4 out of 5 books
I have always been a fan of Sadeqa Johnson and was excited when I found she has penned a historical fiction novel. YELLOW WIFE was beautiful and breathtaking. The determination and resiliency of the main character, Pheby Brown to make a life for herself beyond slavery is astounding considering the things she endured for her future, her children and her true love. Although she is promised freedom, she finds herself enslaved and the wife of the warden of Devil’s Half Acre, a prison in Virginia. Pheby learns to study her husband so that she is always a step ahead of him for the sake of her family. This pays off although there were deadly consequences.
Knowing YELLOW WIFE is a fictional story loosely based on the life of Mary Lumpkin and the prison actually existed, brought a layer of realism to our ancestor’s stories. Stories of survival and overcoming odds, succeeding when there was only hope. I would have like to see more interaction with her daughters as the book seems to be rushed at the end. But it is a great book, nonetheless.
Reviewed by Paula Allen
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