Memphis
A joyous celebration of three generations of Black women
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Memphis
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Narrated by:
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Adenrele Ojo
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Karen Murray
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Tara M Stringfellow
About this listen
A spellbinding ode to Memphis, as well as a celebration of the strength and defiance of three generations of a Southern Black family who live there.
Joan can't change their past. But she can create her future.
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. She doesn't know she's as likely to hear a gunshot ring out as the sound of children playing. How the smell of honeysuckle is almost overwhelming as she climbs the porch steps to the house where her mother grew up. But when the front door opens, she does remember Derek.
This house full of history is home to the women of the North family. They are no strangers to adversity; resilience runs in their blood. Fifty years ago, Hazel's husband was lynched by his all-white police squad, yet she made a life for herself and her daughters in the majestic house he built for them. August lives there still, running a salon where the neighbourhood women gather. And now this house is the only place Joan has left. It is in sketching portraits of the women in her life, her aunt and her mother, the women who come to have their hair done, the women who come to chat and gossip, that Joan begins laughing again, begins living.
Memphis is a celebration of the enduring strength of female bonds, of what we pass down, from mother to daughter. Epic in scope yet intimate in detail, it is a vivid portrait of three generations of a Southern Black family, as well as an ode to the city they call home.
©2022 Tara M Stringfellow (P)2022 Penguin Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Tara Stringfellow will be an author to watch for years to come.... A stellar debut." (Jacqueline Woodson, best-selling author of Red at the Bone)
What listeners say about Memphis
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 30-05-23
Just gorgeous
I loved this so much, beautiful, evocative, descriptive writing, I read it in one sitting…. But I shouldn’t have because now it’s finished .. I didn’t want it to end!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ms. S. A. Hammond
- 13-04-24
Totally Engaging
Not knowing what to expect when I downloaded this book. I am completely in awe now that I have finished listening. I will return to it again and again.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bec
- 21-12-23
Bit disjointed and one bad narrator
Not really for me-usually like books that jump between time zones but found this jumped about a bit too much so bit hard to follow unless you concentrate. One of the narrators was really distracting as kept going up at the end of her sentences which was off putting. The book covers some important issues which but I just couldn’t get into this one sadly.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lally Ri
- 19-02-23
Stunning
From start to finish I was enraptured. The weaving of the story telling was enthralling.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Book Lover
- 27-02-24
Family Saga
A lovely generational saga. I was invested in this book. Listened to it via audiobooks.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- pyg
- 23-06-22
An enjoyable read
I found it slow at the beginning, but once I was in I was hooked. loved the characters of Hazel, Joan, May n August. Wanted to hear more from them n also would have liked Jack's n Maryam's characters to b fleshed. Especially in relation to their marriage - love, abuse n its end. Questions burning in my mind - how did Jack rise up in the military a black man? what were the challenges he faced? These characters were alive in my mind and will stay with me for a while after the end of this book. Good job Miss Stringfellow
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Louise Love
- 24-08-22
beautifully woven story, just like a quilt.
life stories woven through time and generations, with the struggles of black lives in the south through segregation and civil rights. An intimate view of what it means to be a black woman,which was a privilege to read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Kindle Customer
- 15-03-24
I Really Enjoyed This Family Saga
Memphis, as the tite would maybe suggest, is the main character in this book. As there is a polyphonic cast of characters.
This is the story of three generations of females in the North family. The story starts in the middle in the mid-90s and makes its way back through the 60s, when there was a colour bar in place, all the way 30s. The narrative ends in 2003.
The main themes of this book are race, violence, relationships, war, nherited trauma, and grief.
This is not an easy read, so check for trigger warnings if you feel as if there are a few.
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