Jessie Redmon Fauset is the main character in Harlem Rhapsody. This historical fiction transports us back to the 1920s and we follow the FMC as she navigates her personal and professional life. Jessie was the literary editor of ‘The Crisis’ where she discovered many Harlem Renaissance writers. W.E.B. Du Bois created ‘The Crisis’ and has an affair with the Jessie. I loved how Jessie really helped shape and mold some of the literary greats of the Harlem Renaissance. I really wanted to read more about her accomplishments after her big move in the end!! I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Harlem Rhapsody was a very very well written historical fiction. I appreciate when I can read a book and see how much research, time and love was put into the writing. While reading this book it lead me to do my own research on miss Jessie Redmon Faucet because I have never actually heard of her until now. This book follows Jessie’s career at the crisis magazine (Literary Editor) alongside Dr. W.E.B Du Boise during the Harlem renaissance. The crisis and the Brownie books were for negros and featured up and coming writers and poets with stories to uplift the negro community and its children. Jessie’s amazing work lead us to have some of the greatest writers that we’ve known including Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen. She met these people and children and helped them develop their writing. Being an educated Black woman while still facing racism Jessie overcame a lot of obstacles and was a first of many things. W.E.B (Will) and Jessie Alison had an ongoing affair which the book walks us through, although the story gets a little messy it was tastefully written and I truly enjoyed it. Miss. Faucet was the first Black woman to write a fiction novel and although she had problems getting it done and published when she finally did she was greatly recognized and loved by her peers and mentees. I appreciate the gems that were dropped in this book, I look forward to not only reading more from Victoria Christopher Murray but Jessie Redmon Faucet as well. Thank you NetGalley, Author and Publisher for this Arc.

This book reads lile a movie. i love when a historical fiction has me doing research looking up other books. Jessie Redmon Fauset is noted as the Midwife of the New Negro Movement. This book chronicles her time as the Literary Editor of the Crisis Magazine. Its full of people you have heard of and writers you've read and leaders you have studied. You get a glimpse of her life as a writer and editor and how it intertwined with her personal life. The books gives a look at Harlem 100 years ago, if you love books with movement, places and well developed characters I highly recommended this book.

2.5 stars
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Having loved Victoria Christopher Murray’s previous historical fiction books she wrote with Marie Benedict, I was excited for Harlem Rhapsody and about the prospect of trying a book written solely by Murray. But I’m not sure what happened (and how much the last four books I DNFed, putting me into a slump factored into my experience), but I found myself severely underwhelmed.
I knew next to nothing about W.E.B. DuBois, and I’d never heard of Jessie Redmon Fauset, and I did enjoy getting insight into their lives. Jessie in particular is compelling, as she tries to fulfill her literary dreams, while also finding herself entangled in an affair with DuBois.
But I think the over-emphasis on the affair with DuBois is where the book falls down, on multiple fronts. I can understand that the connection is very relevant to Jessie’s career advancement early on, but this “romance” was just not compelling, even taking the taboo element out of it (don’t care enough about W.E.B. DuBois on a personal level), and with it, I found myself more repulsed than drawn in. And while this isn’t a romance novel, I fully expect a writer to capture the passion and stakes, so I can at least understand what drew these people together, in spite of the obstacles in the way, and I just didn’t get that.
While I found it underwhelming, a quick look at the early reviews shows I’m in the minority. And while this is slowly changing, there are still only a handful of historical fiction books about Black history, and in spite of its shortcomings, I respect what it’s trying to do in bringing the story of Jessie Redmon Fauset to light.

Victoria Christopher Murray’s latest work delivers a powerful and unforgettable tale of ambition, passion, and resilience in Harlem Rhapsody. This extraordinary novel sheds light on the life of Jessie Redmon Fauset, a woman whose vision and determination ignited one of the most influential cultural movements in American history.

Set in 1919, the story follows Jessie as she leaves her teaching career in Washington, D.C., to pursue her literary dreams in Harlem. Appointed as the literary editor of The Crisis. Jessie breaks barriers as the first Black woman to hold such a prominent role. Murray masterfully explores Jessie’s professional triumphs alongside her personal challenges, including a secretive and scandalous relationship with her mentor and boss, W. E. B. Du Bois.

Amid whispered rumors and societal pressures, Jessie remains steadfast in her mission to elevate Black voices. Through her tireless efforts, she discovers and champions future literary icons like Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen.

Murray vividly captures the vibrancy of the Harlem Renaissance, weaving in Jessie’s triumphs and struggles as she balances her literary ambitions with the emotional toll of her choices. As Jessie publishes her debut novel and secures her place among the greats, readers are reminded of the personal sacrifices that often accompany groundbreaking success.

I'm a sucker for amazing historical fiction. and this book happens to be up there.
The sheer work the author has done to make the Harlem Renaissance come alive is amazing. This book took time and effort to make happen and it's well worth it.

We get to meet Jessie Redmon Faucet. She is a strong FMC that is very relatable to the reader. Jessie is intelligent and determined to put Black women and writing on the map. We also get to see her complex relationship/affair with WEB Dubois. I love the muli-layers to this book.

There is so much about the times and the struggles of Harlem and of African Americans, more specifically women in this story. The way this story is written really lends a voice to the generations of the past who trailblazed for those of us in the future.

I was wrapped up in reading this book and would highly recommend to all readers.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. It's a gem.

I really enjoyed this book, when I first started I was worried because historical fiction is not my usual genre but this was a really good reader. I loved being transported to the 1919s and seeing African American Literature and the work of the fmc Jess to promote 'Negro' women's writing and education. This book was juicy, there is a love affair at the center because the fmc is with W.E.B Du Bois even though he is married and has kids. The fmc is educated and brilliant and she moves to a brownstone in Harlem to take up a Job that W. E. B. created for her in his magazine The Crisis.

I loved learning more about the time period and how it related to the main character's plight and those around her. As annoyed as I was about the cheating I understood it and its role in the fmc character development. I love that even though this is a historical fiction about an African American it's not trauma-focused and it's a great story and journey of this Black woman. Thanks to Berkley Pub for this arc for an honest review.

4.5/5

Thanks so much to @BerkleyPub, @BerkleyRomance, & @AceBooksPub for the free book! #BerkleyPartner #AceBooksPartner

Let me start by saying Victoria Christopher Murray is a beautiful writer—one of the best historical fiction writers I've read in the last five years. Not only has she crafted a well-written, compassionate, informative, exciting, engaging novel, she carefully presented Jessie Redmon Fauset and W. E. B. Du Bois. She humanized such a complicated yet ambiguous historical figure and brought to life a woman I'd never heard of but grew to have great respect and admiration for by the end. This is a work of fiction that calls on our ability as humans to see the layers of people we've made into idols and our willingness to show compassion and understanding to people whose actions we don't understand.

I'm one of the many people who'd never heard of Jessie before this story. While I recognize that this is historical fiction with a heavy emphasis on fiction, I believe that Murray has filled in the gaps to the best of her ability—and with her best intentions according to the author's and historical context notes—so considering all the research and cross-researching that was done, I feel like this might be as close to the truth as it could get for many aspects of this story. With that said, Murray is not heavy-handed in her commentary, nor does she call on the reader to come to some kind of conclusion about Jessie and the decisions she makes throughout her life. She simply tasks us with taking in everything and leaves us to make a decision to be derisive or to express grateful for the work our ancestors did even though they weren't perfect people.

I loved that Jessie was a later-in-life achiever as pertains to blooming in her career, realizing her worth and what she deserves, as well as love. I think this is a very common yet often-shamed aspect of womanhood that is glossed over in modern media especially when it doesn't need to be. Although Jessie exists in the context of what she achieved, I hope that as conversations surrounding her continue to grow, there will be more grace given to women who have similar plights, and that Jessie finally, finally gets the glory she deserves.

Overall, this was masterfully written, inspiring, educational, heartbreaking, empowering, and so much fun to read!

5 ⭐️s

Let’s just say this was historical fiction done right!

Victoria Christopher Murray gave us history with a hidden figure, Jessie Redmond Fauset at the center who is a force to be reckoned with.

Murray depicted such a pivotal time in African American history in a unique way. After moving to New York to become the first and only literary editor for The Crisis, Fauset hits the ground running making a name for herself! During this time Fauset keeps her “alleged” affair with Dr. Dubois under wraps with her head down in her work, but what is a woman supposed to do when she doesn’t understand her role in his life?

The spark that ignited in Fauset towards the end of the novel was everything to me especially during a time when black women had no voice. She was truly behind the literary birth of so many writers during the Harlem renaissance and I’m so glad I know more about her story.

5 ⭐️
Thank you Berkley and Net Galley for this digital ARC

Pub Date: Feb 04 2025

If you know me, you know I love a good historical fiction read. When I first started this book, I had no idea of how important literary great Jessie Redmond Fauset was. She was responsible for discovering quite a few Black writers that paved the way for what Black Literature is today. I enjoyed reading her story and how her work at The Crisis ( the official magazine of the NAACP) gave us literary greats such as Countee Cullen, Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, Nella Larsen and so many more. Her editing and the guidance she provided to these young writers was remarkable and I am upset that I didn’t learn about her
sooner. However, this is not just any historical fiction novel, it also involves a scandalous affair between Jessie Redmond Fauset and W.E.B. Dubois. While I enjoyed this story, I felt like the affair overshadowed how important her work was during the Harlem Renaissance. I found myself wanting to know more about Jessie and her amazing accomplishments. At times, DuBois became a handful and I so badly wanted Jessie to walk away and do her own thing but she refused to leave “her babies” as she called them. When she finally did though, I was extremely proud of her. After the success of her first novel and leaving The Crisis, Jessie went on to publish four novels. She also wrote a number of poems, short stories, a novella, and
editorials while still at the magazine. With this book, I am hoping that more people learn about Jessie and all of her
achievements. I pray that Jessie got her flowers while she was still on this earth. Make sure to check Harlem Rhapsody outwhen it hits shelves on February 4th. Happy reading!

Enjoyed learning about another Hidden Figure, especially one that ignited the Harlem Renaissance and nurtured the careers of so many renowned writes that I revere. Jessie Redmond Fauset was a talented, phenomenal woman who lived a complex life with a man whom she shouldn’t have been involved with. Victoria’s writing places you in era. The story is filled with history, and fascinating partnerships/collaborations. You’ll want to pull out those old copies of the books by the writers Jessie worked with.

I found the novel to be a fascinating exploration of Jessie Redmon Fauset, a pivotal yet often overlooked figure of the Harlem Renaissance. As the literary editor of The Crisis, Ms. Fauset played a crucial role in shaping African American literature and fostering the talents of iconic writers. The story dives deeply into both her personal and professional life, including her complex and emotionally charged relationship with W.E.B. Du Bois, her mentor and confidant. While this focus adds a touching layer of humanity to her character, I felt that it sometimes drew attention away from her groundbreaking literary achievements.

That said, the author’s meticulous research and vivid storytelling truly bring Fauset’s extraordinary contributions to light, ensuring her legacy is both celebrated and understood. Despite a few slower moments, the book’s rich narrative and cultural significance made it a worthwhile and rewarding read.

Hey, hey, my favorites 😁💚. #annieethebookiee is back with another book review!

📚 Book Title: Harlem Rhapsody
📅 Published Date: 2/4/25
⭐ Rating: 4/5

Harlem Rhapsody takes readers on an unforgettable journey through the heart of the Harlem Renaissance. The author does a phenomenal job bringing this vibrant era to life with rich storytelling and compelling characters. The dialogue is poetic, the setting is immersive, and the themes of love, resilience, and cultural pride hit all the right notes. I found myself enchanted by the historical backdrop and the layered narrative that celebrates Black excellence in art, music, and community.

If you enjoy stories that transport you to another time and place while shedding light on the strength and beauty of a culture, this book is a must-read. The rhythm of Harlem beats on every page, leaving a lasting impression.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely!

Let me know if you’ve read it or plan to!

#annieethebookiee

I was so looking forward to reading Harlem Rhapsody, only to be disappointed. The story on its own merit was a good one and well written. My disappointment came in the fact the story centered around the long-term relationship between W. E. B. Dubois and Jessie Redmond Fauser, in my opinion glossed over the good works they did.
I am a long-time reader of Victoria Christopher Murray and will continue to read her works.
Thank you to Net Galley and Berkley for an ARC of Harlem Rhapsody above is my honest opinion on the story.

Racism
Sexism
Colorism
Harlem Renaissance
Affair
Father Impact on Relationships
This may not have been what I expected but I was pulled in immediately! I flew through this book, faster than I wanted or expected, and it may be due to the formatting. It’s like diary entries, in a way, and it just pulls you in. You can imagine what they see and how they feel. Heck it motivated me to get back into writing!
So much to be said but I can’t spoil anything. This won’t be a spoiler but this is about W.E.B & Jessie Fauset’s affair. Please note there’s so much you can take from this book! From the racism to community, there’s something you will learn and take away from this. I love how she honored them while still keeping them human and not glorified on a pedestal. They both accomplished great things but were still human at the end of the day. Fauset is not a renowned name like W.E.B and this book will definitely have you wanting to research more about her. She was the driving force of the names we know today from the Harlem Renaissance. She mentored, edited, and became good friends with them. Of course being in the same circle, most of them knew each other already. Through that, you see how Harlem is as a strong community. They looked out for each other and helped each other.
Lastly, her father left a huge impact on her to the point where it partly encouraged her relationship with W.E.B. This was something I found interesting because it’s not talked about often and fathers hold a lot of weight in who their daughters entertain. Whether it’s a void from being gone, their mannerisms, personality, any aspect of them can influence who their daughter falls for. This was a factor I held dear to me while reading this.

Quick thoughts: Unfortunately, I found this book to be slightly underwhelming. I didn’t feel connected and invested in the characters and their stories, even though I felt I would love Jessie after reading the summary. There was something missing from the overall telling of the story, I got the main points of what she did and the people of the time but I didn’t feel connected to the characters and I didn’t feel myself rooting for them or otherwise.
This story is based on Jessie Redmon Fauset who moves to NYC to become the literary editor of The Crisis a well-known black magazine in the early 1900’s. The magazine is spearheaded by W.E.B DuBois, well known civil rights activist of the time. DuBois creates the role at the crisis for Jessie because of her talent for writing but also because they are having an affair.
Unfortunately, because the book only tells the story of her life during her time at The Crisis with DuBois, I feel like her life is minimized to this one point in her life when she was having an affair with a married man. I didn’t get to see her character evolve beyond her entanglement with DuBois and I didn’t get to see it beforehand either. The timing of the book felt centered around this theme of “will she or won’t she stay” regarding the affair. The scenes got repetitive and somewhat tedious after a while. There were numerous scenes of her family expressing their disapproval of her relationship with him and then multiple scenes of her wrestling with either leaving or defending her decision. I know the book spans five years, but it felt like Jessie was stagnant, I didn’t get a lot of growth until the last few chapters.
One of the big reasons Jessie was content with being a mistress and not having a husband of her own is because she felt like the responsibilities of being a wife would take away from her literary ambitions. But at the same time, it felt like so much of her time was consumed by DuBois and his ambitions and their relationship which seemed contradictory to me. Whereas her accomplishments felt like they were splashed in here and there with the chapters. She spent so much time on the Brownie Book magazine and even found a way to cut costs, but we never saw her mention the cost cut again or see her fight for the Brownie Book. Then at some point Jessie realizes her ambition is to have DuBois step down and her become editor of The Crisis. In multiple chapters she speaks to close friends and family about it and she even concocts a plan to schmooze the NAACP board to have them warm up to the idea. But then, she never follows through with the plan and eventually tells DuBois she must leave. I understand her resignation at the end as it does make the most sense, but she took so many steps only to give up and not try? That’s how I felt about much of the conflict in the book, something would seem to me like a buildup to some big point of contention only for it to end in a very underwhelming way. I do understand that since most of these characters were real people it was important to not tarnish their reputations all for the sake of entertainment, but even with that understanding something was missing from the story. During my reading and after my reading I felt very indifferent to what was happening in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this book!
Based on the description, going in I was excited about the premise of this book and the re-introduction of historical figures who just do not get enough attention and become hidden figures. However, I really struggled with the focus on the affair. That might just be a personal issue, but I didn't enjoy that aspect.
Overall, for lovers of the Harlem Renaissance, this was a joy to see the figures we learned about come to life on the page.

This was the last book I read in 2024 and it made my favorite reads list!

I loved almost everything in this book. It’s about Jessie Redmon Fauset, who many of us may not have heard of before. I love learning about real people who were overshadowed or forgotten over time.

Jessie Fauset was the literary editor of The Crisis magazine and the Brownie’s Book published by the NAACP in the early 20th century and she played a significant role in the Harlem Renaissance. She mentored many prominent writers of the era and was an author herself. She worked closely with W.E.B. Du Bois, with whom she also had a lengthy love affair, despite him being much older and married.

The highlight for me was learning about Fauset’s life, education, work, and achievements. She was extraordinary, and if you don’t read this book, you should at least look her up on Wikipedia.

Although the affair with Du Bois was essential to the story, it was my least favorite part due to his constant undervaluing and disrespect of Fauset. I appreciated that the author depicted Du Bois honestly, showcasing his pioneering contributions to civil rights and racial equality, as well as his philandering and his misogynistic and elitist views. The author stated in her end notes that writing Du Bois’ character was challenging for her and that (I’m paraphrasing) our heroes in history had complicated lives and were a composite of their flaws and virtues.

I’d love to list all of Fauset’s accomplishments here, but there are too many to list. I highly recommend reading this book to learn her story.

Thank you @netgalley and Berkley for an eARC of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkeley Pub for the ARC 🫶🏾 this is hands down one of the best historical fiction books I’ve ever read.

Talk about Black literary tea!!! This was such a layered and mesmerizing read. Incredible writing, subtle shade, juicy historical affairs and beefs, Harlem Renaissance vibes, all of that. Before this book, I had never heard of Ms. Jessie Redmon Fauset but after reading, I went into a deeeeep rabbit hole about her life. Sis was THAT GIRL. Editor, poet, novelist, educator, mentor, scholar!!! And she’s from North Philly? Bye!

I loved how this story gave life to Jessie Fauset as an under explored heroine of the Harlem Renaissance. We got to see a lot of her struggles as the first Black woman literary editor at The Crisis, her mentoring of some of the greatest poets and writers we know, and… her *alleged* affair with W.E.B. Dubois lol. It read like a family link up ft. some of the best Black authors/writers of the time. I definitely devoured this story, but I do kind of wish the affair played more of a background role in the depiction of her life. I know this affair is central to be the book (it’s obvi in the synopsis), but at times it felt overwhelming with Dubois and his voice/goals/motivations taking over the page, and I wanted to learn more about Jessie and who she was outside of him. But at the same time, I can see how her struggles with him played a huge role in her understanding of self/love/career. I was rooting for her to choose herself and also begging her to STAND UP!!! 😭 Even now, I would love a second book that focuses on her career change and mentorship.

As a researcher, I absolutely loved the authors note and historical note. I learned so much and I’m on Google still looking things up as we speak! Def recommend.

Author: Victoria Christopher Murray
Started: January 2, 2025
Finished: January 3, 2025
Publication Date: February 4, 2025
Format: Digital
Genre: Historical Fiction

In Washington DC, Jessie Redman Faust takes on the job of literary editor for The Crisis, a magazine headed by Dr. W.E.B. DuBois. During her tenure there, she must deal with her relationship with W.E.B, her mother's disapproval, and writing her own novel. As literary editor, Faust helps discover some of the premier Black writers of the Harlem Renaissance.

Once again, I was introduced to a woman who was important to the history of America through reading. I had never heard of Jessie Redman Faust or the way she changed the landscape of literature. She introduced the world to Langston Hughes, amongst other wonderful writers. This story did not paint Dr. DuBois in a positive light for me. He seemed egotistical and hurtful, especially when it came to Jessie's feelings. This book was well-written, and enjoyable, and tells the story of the Harlem Renaissance and the woman who started it.