Conjure Women is a sweeping story that brings the world of the South before and after the Civil War vividly to life. Spanning eras and generations, it tells of the lives of three unforgettable women: Miss May Belle, a wise healing woman; her precocious and observant daughter Rue, who is reluctant to follow in her mother's footsteps as a midwife; and their master's daughter Varina
The writing is vibrant and visceral. The muck, odors, and pain felt real. Detailed descriptions of clothing, dialects, and culture all place the reader firmly in the scene.

The healing aspects are interesting, but in this story, the book is less about magic or 'conjuring,' and more about slavery, the three women and their community. How they were affected by slavery, and the aftermath of the Civil War.
Amidst a suspenseful and gripping story, there’s an exploration of identity, individualism, community, faith, superstition, conformism and — most of all — freedom. What is the cost of freedom? What is the weight of freedom? And are any of us truly free?
For readers of Historical Fiction

Reading this novel, I was drawn in by the rich history of the community in its pre- and post-war identities, and I was fascinated by Ms. May Belle and Ma Doe in particular. Of all the characters, I found Rue (the protagonist) the least compelling, so I was impatient with the two timelines, caring much more about the past than about the present.

Miss May Belle and her daughter Rue are respected and also feared for their powers to heal and curse. But as their story unfolds before, during, and after the Civil War, we learn that they're more than just their powers. They are human beings, with their own passions, regrets, and secrets.

This book enraptured me from the first chapter. The characters are wonderfully vivid, and their healing and conjuring powers are more than enough to grab my attention. My only criticism is the timeline. The jumps between years makes it a little challenging to follow, and it pulled me away from the characters that I so desperately wanted to learn more about. There is so much here to love, though, so I still highly recommend it to lovers of historical fiction and fantasy.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora is a haunting and mesmerizing historical fiction set in the South during the Civil War Era.

A stunning debut novel, focusing on Miss May Belle and her daughter Miss Rue, as it sweeps across eras and generations. Capturing the American Civil War, before and post war reconstruction period in American history.
A wonderful tale of mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing, along with the conjuring of curses.

1867, Rue is a midwife and healer, living with other former slaves on the only land she knows, an old plantation where the burned ruins of a once-grand mansion are a silent sentinel to a bygone world. Rue protests the secrets she’s carried since before the war, the memories of her strange friendship with the masters daughter, and the loss of her mother, May Belle, who taught her everything she knows about the gathering of herbs for healing and the crafting of curses.

Rue known for her healing and spells, has taken on her mother's work of delivering babies, healing townsfolk, and conjuring spells for those willing to pay in the years after slavery is abolished.

However, a mysterious illness starts to plague the village that Rue is a complete loss on how to halt it from spreading. When suspicions shift to Rue, the townspeople start to think maybe she might be the cause. Rue’s quiet life is disrupted by the birth of a pale child with black eyes, a charismatic traveling preacher and a devastating sickness that haunts a community

A captivating book that’s strength lies in it’s incredible character driven storyline.
With stellar engaging plot twists, that will keep you guessing and and immersed from start to finish.
Atakora's writing is effortless and vibrant, her magical prose will draw you in and keep completely turning the pages as this spellbinding book unfolds.
Written with lush, irresistible, and poetic prose makes Conjure Women by Afia Atakora a haunting and mesmerizing historical fiction set in the South during the Civil War Era.

I highly recommend you pick up "Conjure Women" on April 7! Thank you again to @randomhouse for this review copy!


#ConjureWomen #HistoricalFiction


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This book held me in its grasp from the first page and it wouldn’t let go - nor was I interested in letting it go. The plot, the characters, the way the book is made up of past and present: everything works so perfectly, all woven together in Afia Atakora’s beautiful, beautiful writing.

Conjure Women is the story of pre and post Civil War South, during slavery and after abolition, and it shares the stories of Miss May Belle and her daughter Rue, healing women born into slavery, surviving into freedom, and Miss Varina, the mistress of the plantation where they all reside(d). It’s the story of family, of pain, of traditions, and superstitions, of secrets, and of love, all told through the voices of women.

I loved Rue. She reluctantly carries on her mother’s legacy of healing and midwifery, unsure of her own powers or even if she wants to have powers. She’s flawed, as any human is, and takes action in ways that are not always easy to understand (I personally did), but in my opinion she was perfectly created, a character who came alive for me, and one that I will not forget. I had a lot of sympathy for Miss May Belle, my heart broke for her and the choices she had to make, and also some for Miss Varina, a girl born into her own golden restraints, but neither drew me in as much as Rue did.

I also loved how the book is written, alternating between times and voices, allowing the reader to slowly understand the entire story, all the way up until the very last pages. The structure, along with the wonderful characters, made the book completely unputdownable.

All in all Conjure Women is a beautifully built and magnificently told story of slavery in the south, of survival, of tremendous pain and heartbreak, and of the love that continued despite the pain.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this beautiful, heartbreaking novel in return for an honest review. Thanks to Afia Atakora for this beautiful first novel, and all of the hard work that it must have taken to birth it.

'More profit to be made in curses than in her work mixing healing tinctures. More praise to be found in revenge than in birthing babies.'

Slaverytime 1854 we meet Miss May Belle, a slave woman well known for crafting curses, because as she tells it, “Hoodoo is black folks currency.” What other power is to be found than in such things? It’s another form of hope when drowning in desperation. In a time when other slavefolk were forced to work in the fields, or on carpentering and cooking Miss May Belle has her hoodooing and healing (for various afflictions) as well as midwifery skills. She is the one the slavefolk turn to, and sometimes the white man as well; when what ails him is a shameful thing. Her own daughter Rue comes of age at her side, learning more than healing wounds, and birthing babies. She learns first hand about true love and passion watching her parents during her father’s brief visits and the abysmal pain and suffering of its loss. She also learns about the cost of freedom and ownership. Then she witnesses the consequences conjures take on a person’s body and soul. Through her mother’s gifts and skills she is able to weave in and out of the lives of their people as well as the home of their master and his family, prosperous landowner Marse Charles.

As a playmate to his spoiled daughter Varina, Rue has more freedom than afforded girls like her and is privy to a different life. Yet Rue learns her place well, always watching from afar the life that she knows divides them. When she forgets her place her mother is sure to do the reminding. Miss May Belle may be freer than most, but she still must abide by the unspoken rules of the white-man. The master’s child Varina loves to be wild and who better to be an “accomplice to witness her rebellion” than Rue. It always turns into punishments for her alone, for her mamma Miss May Belle has eyes and ears everywhere, and an uncanny way of knowing everything her girl gets up to. In order to keep her safe and under the care of Marse Charles she must teach her everything she knows, whether Rue wants to learn or not and that includes behaving properly, and colored little girls can’t run around fancy and free like Varina.

The story goes back and forth between slavery and freedomtime, Rue’s childhood and her turn at caring for the people her own mother gives up on after a horrific tragedy. Superstitions seem to guide the people, especially when a baby is born more like a pitiful creature, something that everyone feels is more like a curse than a bundle of joy. She has birthed every child in town since the end of slaverytime, more intimately involved in all their lives than anyone. But she knows firsthand how fast praise can turn to hatred, more so when a religious man comes to town. Everyone needs someone to blame their bad luck on, it’s so much easier than looking within. When the old ways no longer save you, maybe God can, but the bible doesn’t take with Hoodoo. Love itself can be as potent as a curse, as too can harboring secrets about the people in the town and Marse Charles’ family. Someone is always scheming, there is little comfort to be had. Gossip can cost anyone their standing, especially Rue. Running away can be dangerous but so can ‘digging in’, making a stand and fighting for your small place in the world. Rue will not run, even if Bruh Abel is set on her ruin. Even if the bible marks her as evil, fallen, in need of redemption. Maybe Bruh Abel isn’t so pure either?

Fear runs rampant among the people, curses aren’t enough, and every affliction can’t be cured. The woods are not always silent nor still, they too are haunted by memories, and possibly something else. Secrets seems to go there. So many decisions Rue is forced to make to protect others, so many wrong moves and yet nothing for herself. Will it ever change? Is she forever trapped in this life rooted in whispers, secrets, gossip, grief, curses, and conjures? What will the price of freedom be for Rue? Life is a heavy weight and what comfort can be found in her mother’s words? “Fix what you’ve done. Or live with it quiet.”

There are some things that one cannot live with and everything you have done will rise up. It’s an interesting historical fiction with a taste of magical realism, people help each other but also harm one another. Rue carries many burdens and tries hard to make things right. It’s written from the perspective of slavery, rather than ownership and it lends a far more authentic experience. This is a writer to watch! For those who are into cover love, how beautiful is the book cover? As I read it, I kept thinking someone will make this into a movie. Who knows? It’s a fantastic debut!

Publication Date: April 7, 2020

Random House Publishing

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora
I am so glad I got my hands on Conjure Women by Afia Atakora, I always try to fit Historical fictions or a good Literary Fiction in my “read pile” every year. This beautifully intricate story of a mother and daughter during Pre-Civil War times, during, and after Emancipation is the historical read I always search for.

The alternating views of these complicated women made for a multi layered masterpiece. And the complicated, but yet, never gets old story between mother and her daughter is explicitly factual in this folkolore fiction tale.

This book is filled with grit, with beautifully yet tragic vivid descriptions of slavery. The day and life of Miss May Bell, the healer for Marse Charles land. You see her daily life of grinding herbs, rubbing concoctions, and healing the wounded people of the land. You also experience Miss May Bell raising her young daughter Rue, teaching her the ins and outs of the vocation. Being that Rue was allowed to be born, in order to inherit her mother’s role. I meant to say that statement, Rue, being an investment the the Master of the land. This kind of non-constrained honesty is hard to read, but these sort of stories whether they are fiction or real life stories need to be witnessed and felt.

We then have Rue, a couple years passed her mother’s passing, and post emancipation. Rue is holding a big grudge for her upbringing and the inheritance of skeletons in the closet her mother passed on, but also, she despises her role as healer. Rue is finding her and her people are still evolving and understanding what this FREEDOM truly means.

The thought of people who for generations did not have the knowledge of what being free is, can feel so far fetched for us during these times. This sobering story really peels back layers for a reader. Conjure Women in all it’s glorious fiction feels like the truth we need to feel. Atakora cultivated a story filled with vivid imagery, complex characters, heart breaking facts that enhance the reading experience as if it is a film playing out in front of you.

I gave Conjure Women by Afia Atakora 4.5 stars. If you are a historical fiction or literary fiction fan, I highly recommend this. The story feels so real, so vivid. The heartache from finishing it is still prevalent, but that to me is good writing. The book hangover that keeps you feeling all the feels, GAH! What an amazing work of fiction!

Conjure Women by Afia Atakora comes out April 7th, 2020. This author is one to watch out for. She is unafraid, she is talented, that is the formula for good stories. Even if you have been afraid to dive into historical fiction or literary fiction, I would highly recommend you picking up Conjure Women, the imagery is so vivid, the writing so beautifully graphic, it will captivate you, mind and soul.

4.5

There can’t be many things more frustrating than people who can’t or won’t take help. When someone as clever and educated as Rue, the protagonist of Afia Atakora’s novel, Conjure Women, tries to help her community of freed people in the post-Civil War South, they fear her. Worse, when a preacher comes with a new belief system, Rue becomes a monster to people she’s healed and helped birth. They stop listening to her and refuse her cures, much to her annoyance. But, to complicate things, we see Rue make some high-handed mistakes alongside her good deeds. This is a novel that keeps us on our toes because we have to wait for the very end to make up our minds about Rue.

The village where Rue lives is a strange one. They are isolated from any neighboring communities. After freedom came, they stayed on the plantation where they worked—the white “masters” had apparently died or run off. Rue, as the only one who has any medical knowledge and who can curse or bless as well as her legendary mother, is a de facto leader of the unnamed village. But there are hints that their peaceful isolation is coming to an end. First, a child is born with unnerving black eyes, white skin, and a complete caul. Next, Bruh Abel appears with all the fire of a preacher determined to save every single soul he meets. Lastly, there are rumors of white men wearing white hoods doing terrible things to any Black person they catch. Rue is caught in the middle of this. Her self-appointed duty to these people, who she grew up with when they were still enslaved, won’t let her walk away.

The frustration that Rue feels when her people start to turn their backs on her—she refuses to be baptized—is matched by our knowledge that Rue is making mistakes. For me, Conjure Women turned into a story about the pitfalls of being the person who thinks they know is best, but is wrong. She believes she’s doing the right thing. We know she’s not. The novel moves back and forth in time, showing us a parade of people who think they know best. Rue’s former “owners” thought they knew best for the people they enslaved. (The white’s attitudes to their slaves are horrifically illustrated by a minstrel show.) Bruh Abel thinks he knows best, but prayer is no cure when a virulent disease sweeps through the village. Both the malevolent and the well-intentioned people who know better in Conjure Women had me wondering what I argue is best for other people.

I spent so much time reserving judgment while I read Conjure Women that I’m having a hard time deciding if I liked it or not—at least until she started letting go of things she’d held on to so tightly for years. I liked Rue’s humanity and her depth of knowledge about plants. I loved the way she took no crap from anyone. On the other, this book meanders and takes a long time to get rolling, before ending abruptly. I also didn’t care for any of the other characters, which made it hard to get into the book. But then, I also liked its originality. It’s unlike any other novel about slavery I’ve ever read. But then I wished we had learned more about Rue’s root work…On and on, back and forth. I’m really not sure what to conclude about this novel.

The world Afia Atakora builds is filled with curiosities: a baby named Bean with scales under his skin, a woman named Airey who sprouts black wings, a conjurer and midwife named Miss May Belle who will fix anyone who curses you, and a white woman named Varina who locks herself away in a crumbling church each night. When tragedy strikes the small town of formerly enslaved Black people, they call on Miss May Belle’s daughter, Miss Rue. A healer and midwife like her mother, Miss Rue leads a lonely existence. In the eyes of the town, Miss Rue’s midwifery skills mark her as holy but when babies begin to die she becomes a pariah. Reminiscent of Zora Neale Hurston’s lyricism in Their Eyes Were Watching God, Atakora’s style moves with an easy grace of someone telling a story from the comfort of their rocking chair. Conjure Women has clear connections to Charles Chestnutt’s The Conjure Woman but the tale also reads like one of the most famous Black folk tales, The People Could Fly. The horrors that slaveholders tattoo on Black bodies recalls the painful medical experiments of Lucy Zimmerman, Anarcha Westcott, and Betsey Harris. At times, Atakora’s veiled references to these women and Brer Rabbit tales appear clunky but this is more of an editorial gaffe than a reflection of Atakora’s agility as a writer. Like the woman named Airey who sprouts wings and soars into the night sky, Conjure Women leaps to unimaginable heights.
I am unable to post this review to Amazon because the book is not yet available but I will definitely be posting and spreading the word!

This book follows several African slaves, both women and families, and their white owners, in both the antebellum and Civil War-era United States on a specific plantation in the South over several spans of time.  This story is told from a very diverse timeline, as it jumps back and forth between slavery time and war time, but later as the narrative changes the timeline also changes.  We learn about Miss May Belle who is the local healer and witch, along with her daughter Rue.  Both women, through time change and morph into strong and independent women who make do with their lives even in the obscene hardship they are placed in.  Throughout this book there are also several other character that take center stage, including Varina, the master's daughter.  This book is ultimately a meditation on womanhood, family, strength, and friendship and what each of those parts of humanity mean when placed in strained circumstances.    

First of all, a lot happens in this book.  So much that if can be quite difficult and dense to follow.  It is pretty important to key on early that it jumps in between times and has a non-linear timeline.  If you don't understand that early on, it is very easy to get lost or confused.  Secondly, the language is this book is so rich but also dense.  I like that the author decided to use a dialect in the writing, but it can be difficult to get through.  At times, I ended up having to read a word or sentence out-loud in order to understand what it was saying.  This really adds an entire dimension to this story and grounds it in something that feels a bit more realistic. 

Thirdly, this story can be very dark and triggering at times.  That should be a given since it discusses slavery and slave life, but alongside the horrible ways Africans were treated once they were brought to the United States, there are several other triggering aspects in this story such as rape, torture, and the death of babies and children.  I appreciated that the author doesn't just glance over these things, but she seeks to draw them out and explain them in a very relevant historical context.  It was really neat for me because, as I was reading this book I was also teaching The Civil War in my history courses.  Unlike a lot of other professors, I like to discuss everything, including the ugly and sad.  This book fascinated me, even though it did detail horrible parts of history, because it didn't cover those things up or forget them.

The stories of Rue, Varina, and Miss May Belle really stick out to me because even thought this is a historical piece, their stories and lives still could be found today.  It is not as if stories such as these do not happen anymore; rather it is sadly still common.  Alongside the sad, the overarching story of persevering and thriving in spite of negativity is so uplifting.  This women suffer a lot but still realize and understand the importance of unity, discussion, trust, and community.  There is a very strong undercurrent of female empowerment and connection that illuminates this book.  Besides being a fantastic story with a moving plot, the power of women and the importance of women's lives really made the book a 5-star read for me.

Overall, I am so grateful to have been able to read this book and share my views.  Books like this, that recount the taboo and disgusting stories of our history should be more readily available for the masses.  While it does recount a small part of an ugly history, it also brings to light the power of community and the strength that women have in their own rights.  I enjoyed those empowered messages and the feeling of hope in the end, after so much destruction and travesty.

This one hurt but hurt in a way a good book does to you. I did have to put it down, read another, lighter book and then come back to finish reading it.

It mostly follows Rue before the Civil War when she is a slave and after when she is free still living on the same plantation with other freed slaves. Connected to her are her mother and slave owner's daughter. Events unfold and Rue's live is not easy before and after the war.

Rue's relationship with the slave owner's daughter was the most interesting. They are the same age and could almost be friends except the daughter will always see Rue more like a doll than an equal. And Rue has a complicated relationship with her because of this. At one point she almost hates her but still can't let her go.

I didn't like the last chapter. It wasn't tied together with the rest of the story. Or was I just slow?

The story of slavery, war, mothers, healing, love, and brutality left me breathless. What left me awestruck was the talent of the writer whose mind invented the story and set it on the page so powerfully in the written word. Needless to say I loved “The Conjure Women” May Belle the healer/midwife and her daughter Rue who inherits her gifts. Together they hold together their community often with their willingness to take the harder line as well as with the skill of their hands. This book is wonderful and needs to find it’s way into everyone’s hands!

Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 4
Pace: 3
Plot development: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

This was one book I was very excited to receive through NetGalley and Random House

Conjure Women showed elements of slavery and the plantation along with magic. This story happens after the civil war and you get to know more about Rue throughout the story. there are flashbacks from when Rue was little growing up on the plantation with her mother who was a midwife and healer. Her mother taught her everything she knew about spiritual healing. I really enjoyed Rue's moms storyline a lot. Even with magic in the story it wasnt fantasy more of a folktale which i really enoyed. and though the beginning was a little slow the story starts to pick up and you don't ever feel confused about anything.
I dont want to give much away but i highly recommend this read and i want to thank random house for granting my wish to read this amazing story.

Courtesy of NetGalley, I received an ARC of Conjure Women by Afia Atakora. This remarkable debut novel is set on a plantation around the Civil War era, centered on strong women characters and the implications of "hoodoo", herbal knowledge, and healing powers. Well researched, the story is compelling with several unforeseen twists, and the dialect is perfectly written. I was totally drawn into this story!

A mesmerizing read a book that takes you back in time into the mystery of these women.a book of conjurers a book of twists and turns.An author to flow a first novel that will stay with you a book I will be recommending to all my friends who love literary fiction.#netgalley#randomhouse

Conjure Women is a richly structured novel, moving between the last years of southern slavery and the risky freedom that followed. Multiple stories play out in alteration, informing each other, as well as functioning on their own. Because I kept wanting the next part of this two-sided puzzle, I found Conjure Women a very difficult book to put down.

Conjure Women does nothing to "whitewash" either slavery or the dangerous years after it, but it also doesn't indulge in gratuitous violence. There is cruelty, both across and within races. There are also badly made choices, when characters, addressing pressing needs, create entirely news set of problems and injustices. Afia Atakora's insight into the complicated natures of human identity and desires gives us a world both blemished and carefully observed.

Given the wonderful quality of its plotting, characters, and prose, I feel compelled to call Conjure Women on of this years must-read novels. Don't miss it.

I received a free electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.

This book tells the story of The, a Conjure woman, living in a small community of former slaves. The story flashes from the present to the past and we see Rue's life growing up on a plantation and her relationship with her mother, May Belle, who teaches her everything she knows about traditional African inspired healing.
Atakora does a very good job of highlighting the nuances of plantation life, especially when it came to the relationships of slaves, their owners (and extended family).
However, I have to admit that I found Rue as a character to be bland. I was more intrigued by her mother's story and would have loved to read even more about her.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love any historical fiction, especially centered around The Civil War and WWII. Even though these were such sad and depressing times in history, I love reading stories in that time period because it reminds me of my grandparents and great grandparents. Afia Atakora is one of those writers that will stand the test of time. This is definitely going to be one of those books in 50-100 years that we are still talking about. It is a true classic in the making.

Atakora’s writing is so vivid and vibrant. It makes you feel immersed in the story. I love how she wrote from dual perspectives. The chapters would almost tease you.. I would be so ready to find out what happened next, then the story would shift to another perspective. It was maddingly perfect.

I truly feel that Atakora captured the life on a Southern plantation. She wasn’t scared to write about some of the horrors and brutalities but in a way that didn’t use those as the main focus of the store. The people who experienced the brutality were not reduced to being “victims” but the situations and brutalities they faced were not just swept under the rug. You watch them turn these horrific tragedies into strengths and grow from them.

All and all this was an amazing novel. I want to personally thank Afia Atakora, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title. I enjoyed every minute!

I haven't read many books that take place during the civil war south, so I found this book interesting. It wasn't so much about "conjure women" as I'd hoped but more about the lives of women slaves and their ties together. However, that was okay it was still a good read that pulled you jnto the story.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.