[go: up one dir, main page]
Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Explore 1.5M+ audiobooks & ebooks free for days

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Yellow Wife: A Novel
    The Yellow Wife: A Novel
    The Yellow Wife: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Yellow Wife: A Novel

    Written by Sadeqa Johnson

    Narrated by Robin Miles

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    • Survival

    • Family

    • Power Dynamics

    • Oppression

    • Love

    • Mammy

    • 'mammy' Trope

    • Forbidden Love

    • Tragic Mulatto

    • 'tragic Mulatto' Trope

    • Star-Crossed Lovers

    • Struggle for Freedom

    • Cruel Slave Owner

    • Power of Love

    • Journey of Self-Discovery

    • Slavery & Oppression

    • Resilience

    • Motherhood

    • Survival & Resilience

    • Betrayal

    About this audiobook

    From the New York Times bestselling author of House of Eve—a 2023 Reese’s Book Club Pick!

    *A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Christian Science Monitor*

    Called “wholly engrossing” by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this “fully immersive” (Lisa Wingate, #1 bestselling author of Before We Were Yours) story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

    Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother’s position as the estate’s medicine woman and cherished by the Master’s sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.

    She’d been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil’s Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateJan 12, 2021
    ISBN9781797118819
    Author

    Sadeqa Johnson

    Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels. Her most recent novel, The House of Eve, was an instant New York Times bestseller, Reese’s Book Club selection, NAACP Image Award nominee, and Goodreads Choice award finalist. Her previous novel, Yellow Wife, was the Library of Virginia’s Literary People’s Choice Award winner, Goodreads Choice Award finalist, Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, and a BCALA Literary Award honoree. Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa currently lives near Richmond, Virginia. For more information, go to Sadeqa.net.

    Related to The Yellow Wife

    Related audiobooks

    Historical Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Yellow Wife

    4.5/5

    1,100 ratings69 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a great and well-written book that engages them from start to finish. The story captures the complexity of the time and creates deep characters and imagery. It is an emotional roller coaster that leaves a lasting impression. The book sheds light on the horrors of slavery and the strength of the characters. The narration is excellent, and the author's note at the end adds to the experience. Overall, it is a moving and thought-provoking read that is beautifully told.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      Very illuminating, realistic, and at times sickening. Gave me a glimmer of an idea of how horrible and unjust life was for a person of color in that time, and also of the sacrifices that were made to ensure the safety of loved ones.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      Loved it. The story was unique and beautiful. The end was beautiful. The narrator phenomenal

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      Really loved it. It would be one of my top favorite reads in 2021

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      I could not stop listening! What amazed me was all the research the author put into writing this book.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      It was such a gripping, inspiring and powerful book. The narration was great and vivid!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      The book is beautifully written with meaningful characters that come alive on each page.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      This was such a moving story - especially listening to the authors note at the end. Though it’s fiction it’s loosely based off of a real woman of the time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      What a beautifully told story, well done Mrs. Johnson. It was a page turner, I couldn’t put it down. I throughly enjoyed this book. While yes, this is a very heavy subject, and at times you feel the weight of what our ancestors lived through. It’s stories like this that need to continue to be told so we never forget the strength our people and our ancestors endured. I live in the Richmond area and also appreciate the research you did, I thought about the location of the church and the similarity and proximity of Lumpkin jail, I kept thinking this sounds awfully familiar. Thank you for a great read.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      Excellent. No words can describe what a great listen/read this book was for me.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5

      Nov 8, 2023

      A must read or listen too. This novel keep me wondering what next.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5

      Oct 16, 2025

      This book stressed me out so BAD!!!! Many different emotions ran through me while reading this. Sadeqa’s storytelling is always so AMAZING, & then she ends up having the stories make even more sense with the author’s notes! I need to read something light and fluffy after this.
    • 5/5

      Sep 14, 2025

      I like this book a lot. The narrator was also super good.
    • 5/5

      Sep 12, 2025

      Loved listening too this book, hard at times but such a good listen and help to try and understand the pain and hard battles a black woman to go through and what she is willing to endure and sacrifice for her children.
    • 5/5

      Aug 3, 2025

      This book was a wonderful read! I so appreciate the research the author put in to this piece of historical fiction. It covers a wide range of emotions…
    • 5/5

      Jun 14, 2025

      Wonderful novel and brilliantly written. I enjoyed everything about this novel from beginning to end.
    • 5/5

      May 29, 2025

      Great book - the characters are vivid, and there is much insight into why characters had to make impossible choices. Heartbreaking on many levels, but I learned so much.
    • 4/5

      Apr 27, 2025

      Great book. Lots of action and a different sort of realism in the details of the violence of being enslaved than I have read much of before in fictional books. Really interesting in how much of it is based on real circumstances! Well written, developed characters.
    • 5/5

      Feb 10, 2025

      Phenomenal character development! I grew to love and despise them, even fear some. It’s hard to imagine that type of gruesome suffering, having to submit to such cruelty and horror. My heart breaks for all the souls who had to endure for a glimpse of freedom. And now at the hands again of a racist administration, I wish we could say this was all very far behind us.
    • 5/5

      Dec 19, 2024

      A difficult story to listen to because the situations are gut wrenching. The writing is very good and the narrator is superb.
    • 5/5

      Dec 12, 2024

      Loved this story kept me interested the whole way through
    • 5/5

      Sep 23, 2024

      I heard about this book and read it in one day. It was really good. Parts of it made me so angry, but I guess history is what it is. I’m definitely looking for other works from her.
    • 5/5

      Aug 24, 2024

      An amazing book. It is one you just want to keep reading or listening to because the author is a talented story teller! Sad at times and will pull in your heart strings. I highly recommend!
    • 5/5

      Jun 5, 2024

      Amazing historical fiction. The balancing of morality, self-respect, and the need to protect one’s children leaves the heroine making difficult choices throughout.
    • 5/5

      May 5, 2024

      Everyone needs to read this book and understand our history. The book is loosely based on the Lumpkin Jail in Richmond, Virginia which was known as the "Devil's Half Acre." The author shares those details in the epilogue. Read about it, I was not aware of this terrible jail, I am glad his wife leased it to a Baptist minister.
    • 5/5

      Apr 12, 2024

      Bravo!!!! Well written. Each character had so much depth. I cried. I hung on every intense moment.
    • 5/5

      Mar 24, 2024

      Compelling, educational, gripping but rough. You will employ tissues while reading through horrendous scenes. Characters are endearing. You’ll root for luck and good endings. 5 stars from me!
    • 5/5

      Feb 24, 2024

      I always avoid slave-centered arts in any format but gave this book a chance after several recommendations from a fb group called black girl book club. I LOVED this book for all the layers and appreciate the authors intentionality poured into the pages - it is very evident, the care that was taken. Highly recommend. Couldn't stop listening!
    • 5/5

      Feb 1, 2024

      Wow!!!! Sadequa and her writing are AMAZING!!!!! The story is sad, but the writer did a great job portraying a horrific story and she did amazing research to make it real, but in her own words. Chef's kiss! Great job!!!!
    • 5/5

      Jan 10, 2024

      This book was amazing. Wish I could give it twenty stars!
    • 5/5

      Nov 25, 2023

      Kept me spellbound.
      Made me realize how strong my ancestors had to be - the courage passed on to us survive-even now!