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Memphis: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE by [Tara M Stringfellow]

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Tara M. Stringfellow

Memphis: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE Kindle Edition

by Tara M Stringfellow (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE

'An American epic' Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists

'As hopeful as it is heartbreaking' Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of Red at the Bone

'An unforgettable cast of characters who find strength in vulnerability, safety in art, and liberation in telling the truth' Robert Jones Jr, bestselling author of The Prophets

Fleeing her husband's explosive temper, Miriam has brought her two daughters, Joan and Mya, back to Memphis, to the home her father built in the 40s.

Joan was only a child the last time she visited Memphis. She doesn't remember the bustle of Beale Street on a summer's night or the smell of honeysuckle as she climbs the porch steps to her aunt's house. But when the front door opens, she does remember her cousin Derek.

As Joan learns more about her family's past she discovers she's not the only North woman to have experienced great hurt. But she also sees their resilience and courage, how these extraordinary women fry green tomatoes and braid hair and sing all the while.

Memphis has changed since Joan's grandparents lived there. Streets once filled with the beat of protest and blues, now echo with gunfire. But Joan still looks for the beauty in this city, in its people - and she realizes that to make a future for herself, she must find her own song to sing.

Print length

262 pages
Language

English
Publisher

John Murray
Publication date

7 April 2022
File size

5210 KB
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Product description

Review

In luminous, lyrical prose, Tara Stringfellow sings the song of the North women-and the North men-with wisdom, humor, and deep humanity. Memphis is an American epic, a tribute to life in all of its sorrow and joyful resilience - Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists

Written with the grace of a poet, Memphis is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. I fell in love with this family, from Joan's fierce heart to her grandmother Hazel's determined resilience. Tara Stringfellow will be an author to watch for years to come . . . A stellar debut - Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of Red at the Bone

An evocative, compelling tale that mines the depths of collective Black pain to arrive at something that might be, for once, Black healing. Writing in the ancestral tradition of stories passed from one generation to the next-relived, revised, revealed-Tara M. Stringfellow assembles an endearing and unforgettable cast of characters who find strength in vulnerability, safety in art, and liberation in telling the truth. This is a shining, splendid testimony in the vein of Gloria Naylor, Delores Phillips, Ayana Mathis, and Honoree Jeffers - Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets

"A rhapsodic hymn to Black women." - The New York Times Book Review

This vivid debut novel examines the tragedies, joys, and deep connections of one extraordinary Memphis family . . . A story populated with unforgettable characters. Stringfellow's prose is evocative . . . A powerful family saga from a promising writer - Booklist

This poetic, multigenerational story is set in the ancestral Memphis home a mother and her daughters flee to to escape the father's violence. Spanning 70 years, and told through a variety of voices, this powerful debut novel encompasses race, class, and the legacy of trauma - Oprah Daily Most Anticipated

This beautifully written debut will transport, challenge and transfix you . . . The novel is an ode to the city and the Black women living there. There's a great sense of the women's enigma and enchantment, humour and fortitude - Adele Parks, Platinum Magazine

A stunning debut, a deeply affecting portrait of familial bonds. Rich with indelible black women and Southern charm - Irenosen Okojie --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Book Description

Every family has a soundtrack. Theirs is set to the beat of love and loss in Memphis --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Poet, former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and semifinalist for the Fulbright Fellowship, Tara M Stringfellow has written for Collective Unrest, Minerva Rising, Jet Fuel Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal and Apogee Journal, among other publications. After having lived in Okinawa, Ghana, Chicago, Cuba, Spain, Italy, and Washington, D.C., she moved back home to Memphis, where she sits on her porch swing with her hound, Huckleberry, every evening, listening to records and chatting with neighbours. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Review

"Readers will come to see that Stringfellow is demonstrating the erratic movements of history, the false starts and reversals and, yes, the moments of progress that are reflected in our haphazard march toward realizing King's vision for America. . . . With her richly impressionistic style, Stringfellow captures the changes transforming Memphis in the latter half of the 20th century."--The Washington Post

"Written with the grace of a poet, Memphis is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking. I fell in love with this family, from Joan's fierce heart to her grandmother Hazel's determined resilience. Tara Stringfellow will be an author to watch for years to come. . . . A stellar debut."--Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of Red at the Bone

"Memphis is an evocative, compelling tale that mines the depths of collective Black pain to arrive at something that might be, for once, Black healing. Writing in the ancestral tradition of stories passed from one generation to the next--relived, revised, revealed--Tara M. Stringfellow assembles an endearing and unforgettable cast of characters who find strength in vulnerability, safety in art, and liberation in telling the truth. This is a shining, splendid testimony in the vein of Gloria Naylor, Delores Phillips, Ayana Mathis, and Honorée Jeffers."--Robert Jones, Jr., New York Times bestselling author of The Prophets

"In luminous, lyrical prose, Tara Stringfellow sings the song of the North women--and the North men--with wisdom, humor, and deep humanity. Memphis is an American epic, a tribute to life in all of its sorrow and joyful resilience."--Chloe Benjamin, bestselling author of The Immortalists

"This vivid debut novel examines the tragedies, joys, and deep connections of one extraordinary Memphis family. . . . A story populated with unforgettable characters. Stringfellow's prose is evocative. . . . A powerful family saga from a promising writer."--Booklist

"A rich tapestry of women's familial relationships . . . a well-written debut by an author worth watching for years to come . . . Recommended for anyone who appreciates Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, or Gloria Naylor."--Library Journal (starred review)

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Poet, former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and semifinalist for the Fulbright Fellowship, Tara M. Stringfellow has written for Collective Unrest, Minerva Rising, Jet Fuel Review, Women Arts Quarterly Journal, and Apogee Journal, among other publications. After having lived in Okinawa, Ghana, Chicago, Cuba, Spain, Italy, and Washington, DC, she moved back home to Memphis, where she sits on her porch swing every evening with her hound, Huckleberry, listening to records and chatting with neighbors. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0998D4C63
Publisher ‏ : ‎ John Murray (7 April 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5210 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0593230485

Best Sellers Rank: 72,249 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,751 ratings

About the author

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Tara M. Stringfellow

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Former attorney, Northwestern University MFA graduate, and Pushcart Prize nominee Tara M. Stringfellow’s debut novel Memphis (Dial Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House) is a multi-generational bildungsroman based on the author’s rich Civil Rights history.

A recent winner of the Book Pipeline Fiction Contest, Memphis was recognized for its clear path to film or TV series adaptation and is due out in 2022. Third World Press published her first collection of poetry entitled More than Dancing in 2008.

A cross-genre artist, the author was Northwestern University’s first MFA graduate in both poetry and prose and has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes, as well as Best of the Net.

Her poems have appeared in Collective Unrest, Jet Fuel Review, Minerva Rising, Women’s Arts Quarterly, Transitions and Apogee Journal, among others.

If she isn’t writing, she’s gardening. If she’s isn’t in Memphis, she’s in Italy.

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3 star		7%
2 star		1%
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Top reviews from other countries

Anne Cooke

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 May 2022

Verified Purchase

A warm yet sad story about black women in the deep south. Spanning three generations. A book full of life and living..A great read!

Susie | Novel Visits

Beautiful Story of a Female Led Family

Reviewed in the United States on 7 April 2022

Verified Purchase

Don’t you just love a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book? One that gives you a hangover for days and days? Well, that’s what I got when I read Tara M. Stringfellow’s wonderful debut, 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐒. From beginning to end I was captivated by this story of three generations of a Memphis Black family, a family dominated by its women, and scarred by its men. It follows the lives of two sets of sisters, and the exemplary matriarch of their family. Nothing is easy for these women, who after lynchings, crimes, and abuse, must learn to survive and thrive on their own. ⁣
⁣
“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴, 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬. 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴. 𝘓𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. 𝘈 𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮.”⁣
⁣
It’s impossible to read this book and not talk about Stringfellow’s writing. From the opening paragraphs, describing in resplendent detail a true Southern front porch, I knew I was in for a treat. Told from alternating perspectives, I highlighted so many passages, almost swooning over how well she portrayed the sister relationships, and the power she gave to her female cast. Her book was a love letter to Memphis and the women who call it home. I can’t wait to read whatever Tara Stringfellow writes next.⁣
⁣
“𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘈𝘶𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘰. 𝘖𝘳 𝘢 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳.”⁣
⁣•
•
•
Thanks to @thedialpress and @tarastringfellow for an electronic copy of #memphis. And, bravo to @readwithjenna for another great pick!

21 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Surprise

Reviewed in the United States on 27 April 2022

Verified Purchase

This was my book club selection. Apparently Jenna Bush is reading it too. Who cares. I didn't expect to be so captivated. I love a multi generational story. The characters are flawed and lovable. The relationships are complex and real.

15 people found this helpful

Ms Queenie Clem

Sisterly love

Reviewed in the United States on 1 May 2022

Verified Purchase

Joan, her mother, and her baby sister Mya escape to Memphis because of her father's violence. They're going back to their mother's childhood home. Aunt August and cousin Derek live in that home. The love of the North women have for each other is amazing. The things our Sisterhood, family, overcoming, and Community. The story is told by multiple points of view. There was a lot of racism, tragedy, and death. There are family secrets also. I love the author's writing style. The strong women characters were relatable, likable and content with their lives. I recommend this book to all Avid readers. I give this book five stars.

9 people found this helpful

Jas

Disappointed.

Reviewed in the United States on 10 June 2022

Verified Purchase

Really looked forward to this book buy i can't in good conscience support an author who is rude to their readers. Won't be using my money to buy your house in another country while "dripping in gucci".

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Memphis: SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE Kindle Edition

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About the Author

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About the author

Tara M. Stringfellow

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