richly historical novel highlighting the many injustices and turbulence of the slave trade in the 1850s-1880s.
Our main character, Pheby Delores Brown, begins a privileged life (for a slave) as the only surviving child of Master Jacob on a plantation. Taught to read and play piano by her aunt she is expecting her freedom papers on her 18th birthday. All goes wrong when the love her life Essex is forced to run away, and an accident occurs while her mother is travelling away from the plantation with Master Jacob. Her mother’s injuries lead to her death, while the master was taken to recover near to the accident. The Master’s wife takes advantage of the opportunity to send Pheby to Lapier Jail. Known to slaves as the Devil’s Half Acre, a place where slaves are beaten and broken before being resold at auction.
Upon arrival the Jail’s Master Rubin Lapier takes an immediate interest in Pheby, which she quickly leverages to her advantage when she becomes aware that she is carrying Essex’s child. Pheby now works in the sewing room, dressing up slave girls and woman to be sold by day and entertains Rubin at night. Dreams of freedom are discarded as she fights instead for the safety of herself and her son, Monroe.
As time passes, she gives the Master three daughters which he uses as pawns to keep Pheby from any plans of running. Pheby witnesses unbearable injustices to the slaves sent to the jail from inscrutable whipping and sexual abuse, but somehow manages to keep a level head and protect her lifestyle while walking a tight behavioral line to keep all her children safe. While she wasn’t sold as a slave, she is no less a slave to the Master, even if she sleeps in his home and shares his bed.
This was a very interesting and timely novel, especially when paired with the author’s notes indicating this fiction was based on her imaginings of the Lumpkin Jail in Virginia. All in all, it was a good read, if not incredibly sad. I would have liked to have read more emotion from Pheby while working as the seamstress preparing girls for sale – while she writes their stories in her diary, there is little more in the way of empathy, and she seems to have dodged this life by a very slim margin. Additionally it appears that her love for her son out-weighed those of her daughters – which could have been on purpose, given that her son was born of love, while her daughters were born by acts of necessity in order for Pheby to survive. This would be a good book for book clubs as there are may topics for debate and many emotions and feelings evoked throughout the pages.

Thank you for the copy! Much appreciated!

Yellow Wife should be read by everyone. Johnson plunges her reader into the life of Pheby, whose life as a slave is not one that you would ever have read before. The novel begins predictably, but the turns it takes are breathtaking and the choices Pheby makes will have you on the edge of your seat. Written with muscle and passion and power, this book will consume you. Johnson's research is thorough and reading the author's note will make your hair stand on end. This is a remarkable novel. It will be a classic.
#netgalley

Beautiful story about a yellow slave girl who is married to a slave jail master and the difficult choices she makes to keep her family alive. I felt all the feels with this book, of course anger and disgust but I also found myself having to take a step back and really put myself in her shoes to see the reasoning behind her choices. The ending did feel a bit rushed and I wished for more closure but other than that this was a beautifully written story and the cover is just gorgeous.

A heart wrenching read about slaves and the brutality inflicted on them. The book details quite vividly the beatings and disregard owners had for slaves... the unborn, children , women and men.This book recounts the story of Pheby , a young educated slave who becomes the mistress of a grotesque jailer and seller .Her story and that of the other slaves she encounters is one of survival and hope in the midst of extreme suffering and pain.

I received this book from Simon a and Schuster Canada and NetGalley and I thank them for the opportunity to read this book that is written about the slave trade in Southern US. The topic matter is heartbreaking and many times I felt physically ill reading this book but the topic is too important to shy away from. The least we can do is to experience some slight physical and emotional pain while reading this when it shows is how horrific the lives of slaves were, even when they were given some liberties. The fact that this is fiction takes nothing away from the utter lack of respect, kindness or empathy that so many people lacked. The main character Pheby, is an amazing character who comes across so realistically that I wanted to crawl in the book and help her. The author made each of her characters feel human although some were horrific human beings she gave us a glimpse of the types of people that traded, bought and sold slaves. At first I was not leased with the ending but I came to realize that the ending was a realistic one and therefore quite fitting.

My goodness the author has done a wonderful job of taking the role of Pheby and has given us a front row seat into what her life was like. I have always had an interest in the time when people thought that it was ok to own and control the life of another person and treat them worse than any possession they have. I have never been able to understand that mindset and it has given me so much compassion for these people and I love to read stories of how they could rise above their horrendous situation. In this book the author has done much research and has been able to use actual names and locations of some of the people and places in her book. My heart breaks for the life that Pheby had to live but the strength that it gave her to be able to rise above the situations of her life and to try and help others is remarkable. This story will stay in my heart, I am so thankful for the strength of the human spirit to determine to survive, no matter the circumstances. Pheby is a beautiful mulatto that has been brought up to believe that she will become a free woman on her 18th birthday, but when circumstances suddenly change Pheby is left confused and bitter. You will love to read how one woman can change the life of others. An absolutely beautiful and emotional story.
I received a free download of this book from the publisher and Netgalley. This review is totally my own honest opinion.

This book is beautifully written Sadeqa Johnson is a master at her craft .. deep in history amazing characters in a time of headship and sorrow .. please read this book