Afia Atakora's Conjure Women has power and grace rarely seen in a debut novel. Set across antebellum and the Reconstruction era in the South, this book looks into the lives of a mother and daughter pair on a plantation. As conjure women, May Belle and Rue have both the power to heal and the power to destroy. This novel takes a critical look at race relations and the devastating impact of slavery on the psyche of enslaved people. It's a must-read book for 2020.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora is a historical fiction that tells the story of three women's lives on a Southern Plantation, set before, during, and after the Civil War. This unique story is so beautifully written it is hard to believe this is Afia Atakora's debut novel! The character development is superb, as is the vivid world building. I found myself immediately immersed in this world as we read all the twists and turns the characters lives take as they go from slavery to freedom with no equality. I felt so many emotions reading this novel....happiness, sadness, outrage, fear, and anger. There are parts that are hard to take because of their graphic nature. Harder still because even though this is a work of fiction, there is nothing in this book that has not happened in real life. There are themes of love, hate, heartbreak, friendship, betrayal, bravery, sacrifice, and the courage to survive and live no matter what. This book is a reminder that freedom isn't free, and we still have a long way to go towards equality.

If you are a fan of historical speculative fiction, magic, love, sacrifice, heartbreak, and the power to persevere no matter what, then go read this book! This gem published by Random House is available for order from all major booksellers. I give Conjure Women 5 out of 5 gems. I cannot wait for everyone to get to read this book! Happy Reading!

Such a well-written and female centered story. I also enjoyed the civil war era historical fiction, and dual timelines. It’s a beautiful story.

Sigh, I know that this was a big book for 2020, but I didn't actually like it as much as I had planned to. It took me forever to get into the story, and then when I did, I found I didn't care at all. 2.5/5 Stars.

It was a beautiful story about something that needed to be told. It was nonetheless hard to hear about the struggles within the story. I thought the jumps to different timelines was seamless. It was easy to move through the different story lines.

I loved that it used the history of America to focus on three people and their fives. A must read for anyone who loves history story-telling.

Atakora's novel is a gorgeously written insight into the lives of former slaves following the Civil War, their trials and worry and day-to-day lives. I just love this book and can see myself reading it again and again.

I really enjoyed this book. In some ways it reminded me of Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The Water Dancer" though this one focused on women protagonists. It is told in a dual-timeline narrative of a mother and daughter who serve as both midwives and "conjure women", meaning, using hoodoo charms to aid the people in their community. It goes back and forth between the time before the American Civil War and after abolition and the relationship of the daughter, Rue, to their former slave master's daughter, Varina. It had a small dose of magical realism to it, but mostly was a story of character development and how this community of former slaves dealt with ideas of freedom, fear, faith and redemption. If you are fans of historical fiction and women-centered stories, this is worth checking out.

I expected to read Conjure Women by Afia Atakora sooner when I got my digital ARC from Net Galley, but unfortunately I get so many review requests directly from authors, publishers and publicists that I promise to review by a certain date or point in the month. This June is especially busy with two blog tours, but I've shoehorned Conjure Women into my schedule by reading it at the end of May for a BOM (Book of the Month) discussion on a Goodreads group dealing with African American historical fiction called Black Coffee. Before participating in that discussion, I'll be posting this review.

Afia Atakora was born in the UK and raised in New Jersey. She graduated from New York University and received an MFA degree from Columbia University. Conjure Women is her first novel.

I had a high level of respect for May Belle, the first of the healers portrayed in this novel. She protected those she loved when she could, and did what she had to do. She was able to be pragmatic without losing who she was, and she really helped people. She probably learned healing by observing her own mother and expected Rue to do the same.

I am probably the only reviewer who noticed Rue saying more than once that she didn't want to be a healer, and I believed her. So this was central to my understanding of the character. She began her life as a slave which meant she had to follow expectations. Because of her lack of inclination toward healing, she didn't develop some important skills that her mother had. Yet by the time she had the freedom to make her own choices, she was too committed to this life path that she had never wanted. So I sympathized with Rue to a certain extent, but I thought she made some serious misjudgements that bothered me.

I've seen some reviews that wondered why the final scene, taking place in 1929, was included. I found it to be consistent with my interpretation of Rue's character. She was at the end of her life, but she was getting to do what she wanted in some small way. This says to me that she didn't have any freedom before then which is rather tragic, but probably a true statement about the lives of many people.

Sad and truthful is a good general statement about Conjure Women. The abolition of slavery didn't solve Rue's problems as an individual. People can be bound by obligations and expectations that make them unfree for a good portion of their time on earth.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing a review copy of this novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This debut novel, from Afia Atakora, needs to be on the top of your stack this month. I really am not sure why more people aren't talking about this stunning novel because it will be on my top ten this year, for sure.

With vivid storytelling, that is written so beautifully that it reads like a classic. It is a Southern historical fiction novel, spanning generations of women, before and after the war.

The story is of three women- May Belle (a midwife and healer in their community), Rue (who discovers she has some of her mother's gifts for healing), and Varina (the master's daughter). 

Being the town healers means that May Belle & Rue know many of the secrets, both of the slaves and their owners. Knowing this information has life-altering consequences, especially when it comes to their unforgiving master. 

Afia Atakora’s historical novel moves forward and backward in time in episodes labeled Slaverytime, Wartime, Freedomtime, or the Ravaging. While shifting timelines can feel confusing, in the beginning, you soon start to fall into the rhythm and crave each section in this phenomenal book. 

The writing is masterful, evocative, and beautifully researched. I just know you will fall in love with this one from the first page.

I don't have words for how much I loved Conjure Women. This book was so beautifully written, plot and character development were impeccable. I can't recommend this book enough, it exceeded my expectations in every possible way.

This book is beautifully written. The prose had me pressing the back 15 seconds button on the audio so I could relisten to certain sentences. That being said, this book was not for me. It gave me similar vibes to The Nickel Boys, which is also wonderfully written, but is about a heavy topic. I didn’t really enjoy the reading experience. I could not find a lot of hope in this book. The characters were hard for me to root for. I never found myself fully invested in the story.

This is a beautiful story filled with symbolism and lyrical writing. It took me a while to finish this book because it was a much heavier read than I expected. The story didn't have as much hoodoo as I would've liked, and I found it really hard to care about Rue, one of the main characters. The author goes back and forth between Rue and her mother, May Belle. We see how nuanced a mother/daughter relationship can be during slavery. The book explores the horrors of slavery as well as the layers of conjuring. I look forward to reading more from her.

This book was magical and heartbreaking and thought provoking. I really connected with the lyrical prose of this narrative. The setting was fully developed and felt so real. I did prefer the chapters with adult Rue then of those about her mother. The story was immersive and I enjoyed the magical element.

The characters are so well done and the story pulled me in right away. It was magical, devastating, wonderful, and sad.

I struggled to the 58% point of this book and then gave up reading and skipped to the end. The writing style was bland (not helped at all by the narrator of the audiobook) and I didn’t believe, or understand the purpose of, the Varina story. Maybe I have maxed out on fictionalized slave stories. If you are going to keep poking at a wound you should at least get the satisfaction of having some pain there. I was not moved by anything in this book. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

A slow burn of a book that grips you until the very end. Moving around in time to masterfully tell the story—a little here, a little there—until it all comes together in the end that’s just ambiguous enough to keep the reader wondering. Great example of the “show don’t tell” writing that I favor.

Powerful words make powerful images of this plantation Civil War and post-Civil War story. The story packs a wallop. Moving back and forth in time, the Civil War section is told by the slave woman responsible for healing, and that included conjure magic. At times, it is not an easy book to read. I wanted to slap the master’s young daughter so often and tell her to grow up. Reconstruction times are told by May Belle’s daughter. Also, a healing woman. There is so much emotion in this book, so much strength in both the slaves and the newly freed people. Endurance beyond what most of us could deal with. Freedom is not a pretty picture, it’s painful. And as secrets are revealed as the book ends, it becomes even more painful and sad. Compelling to the end, the reader will think about the people in this book for a long time.

<b>Conjure Women</b> follows two generations of women healers - May Belle and her daughter Rue during and shortly after the Civil War. As a conjure woman May Belle is revered on the plantation. She holds power among the slaves and wields a healthy dose of fear with the slaveholders.

By the time Rue assumes the mantle of healing, the Civil War has passed. Although most of the whites have gone, the slaves live in relative obscurity with the outside world ignorant of their existence. Not knowing the full extent of their freedom or the danger that lurks just beyond the borders of the plantation, they continue to subsist off the land. When a strange sickness hits the plantation, fear runs rampant. Instead of being glorified for her healing powers Rue is shunned and accused of being a witch. The community's hope is now put in a charismatic young preacher called Bruh Abel. In their religious fervor anyone who is different is scapegoated, demonized and separated from the flock.

<b>Conjure Women</b> is a magical debut that vividly captures this time period. A compulsive read, it emphasizes the importance of community, the resilience of women and knowing your power.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Afia Atakora for access to this book.</i>

I loved this. It was an interesting story woven together with beautiful writing. It flips from two perspectives: just before the civil war and just after. I thought the focus on these two women was very well done. It was focused yet enlightening. What's more, I loved how the characters had depth. Everyone you love or hate will inevitable make a mistake or show themselves not that bad. For that, I love it.

Rating Break Down
Writing Style: 9/10
Plot: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Ending: 8/10
Engagement: 8/10
Enjoyment: 8/10
Comprehension: 8/10
Pacing: 8/10
Desire to Reread: 5/10
Special: 5/10
Calculated Rating: 3.96/5
Final Rating: 4/5
Note, each rating is weighted based on personal importance to calculate a final score that is rounded to the nearest half.

Opening the story of a young black female slave who was the daughter of a southern cotton plantation slave in the 1850's, Rue learned her mother's skills by rote if not by heart. She witnessed and experienced the cruelty of slave owners and members of his family. Freedom came at a very high price for the blacks due to the hatred of KKK groups and poor whites. Living with so many secrets, Rue tried desperately to hide the freed plantation slaves who stayed to do the same things they did when under the whip and threats of the time of slavery.
This book is highly recommended for YA learning the history of the time of slavery in America.