Conjure Women

There's definitely a huge need for enslaved people's stories of what their lives were like, and fictionalized accounts seem like a great way to memorialize the stories and get people interested. I'm glad this book is out there for this purpose! And it seems really well-researched.


But I wasn't taken in by this book. One reason I think is that the available synopses and reviews highlight the magical realism that wasn't a significant part of the book at all, so I was expecting fantasy but the book is definitely historical fiction with a few references to certain magic practice. This is a pretty big shift to make in expectations while already reading a book. It also read like ya to me, I think because the story felt redundant within itself and the big reveals / twists felt predictable. And it didn't dive deep enough into the inner lives of the main characters for me, which I think would have made it engaging and feel less ya-like. I'd have loved to see either the magic figure more into the story or the three women's experiences given more nuance and depth.

Overall, super important story to be told, just think it could be described more accurately to avoid creating discordant expectations!

This was wonderful. I had a bit of time in the beginning because I preferred May Belle's tale vs Rue's and would just “get through” Rue's parts to get back to May Belle. I realized it was Bruh Abel I couldn't stand (and still can't). Once the book revealed some of its twists, I was totally on board. There are some characters here that will stick with me for a long time. In a way, it conjured the same feelings in me that Cold Mountain did. I don't think I've ever read anything else like Conjure Women. It takes place in a bubble-the war is over but you would not know it. I don't want to say too much.