This was a hard book to read as it was so depressing. It’s sort of auto-fiction which makes it all the more sad. I struggled with liking most of the characters, but for the most part I understood why they were the way they wer. All in all, if you like historical fiction and don’t mind A LOT of trigger warnings, you might enjoy this one.

A beautifully told profile on a family over several generations. This felt like American Folklore in hard realities shared over generations including alcoholism, abuse and racism. For all the fight put into escaping one type of prison, this family, riddled with women, finds themselves north in a very different form of restriction. The affect trickles down to present day leaving many questions to be answered.

I found this novel to have quite poignant revelations. I will be considering much of what was shared in the end of this novel for some time.

Really wanted to love this book after the amazing reviews, but I got very confused about the multiple perspectives and story lines. Will give it another try in a year or two!

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Such a good and interesting book. I loved the stories from the different generations. Although there was a lot of troublesome content:: child abuse, racism, alcoholism, death, abandonment, etc, the stories painted a picture of a family. There was a lot of nature versus nurture where lives were lived the same but they turned out differently. There was so much feeling in each story.

The only thing that I found difficult was keeping all of the characters straight.

Love Bahni Turpin as a narrator. She’s always been a favorite of mine. She brings stories to life and really makes you feel a part of the story.
4.5 rounded up

I was hoping to love this story more than I did. It’s a fictionalized version of the author’s family history, spanning most of the twentieth century. The genre is apparently now called “biomythography.” The Coleman and Grimes families both migrated north from Alabama and Florida at the same time, around 1916, as part of the Great Migration. They wound up in a town in central New Jersey, Vauxhall (part of Union Township). The two families’ lives became intertwined through the generations, sharing joys and woes (lots of woes) - and intergenerational trauma. Theirs is not a particularly happy story, nor is it easy to read or listen to, due to a lot of domestic violence in addition to the external violence and indignities so many black families endured, both in the south and the north.

There was so many members of the two families that I got rather lost many times. Chapters are told from different POVs but you have to figure out which person is doing the talking. I listened to the audio version, narrated beautifully by Bahni Turpin (most of the audio) and Dion Graham. I understand that the print version has a number of family photos and I will seek out a print version in my library or a bookstore so I can see them. A family tree might have been helpful in a print version. The author’s note at the end was wonderful, so don’t miss that.

Thank you to NetGalley and SJP Lit for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Coleman Foote presents a historical fiction novel that switches narrator perspective like interlocking puzzle pieces. Well-written, well-narrated. A compelling read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an incredibly moving family saga that follows two African American families during the post-Migration movement from the South to the supposedly 'freer' North. Two female matriarchs find much in common as they become widows and their children also become fast friends. A fall out causes a rift that has ripple effects for decades in this incredibly well-written debut! Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Angela Jackson-Brown. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!!

Coleman Hill is a thoroughly absorbing American multigenerational family saga. The author describes it as a biomythography, a combination of her family stories, photographs and other artefacts, interviews, government and legal documents and, most importantly, imagination. In 1916 in the early days of the Great Migration Lucy Grimes and Celia Coleman meet on a train heading north. They are seeking a better life, one that offers them opportunities free from the restrictions and threats of the Jim Crow South. The novel follows the intertwined lives of these two women, their children and grandchildren in Vauxhall, New Jersey for 70 years. For many years the two are close but a relationship between the son of one and the daughter of another drives a wedge between their two families.

The novel’s opening recounts the reality of life in the South and the stories people hear of a much better life in the North. However, it isn’t long before the gap between the promise and the lived experience become obvious. This book is a tough sometimes brutal read. Moving north has not provided protection from poverty, hardship or racism. Abuse, heavy alcohol use, neglect and violence blight the families and it is hard seeing the cycle of abuse, the intergenerational trauma, play out with victims becoming perpetrators. And yet, despite everything, this novel is also a story of survival, of the strength of family bonds, and of love - even when it is inadequately and imperfectly expressed. Those who do bad things often think they are doing right, or are struggling to do the right thing and are gutted when they realise they haven’t.

I loved the storytelling. The novel unfolds from the perspective of nine different characters, which provides real depth and breadth. It’s a bit like listening to your relatives at a family get together with everybody adding their piece to a story, or correcting someone whose memory differs from their own. There’s even an interlude early on from the perspective of cotton which I thought was a clever way of providing context. The characters are richly and vibrantly realised and I was never in any danger of confusing characters or not knowing whose perspective was being relayed. The book makes use of first, second and third perspectives and I enjoyed the variety, being sometimes drawn in to the story and other times taken back a little to see the bigger picture. Details of actual historical events are mentioned which help place the story in a wider context but these never dominate. This is first and foremost a family story.

I listened to the audio which is narrated by Bahni Turpin and Dion Graham and was fantastic. However it meant I missed out on seeing the photos which I understand are included in the print version.

This book is part fiction and part inspired by Foote's family history. I love that the author incorporated autofiction into the story. The focus on working-class Black women is a standout, and I especially love the author's note on why there won't be healing unless we've dealt with generational trauma. It is a tour de force and a phenomenal debut. I'm so excited to read whatever Foote writes in the future!

"Coleman Hill" is an astonishing literary tapestry that masterfully intertwines fact and fiction, taking this reader on an emotional journey through the lives of two American families. In the wake of the Great Migration, Celia Coleman and Lucy Grimes seek refuge from the hardships of post-Civil War South in Vauxhall, New Jersey. Their stories of resilience, friendship, love, abuse, and perspective between multiple generations are brought ot life by the exceptional narration of Bahni Turpin and Dion Graham.

Kim Coleman Foote's storytelling prowess shines through in this biomythography, a term coined by the brilliant Audre Lorde. The characters are vividly drawn, and the intricate web of relationships that spans three generations is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. As the families navigate the challenges of racism, poverty, and personal tribulations, "Coleman Hill" invites readers to reflect on the enduring power of family and the complexities of love and the terribly thin line between it and hate.

Turpin and Graham's narration adds a layer of depth to this already compelling narrative, making it a must-listen audiobook. "Coleman Hill" is a literary triumph that resonates long after the last word is spoken, a testament to the enduring spirit of those who dared to chase their dreams in the face of adversity.

Thank you to Dreamscape Select, SJP Lit for the advanced audio copy via NetGalley for an honest review.

Audiobook Review 🎧📖
Coleman Hill | Kim Coleman Foote
My thanks to @netgalley and @dreamscape_media for the complimentary review copy


The author uses Audre Lorde’s word to describe her work. She calls it a “biomythograph” - this book is her family history with fiction added to fill in the gaps.



The audiobook narration by Bahni Turpin and Dion Graham is 11/10.


This is a multigenerational family saga and a study in intergenerational trauma. I couldn’t stop reading, but lord the TWs…The anger, abuse and alcoholism run back and forth through the generations like blood circulating through veins.



This was difficult read, one I related to a lot as a cycle breaking, disowned/disowner, a survivor and scapegoat from a very abusive past - a few times over.


It’s frustratingly accurate too, the way that abuse and addiction tend to ripple through generations and see people make choices - subconsciously sometimes and deliberately AF at others, to continue or put an end to these cycles.


Similar book vibes to: 📖 Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo



Book as a song lyric: 🎶 “And when I said that, I made sweet papa sore/He blacked my eyes, I couldn't see/then he pawned the things he gave to me/but outside of that, he's all right with me.” -Outside of That, Bessie Smith



A favorite quote: “When Lucy turned and hurried down the porch stairs, you felt a good chunk of your friendship fall down after her."



A least favorite quote: “…not at all like Bertha who would never put up a fight. Somehow that had always made 8him want to hit her harder.”


I was markedly disinterested in Jeb’s POV (he’s quoted above). I no longer have any interest in humanizing abusers. I do, however, understand the author’s desire to do so.


⚠️TW/CWs: Slavery, physical child abuse, grooming, molestation/CSA, sexual exploitation of a minor, underage drinking, alcoholism, child physical abuse, racism, rape on page, forced pregnancy, depression, PTSD, graphic miscarriages on page, brutal violence/abuse on page, grief: loss of husbands, babies, mothers, brothers etc, hate speech, lynching, misogyny, victim self-blaming, colorism, homophobia, animal torture/murder, and hoarding.