Memphis was an absolutely FABULOUS read; one of my top reads for the beginning of 2022! Honestly, I was recommending it to everyone. And I need to reread it as soon as possible so I can get discussing with more people!

Tara M. Stringfellow’s Memphis is a lyrical and poignant debut that traces three generations of Black women in the North family, set against the rich cultural tapestry of Memphis, Tennessee. The novel begins in 1995, as Miriam flees an abusive marriage with her daughters, Joan and Mya, returning to her ancestral home. Through a non-linear narrative, the voices of Miriam, her sister August, their mother Hazel, and Joan intertwine, revealing a legacy marked by resilience, trauma, and unwavering familial bonds.

Stringfellow’s prose, imbued with poetic elegance, captures the complexities of motherhood, sisterhood, and the indomitable spirit of Black womanhood. While the narrative structure, with its shifting timelines and perspectives, may challenge some readers, it mirrors the fragmented yet enduring nature of memory and heritage. The city of Memphis itself emerges as a character, its history and community deeply influencing the lives of the North women.

Memphis is a testament to the strength passed down through generations, celebrating the beauty and pain that shape a family's legacy. It's a compelling read for those who appreciate stories of generational resilience and the intricate bonds that tie us to our roots.
Many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the approved e book.

A powerful multi-generational epic of female strength, family and community.

From multiple perspectives and across interwoven timelines, we follow the women of the North family as they navigate persistent themes of racial prejudice and domestic violence.

I really enjoyed this book that centers on family and identity. The writing was vivid, and the characters were engaging. While I found it emotional and meaningful, it took me some time to finish because it didn’t always hold my interest.

This book is a triumph. It had everything that a good book has. It was fast, slow, poignant and a whole host of other things. The writing was beautiful and the characters were so relatable giving me the sense that I was in the story alongside them. Definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley.

This is a really beautiful insight into family and femininity, portrayed through three female generations of a Black family based in Memphis. It was an incredible representation of Blackness, and of this family that fully embrace their culture and values, and how they pass these down to their children. It was interesting as well to see how generational trauma was handled in this, especially in relation to the men of the household. All of the women are missing some form of a father figure, and the one male character that lives with them, Derek, acts so violently that it is hard to believe he continues to live there, as if nothing has happened. The white doctor believes that Joan won't remember the crime that Derek committed against her when she was three, but of course she does, and this is an interesting insight into how Black pain is often overlooked, but is felt keenly by the female members of the family.
I do sometimes struggle with stories that jump around in chronology and protagonist, and I found myself at times forgetting whose story was whose, and which time period we were in. On top of this, I don't fully understand the choice to make Joan's chapters the only ones in first person - to me, I don't feel like she is more of the main character than others. In fact, I would say Miriam (Joan's mother) is more central to the narrative, and so it felt odd to have her in the third person.

A beautifully descriptive novel with a time line that weaves between the various women at the heart of the story. The power of the storytelling and the wonderfully drawn characters keep you reading. Fabulous.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Memphis is a kaleidoscopic story of four female generations of the North family – Joan and Mya whose mother has taken them and fled from her violent husband to the ancestral home in Memphis. Miriam and August, the mother of Joan and Mya and their aunt, Hazel, their mother whose husband built the family home and became the city’s first black detective, only to be lynched a few days later in an explosion of appalling racial violence. There is also Della, an earlier matriarch.

This book is all about family, community and female strength.

Stringfellow builds a brilliantly non-linear narrative that manages to present several strands of narrative that are both distinct in their sense of person, time and place but also delicately interwoven so that the echoes and ramifications are felt down the generations.

The relationships are complex and each narrator gives a different shade to them, casting light on different areas and interpretations so that each experience is individual and every voice offers a different perspective. There’s a lot of darkness as the family continues to experience violence (racial, domestic and gender-based) and racism despite the passing of time, but the overwhelming mood is one of strength, resilience and hope.
The writing itself is gorgeous. Powerful, colourful, lyrical. It delights all the senses with the descriptions of the setting, the music the food. It’s a wonderful novel, absolutely remarkable for being a debut. I cannot wait to see what Tara Stringfellow does next.

Memphis
Ohhhh! I’ve been totally blown away by this book!
Such an intensely rich and beautiful debut from Tara Stringfellow. An inter-generational story of the North Family Women, who live in North Memphis. Fact and fiction blend seamlessly, adding to the depth of the lives of these amazing women. Such beautiful characters, I wished that I could live in their neighbourhood.
This is a book that will stay in my mind for a long time.

Memphis was a very dark novel, I think that the synopsis fails to show this is DARK.
I love a generational story, this book was an intense story. There was part of the book that bothered me involving abuse, I thought it wasn't really discussed in detail. I don't understand why it didn't cause issues between the sisters?

A beautiful tale exploring the strength of women, sisterhood and love. It takes a penetrating look at the toll that history has and the lasting effects it leaves through generations.

This is a book that will dazzle you and have you falling in love with every page. I loved the style and the actual story, tearing through it and swimming in the depths of character the author has built.

Centering around the return of a mother and her two daughters to her childhood home, having fled from it after a traumatic and cruel event. The story moves through the lives of the woman of this family as they find their strength in each other and deep within themselves. We watch as they grow, live and thrive in this city they all call home, learning to forgive and wrestling with what it means to be black in Memphis.

The book itself has a style reminiscent of a memoir, written in a vibrant lyrical voice and comes to life as it exposes the dark history of Memphis. I adored it, and felt deeply affected by all the events portrayed, past and present. As someone who has a sister of her own, any story involving sisters always touches a cord and this one strummed it liberally.

This book celebrated black girl magic, showing that is flourishes even in the face of adversity, and the can-do attitude of the strong women present had me smiling from ear to ear. I cannot recommend this book highly enough as it is beautiful and stunning and dazzling. With a beautiful story, dazzling writing and a stunning cast of characters there is something for everyone here to enjoy and a place to get lost amongst the pages. This book was like a good home cooked meal. I finished it and felt satiated in the best way possible.

I do think it is important to include a list of trigger warnings as these caught me off guard. They could potentially be quite harmful to someone who is triggered by topics of sexual assault and racist violence.

Other than that this book will be firmly placed in my top 10 list of books read this year and nothing can unseat it from its throne.

P.S The author is lovely too. I had the audacity to send her a fan DM and got the loveliest response.

This book is like a massive old American cuddle full of Southern charm. Set in the home of the blues Memphis Tennessee it follows the 3 generations of women in a family and how their loves, lies and mistakes leave an imprint, not only on themselves, but on generations to come. It's well written, the characters are well rounded and full of life and I looked forward to picking up the book at every opportunity I got. Highly recommended. Thanks to Tara Stringfellow, John Murray and Netgalley for the ARC.

nice premise and a great read.
- thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an early review.

Tara M. Stringfellow’s début novel, Memphis, is a gripping and equally touching story that spans three generations of Black women in the North family. Joan was only a young child when she last visited the family home in Memphis, but now she and her sister and mother are returning to the house that carries family secrets and history in every fibre. Joan can’t change what has happened to her, or any of the women in her family, in the past, but she can create a beautiful future if she only follows her artistic passions.

This is a stunning book that will touch souls as it celebrates Black womanhood, female bonds, Black joy, and Black artistry. A vivid portrait of three generations of the North family, from young Joan back to her grandmother Hazel, it showcases the enduring strength of what is passed down from mother to daughter, and at the same time is a love letter to the city of Memphis that they call home. The city is far from perfect, of course, but the bustle of Beale Street on summer nights, and the neighbourhood that come together in times of need make it a community worthy of this ode.

As well as exploring the warmth of this family, Stringfellow also dives into the darker aspects of the family’s history, exploring some difficult and dark topics; from sexual assault to racism and the lynching of Hazel’s husband, Myron, by his all-White police squad. By supporting one another, the North women – and the other Black women in the neighbourhood – remain resilient.

The author also brilliantly weaves real-life historical events such as Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination and the events of 9/11 throughout this fictional narrative to tie the North women firmly into history.

Jumping back and forth through time, the story of the North women is one that will pull you in as Tara M. Stringfellow perfectly balances the darkness with the enduring bonds and Black joy that hold these women together.

Devastating, brutal and beautiful - while Stringfellow writes with ease, Memphis' content is far from easy.
That said, this short story managed to pack in all the literary punches I adore: a multigenerational saga earmarked by several significant events in contemporary history, resilient and tenacious women, a medium-paced plot, unpretentious language - oh, the list goes on!

Many has sung the novel's praises, but for me the highest compliment I can pay of Memphis and Tara M. Stringfellow's authorship is that it knocked me right out of my (five month) reading slump, being the first book I have finished since January (!). If that doesn’t convince you that this one has something special to offer, I don’t know what will.

A solid debut novel retracing the lives of 3 generations of women from a family in Memphis.
The book begins with a car journey back to Memphis, and it also brings the reader on a journey through time and family roots. The narrative is non linear and works quite well but I did wonder where the story was going for a while or rather if we were going to get some sense of closure. We do, and there is hope but I was left wanting a little more.

It’s a story of loss but also love, race and legacy. It’s compelling and I can see why people love it. Motherhood and sisterhood are themes that I really enjoy reading about and it certainly delivered in that regard.
What I enjoyed the most were the female characters, they were extremely well written especially Joan and Miss Dawn, I could have read a whole book on Miss Dawn actually!
Well worth a read, it’s a 3.5⭐️ from me.

There are content warnings so do check them out before delving in.

Thanks to @johnMurrays and to @netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review. Memphis is now out.

I read a lot of contemporary fiction, but also multi-generational books taking place in the US. So when I saw the cover and blurb of Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow, I knew I had to read it. I got attached to the characters straight away. My favourites were the main narrator, Joan, but also her aunt August.

I think the tagline for this book is misleading. It's not a "joyous celebration of the enduring strength of female bonds". Yes, there is joy, true Black joy - my favourite being the scenes in August's hair salon - but there is a great deal of trauma too. I am drawn to sad, character-driven books, so I devoured this book, but please, check the trigger warnings.

If you like Yaa Gyasi, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Maya Angelou, I highly recommend this book. It deals with female solidarity, mother-daughter relationships, poverty, abuse, police brutality, war, adeptly blending historical events (the assassination of MLK, the murder of Emmett Till, 9/11…) with fiction.

It made me want to visit the South. The was the community was described, the mentions of food, sounds, people, and dresses especially? 🤩👗 All of it was vivid and fascinating.

My only gripe was with some of the characters' arcs, especially the men. The ending left certain things ambiguous. But this is a solid ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 for me. Adding @tarastringfellow to my list of auto-buy authors!

Very many thanks to @netgalley and @johnmurrays for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An absorbing story of three generations of Southern Black women supporting each other through unimaginable violence and abuse. Our protagonist is 10 year old Joan, who is swept up in the middle of the night by her mother, to flee from her abusive military father to safe haven of the ancestral home in Memphis. Whilst there is love and support in Memphis, the inhabitants of the house and the town have their own dark and complicated history. Harrowing and heartfelt the strength of the women in this story is beautiful and compelling. This really was an impressive debut novel. Would love to read whatever Tara Stringfellow writes next.

A brilliant and absorbing tale of a Southern family struggling to understand what that word means. An illuminating examination of how family also interacts with forgiveness and guilt, and the strength of the bond between mother and child. Would highly recommend!

i really really liked this one!! one of my tops of 2022. this follows the women of a black family who grew up and have links to memphis and what brought them back over the years. it jumps around in time a lot and there are a few different povs but i really liked how it all came together. the writing was so so good