The illegitimate daughter of a plantation owner, Pheby Delores Brown was promised her whole life she would be freed from slavery on her eighteenth birthday. Instead, she is sent to Devil's Half-Acre, the most infamous slave jail in Virginia. Pheby is then purchased by the owner of the jail who is intent on making Pheby his mistress. Johnson focuses on the impossible choices and sacrifices people make for love. Pheby's story highlights that even though these yellow wives might appear to have better lives than a field hand, they are still very much slaves at the mercy of their masters. Although I loved the basis of the story, I didn't have as strong an emotional reaction as many reviewers. Yet, I would still recommend it to those who love to read historical fiction.

Pheby is a mulatto woman. She is living with a prison owner. She has four daughters with him. She also has a son from her boyfriend at the plantation she lived at. He was able to run away from his enslavement. She was sold by her mistress because of his running away. That is how she becomes the mistress of the prison owner.
This is a wonderful story based on actual events
Your heart is moved by the suffering of the slaves. it is also enlightened by the bravery of this women in her determination to protect her children. All in the hopes of them being able to be free.

The story of Pheby Delores Brown the daughter of a white plantation owner and a black medicine woman is a trip through history. She is the favorite of Jacob Bell and is taught to read and write by Mr. Bell’s sister Sally. She has a life of privilege on the plantation and has been promised her freedom on her eighteenth birthday. She is in love with a slave named Essex Henry, and they plan a life together. However, Mr. Bell’s wife, Delphina knows about Pheby’s parenthood and dislikes her. Then circumstances arise which give Mistress Delphina the chance to remove Pheby from the plantation. Thus, begins a journey for Pheby through the hell of slavery. She ends of in a place called Devil’s Half Acre and becomes the mulatto wife of Rubin Lapier, the Jailer of the salve prison. Throughout her years there, she tries to help other salves, has Lapier’s children, tends to illness using her mother’s knowledge and through it all longs for her one and only love Essex. She tells the salves that she encounters that they will never be salves in their minds and helps them survive and ultimate escape. Pheby makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the people she loves and to give her children a chance at freedom. Sadeqa Johnson’s novel, Yellow Wife, is the tale of one woman’s attempt to make a difference in a world of misery and evil. It is a story of a woman’s courage.



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I try to steer away from slave narratives, but I also love books that give me a piece of history that I am not familiar with and in Sadeqa Johnson’s forthcoming novel, Yellow Wife, I received such an interesting history lesson that we all should know about.

Taking place on Bell Plantation, Charles City, Virginia, 1850, Pheby Delores Brown, has had a somewhat easy life. I’m sure we all have read enough of slave stories and know how plantations work. Pheby is biracial and is living the life that others can only dream of. She was taught how to read, write and even play the piano. For her eighteen birthday, Pheby is promised her freedom and she can’t wait to be with the love of her life, Essex Henry. Well, all that changes when her vindictive stepmother sells her off to the infamous Devil’s Half-Acre jailer, Rubin Lapier.

Unbeknown to her she is carrying Essex’s son and after giving birth to her baby boy, Pheby is forced to sleep with Rubin in exchange to keep him. Over time she bears four daughters for Rubin and she does everything in her power to protect her children. Some years have passed, and Essex is captured and ends up at the jail and now Pheby must find a way to get him to freedom.

From page one Johnson had me so immersed in this story that I had to come up for air a few times. My favorite part had to be the history behind these characters. Have you ever heard of Devil’s Half-Acre? No? Me either and let me tell you Johnson sent me down a rabbit hole researching this place. Robert Lumpkin established the infamous slave trading post in 1840. Lumpkin the “bully trader” had five children with a slave woman named Mary, and he eventually made her his wife. When he died he left his property to his wife Mary; and she, in turn, leased the property to a Baptist minister who turned it into a seminary for African-American students.

If you enjoy historical fiction then I highly recommend this book. Thank you, Simon & Schuster for the gifted copy.

Wow. This was an incredibly hard to read book.

The emotions that flowed through me as I rushed through the pages of "Yellow Wife" are impossible to even put into words. As I followed the story of Pheby, the daughter of a slave and a slave owner, after her mother's death, my heart broke, was filled with hope, then broke again over and over.

Pheby was sent to a jail for runaway slaves to be punished, but ended up living with the jails owner as his wife. The conditions at the jail are horrible and there's so much pain, guilt, and conflicting emotions for Pheby as she tries to do what's best for her children and as many others as she can.

I definitely recommend this one, but make sure you're in a good headspace first!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me the opportunity to read an early copy of "Yellow Wife."

Yellow Wife was a heart wrenching read, but I was able to fly through it in 2 days. I did enjoy the descriptiveness the author used to create the atmosphere of the novel. I rooted for Pheby and her loved ones to get to freedom throughout the entire book. I did have some issues with Pheby’s choices but I’m going to overlook them because I probably wouldn’t have made the best choices myself in her situation. All in all, I give this a 3.5 out of 5 but will round up because I loved the writing.

I recieved an ARC of Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest opinion. Thank You.

This story is inspired by the story of Mary Lumpkin and Lumpkin’s jail in Richmond, Virginia. This is an amazing and at times, heart wrenching, story. This is such a sad, brutal, inspiring story of Pheby Delores Brown, a mulatto slave that has been purchased by a sadistic horrible person. We get to follow Pheby as she tries her best to survive and make the most out of a life that offers so little. Everyone should read this book.

I was born and raised in Richmond, VA and while I love my beautiful city, I know some of the history of the city is very vile and ugly. The Yellow Wife shines a light on that heartbreaking history. It is a beautifully written and riveting story, but it is also a gut wrenching one. It is sometimes not an easy one to get through, but it’s an important read. Johnson’s writing was riveting and I was sucked in in from the very first page. I hope that this is not the last we see of Sadeqa Johnson when it comes to historical fiction and her important story telling. Her voice is needed. I look forward to recommending this historical fiction to our audience. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Yellow Wife is a historical fiction novel about Pheby, a biracial slave whose world is turned upside down when she is torn from the life she has known on a plantation. Pheby's mother is a slave and her father is a plantation master. Although Pheby is technically a slave, she receives special treatment from her father and he has always protected her. The master's wife sells Pheby to a slave trader one day and she lands in the hands of a slave jailer. From that point, Pheby is constantly in a fight for preservation of her life and her children's lives.

This story told about slave jailers, an aspect of slave trade that I had never read about before. This fast paced historical fiction novel told of harrowing conditions for slaves and African Americans. I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what would happen to the characters and hoping that they would be able to escape their horrible situations. Sadeqa Johnson's imagery in this book is exceptional in this book and it brings this story to life.

Pheby was a smart, strong, and big-hearted woman. She was constantly making sacrifices for her children and her courage was inspiring. Her story was engrossing and I highly recommend this novel if you're looking for a quick historical fiction read.

Author Sadeqa Johnson does not shy away from the violence and horror of the slave trade in the 1850s. The fictional story of Pheby Delores Brown is based on true events. This is the story of a woman that did everything in her power to get her family and loved ones to safety, even at the expense of her own freedom. This historical fiction book is not for the weak. It is a beautifully told story about an awful time in American history.

In the author’s notes there is a selection of titles that Johnson read in her research before writing this novel. I plan to track down as many as I can to read the true history of this dark and terrible time.

Content warning: slavery, infanticide, sexual violence

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
Brutal and sad yet a very important part of history, this book packs a gut punch. At times, it's hard to read because of the sheer brutality of the treatment of these human beings. But the strength and courage off the main character and those she helps is amazing. This historical fiction book is a bit unlike others I have read.

This book tells a heartbreaking story. It is the story of Pheby, a slave who is sold to a brutal man who uses her to "prepare" other female slaves that are to be sold.
Heartbreaking because it is based in truth. And that is what makes it difficult to read and also exactly why it should be read. The book is based on historical happenings.
The characters in this novel are very well developed and you will find yourself caring about Pheby and her charges and hoping that they will overcome their fate.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book

There are some places in the early part of this novel especially with the way that the enslaved characters speak that don't ring quite true--especially with the main character's mother. Still, this is an engrossing, rich, story where we are completely connected to this brave heroine and the difficult choices she must repeatedly make to ensure her survival and the survival of those that she loves. This is a book worth teaching to show the way Black women had to survive. I hope that Johnson takes up more historical fiction in the future. This is very well done.

Thank you so very much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the review of this book! I could not put this book down.

Pheby is an educated slave in the big house on a plantation. She is the daughter of the plantation owner and a seamstress slave. She dreams of her promised freedoms but one day Pheby is "punished" and sent away to be sold. She is bought by a jailer and sent to the Devil's Half Acre. She is forced to get other woman ready to be sold as fancy girls while trying her best to protect her loved ones.

This book is wonderfully written. I hate saying such a terrible story is a favorite but sometimes it can't be helped. Sadeqa Johnson brings these characters to life. You fall in love with them. They quickly became my loved ones. It was a brutal reality for many slaves to do things they hated just for survival, not just for themselves but also for their loved ones.

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. The Yellow Wife is the historical fiction I didn't know I was looking for. It's gripping and gut-wrenching, and just pulls you in. As a mulatto, Pheby Delores Brown has grown up believing she is more than just a slave, but when her eighteenth birthday pass without her promised freedom, she quickly learns the world is cruel place for any woman of color when she's "rescued" by Rubin Lapier, the notorious and cruel jailer who makes his living beating, selling, and exploiting her people.

I didn't realize how much of this was based off of historical figures until I reached the end of the book. Johnson's attention to detail paints a gritty, hopeless picture of the not-too-distant past. The story is certainly realistic, but Johnson manages to end it on a note of utter despair.

I could not put Yellow Wife down. It's a riveting, gut wrenching story. I was engrossed from the first page. There are many vile scenes that will make readers cringe and wince. The sadism of one character is overwhelming. Johnson really depicts the myriad of emotions the main characters experienced. Although historical fiction, the author used real life stories to base some of her characters. I learned a lot from her historical note and she provided a brief bibliography. Yellow Wife covers a very uncomfortable time and topic but it's an essential read.

This is such a sad, brutal, inspiring story of Pheby Delores Brown, a mulatto slave that has been purchased by a sadistic horrible person. We get to follow Pheby as she tries her best to survive and make the most out of a life that offers so little. While she struggles through each day with her children, she also tries to lighten the load of many young girls and women that she must prep for sale to 'masters' around the area.

While reading this story, I wanted all their lives to be wrapped up in a nice pretty bow, that is simply not the case with some of the folks that we get to know and love.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release in January 2021.

I am giving this 5 stars!

A suspenseful and heartbreaking story of a young woman from the South, pre-civil war. The horrors that follow this young woman, Pheby, and the lengths she goes to protect the people she loves are remarkable. A tale like none other.

The detailed and descriptive nature in which Sadeqa writes transports you into this other world, another time in history. Sadeqa thoughtfully researched this book and brought to life historical fiction of real-life events, places, and past people. This is truly a masterpiece and worth reading.

I thought this to be an easy read despite the intensity of it. I loved the hope, faith, and perseverance of the characters, especially Pheby.

I read this one within a day or two. I could not put this agonizing story down. I can't find a single thing I did not love about this book. Do not hesitate to get this one!

I do warn there are very gruesome, disturbing images of mistreatment to the Black and African American people.

A fantastic, and eye-opening read. Johnson. does a magnificent job painting the cruelties of the 1860s south. Both Pheby and the Jailor are complex, three dimensional characters filled with shades of gray. In fact, all her characters are wonderfully human. One of the best books I’ve read this year.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Yellow Wife, an historical fiction novel about slavery, written by Sadeqa Johnson. It was very disturbing at parts but unfortunately to understand what slaves went through in the south the horrific details must be told.

Pheby Delores Brown, a courageous, mulatto women, is sent away from the plantation she was born on, at the age of eighteen. She is blamed for helping her boyfriend Essex escape. She is sold to Rubin Lanier, a white man who owns a slave jail in Virginia. The story is based on the real life slave, Mary Lumpkin. Her sole purpose in life is to get her young son to safety and have him live his life as a free man. Pheby does not care what she has to sacrifice in order to make this happen. It moves along fast, with precise detail, and heartfelt emotion. I’m hoping the author writes a sequel because I want to keep Pheby and her family in my life! Also a movie adaptation would be good too!

This would be a great book club read. Discussions on some of the choices Pheby made would make for great conversation. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Sadeqa Johnson I will be checking out your previous books, I love your writing style.