The Seven Daughters of Dupree was an emotional and powerful journey through generations of women bound by secrets, resilience, and an unshakable legacy. From the very beginning, I was drawn into Tati’s search for truth and identity—it felt so personal and raw. As each layer of the Dupree family history was revealed, I found myself moved by the pain, love, and sacrifice woven into their stories.

I’ll be honest—at first, the timeline shifts and introduction of so many characters left me a little disoriented. But once I settled into the rhythm, it became easier to follow and incredibly rewarding. Every chapter added depth and clarity, making the full picture come together in a really impactful way.

Each woman had her faults—there were definitely moments where I didn’t like their choices—but seeing things from their point of view made me understand them. I couldn’t help but feel compassion for what they endured and the strength it took to survive.

This book is a celebration of the strength of Black women, of legacy, of pain and perseverance passed down like an heirloom.

Thanks Netgalley and Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press for the ARC and opportunity to provide an honest review.

At first I wasn’t sure where the book was going, I had to reread the beginning a few because I was so confused. When the pieces started falling together, not only did I enjoy the book but I learned so much about historical black culture, specifically different terminology. Tati irked me a bit with her obsession with her dad but I guess I just wouldn’t understand. Overall good book, creative set up and I like that there was resolution in the end.

The Seven Daughter’s of Dupree is a story set in Alabama and Chicago that takes us from the preCivil War era to 1995. This multigenerational saga follows the story of 7 generations of women through multiple POVs and timelines.
Misogyny and racism are the constant themes that reoccur from generation to generation. As a result the women stand together and have gained strength from adversity. Each generation holds its own secrets that are slowly revealed throughout the novel.
Although a strong novel the nonlinear timeline made it difficult to follow at times. I found the story primarily centered around Tati, in 1995, and her mother Nadia, as Tati searched for her father. The story reached back to Nadia’s mother Gladys, who left Alabama for Chicago in the Great Migration, and Glady’s mother Ruby, whose father disowned her. The story gets murkier as it goes forward and back with more women and stories. I believe William’s would have had a better story if she had paired it down and fully explored just a few of these amazing women.
Their familial love is strong and is passed from generation to generation. Seven Daughters tackles generational trauma but I wish it validated the individuals more. I found the first half of the book confusing due to the multiple POVs. That being said I admired the families strong bond.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book. These opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lyrical, Lush, and Spiritually Grounded

The Seven Daughters of Dupree is a powerful and poetic celebration of Black womanhood, legacy, and ancestral memory. Nikesha Elise Williams writes with a voice that is both deeply rooted and elegantly soaring—grounded in tradition, yet unafraid to push the boundaries of genre and form. This novel is not just a story—it’s an offering.
Each of the seven daughters is a fully realized woman, holding joy, pain, power, and purpose. Williams braids their narratives together in a way that feels sacred and intentional, echoing the oral traditions of Black storytelling while honoring the divine feminine through every page. The prose is lush and lyrical, sometimes reading like scripture, sometimes like a whispered secret passed down through generations.

This book is deeply spiritual without preaching, fiercely Black without apology, and rich with cultural nuance. It asks readers to listen—not just to the words, but to the rhythms of ancestry, intuition, and womanhood that pulse beneath them. Reading this felt like a homecoming—an affirmation of identity, spirit, and the quiet resilience passed from one generation to the next. Nikesha Elise Williams has created something rare: a literary work that both honors the past and empowers the present. This is a must-read for lovers of Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward, and anyone seeking depth, beauty, and truth in fiction.

This is a well-executed multi-generational novel about Dupree women...beginning in Africa, coming to the South on slave ships, becoming free land-owning women, to the present day. The characters are well-developed and complex, and the sweeping time frame and many characters are clearly defined and tied together well between chapters. Generational trauma and familial bonds tie it all together to make it a masterful tale.

Following seven generations of Black women, from the enslaved trying to survive and escape, to a modern-day young woman trying to learn the identity of her father, Williams paints with a brush whose colors are dark at times, but also those that bring light and hope. Despite the challenges that these women must face, like severe, life-ending brutality, the devastation of not being able to “pass,” and being fathered by a married man who already has children, the Seven Daughters rise to the occasion again and again. A worthy entry to the genre of Black historical fiction.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree by Nikesha Elise Williams is a beautifully written historical/literary fiction novel set in Land’s End, Alabama. It is a tale of several generations of women who are “cursed” to birth only girls. Never having known her father, Tati, is on a mission to discover who he is and to unravel secrets held tightly by the women in her family. Williams takes the reader into the past to discover the stories of seven generations of strong African American women ….their pain, trauma, struggles, love, and family bonds. I really enjoyed this novel, with one caveat; at times I felt distracted by the time jumps and multiple POVs. So, if you are a reader who struggles with a nonlinear plot, this may take a bit longer for you to read. Nonetheless, it is well worth the extra time it may take to finish. Thanks to NetGalley and Simmon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions given are honest and my own.

This is a very good novel showcasing seven generations of African and African American women dating back to the 1800s. I felt their harrowing tragedies, heartache, injustice, love and faith. The phonetic writing added to the immersion and authenticity of the novel. Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this novel.

The Seven Daughters of Dupree is an extraordinary tapestry woven by seven generations of women and their secrets. Because the first of these weavers is a woman ripped from her home in Africa in 1860, her pain and resilience foretell the generational trauma that follows. As the narrative shifts from Lands End, Alabama to Chicago, it mirrors the Great Migration and its attendant socioeconomic gains for many African Americans.

Ultimately, the novel is a rumination on love, loss and unyielding family ties in the tradition of Homegoing and The Love Letters of W.E.B. Dubois.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Simon & Schuster for the eARC in exchange for my review.

“The Seven Daughters of Dupree” by Nikesha Elise Williams is a sweeping generational novel, impressive in both its depth and scope. The story and themes of the book are driven by well-developed female characters, whose lives span a period from the late eighteen hundreds through the present. It is a story of intergenerational trauma, of pain and separation, and of the deep connectivity and love that bring women together. There is pain and betrayal, confusion and heartbreak. There are harsh realities and events that cannot be overcome. There is also deep love and acts of kindness and grace. There is honesty, presence, and healing. The stories and lives of these women demonstrate the tenacity of the human spirit and the powerful bonds between mothers and daughters. A beautiful book, “The Seven Daughters of Dupree” weaves together the lives of the Dupree women using language and metaphor that resonates with who they are. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys complex and honest novels told with depth and honesty.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and to NetGalley for access to the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved how this story weaved together this family's story of seven generations of Black women. There is generational trauma, secrets, love, the rippling effects of actions passed on and resilience. I enjoyed the timelines and getting to know all the characters. The writing pulled me in and I was very drawn to the story. This a great first book by the author and I look forward to more.

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****

Fabulous! This was so good, I couldn’t put it down. Nikesha Williams has taken the story of one young woman’s quest to know who her father is and turned it into a multi-generation tale of secrets held for generations, and fraught mother-daughter relationships. The dialogue is authentic and I can almost smell the fumes from emanating from Nadia’s salon. I have a love/hate relationship with some of the characters (Jubi in particular), but in the end, I wish I could sit down and talk with all of them. Love you, Sisahs!

I thought this was a good read. There were a lot of different timelines though, so it was a little confusing at first.