The Secret Lives of Church Ladies
Ratings68
Average rating4
An irresistible literary debut about the hidden desires of church-going Black women
'Left me wanting more. Masterfully written' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie
'Beautifully crafted' Stylist, Book of the Week
'Joyous... It's a book in love with life' The Times
The Secret Lives of Church Ladies explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires, and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good.
There is fourteen-year-old Jael, who nurses a crush on the preacher's wife; the mother who bakes a sublime peach cobbler every Monday for her date with the married Pastor; and Eula and Caroletta, single childhood friends who seek solace in each other's arms every New Year's Eve.
With their secret longings, new love, and forbidden affairs, these church ladies are as seductive as they want to be, as vulnerable as they need to be, as unfaithful and unrepentant as they care to be – and as free as they deserve to be.
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I needed some time to marinate on THE SECRET LIVES OF CHURCH LADIES by Deesha Philyaw. It's incredible and I've been hanging onto this book literally and mentally.
I first heard about this book from @booksonthel, @booksbythecup, and @thatgoodgoodbook, and I love their reviews and bookish taste so that was that
“Don't ask me to repent because I regret nothing. You can't save me because I'm not in peril.”
The short stories are well written and overall enjoyable but I didn't find the secret lives of these church-going ladies quite as fascinating as everybody else (unpopular opinion, I know).
2.5 Rounded Up
It was a struggle to get through these stories, this collection of stories was underwhelming.
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