The Wedding Gift

A Novel

By: Marlen Suyapa Bodden

Narrated by: Jenna Lamia, January LaVoy

When Cornelius Allen gives his daughter Clarissa’s hand in marriage, he presents her with a wedding gift: the young slave she grew up with, Sarah. Sarah is also Allen’s daughter and Clarissa’s sister, a product of his longtime relationship with his house slave, Emmeline. When Clarissa’s husband suspects that their newborn son is illegitimate, Clarissa and Sarah are sent back to her parents, Cornelius and Theodora, in shame, setting in motion a series of events that will destroy this once-powerful family.

Told through alternating viewpoints of Sarah and Theodora Allen, Cornelius’ wife, The Wedding Gift is a stunning novel that shows where the complicated and compelling bonds and relationships between women explored in novels like The Help and The Secret Life of Bees began. Marlen Suyapa Bodden's novel is an intimate portrait that shows where this particular American story and dynamic all started and will leave listeners breathless.

Includes a reading group guide read by the author.

©2013 Marlen Suyapa Bodden (P)2013 Macmillan Audio

Could have gone much deeper

I enjoyed this story but was disappointed at times with the character development most especially for Clarissa and Cornelious. They are central to the story and yet we have little information regarding what motivated them to make the decisions they did. Their side of the story and what they were thinking was totally absent. Because of this, some aspects of the story have no explanation. e.g Cornelious's will. Too bad.

Entertaining

What made the experience of listening to The Wedding Gift the most enjoyable?

Well I wouldn't call a slave story "enjoyable", however the author was able to keep/make the story a great listen.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I would say that Theodora was my favorite character because she was able to grow and view slaves as people. This was not very common in the slave holding south.

What does Jenna Lamia and January LaVoy bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators was able to keep the story moving during the low times. A feat that I couldn't have accomplished by reading. A story about the harshness of man would have lost my interest if I had to sit still and focus on reading the words.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wouldn't say that my reaction to this book could be considered as extreme. I would say as an African American my reaction of anger and disgust that someone would keep other people as chattel is abhorrent. Anger is a natural response to the subject matter.

I wanted to believe is wasn’t fiction

I gave it a four star rating not because it wasn’t a good story but because it was so similar to others describing a fictionalize version of this horrible blight on our nation’s history.
I want to believe that there were slaves who learned to read despite laws that forbade it. I once listened to an account from a slave whose recollection was recorded by a WPA worker in the 1930s. He told the story of a slave whose eyes had been burned with a poker when it was discovered that he could read the bible.
There were moments in this novel that were so hair raising that I had to take little breaks. This is especially true when the scenes in the woods were described.
I can’t really say that the book was enjoyable because the subject matter, slavery, was so horrible. I can say that I appreciated the work and was quite pleased with the narration.

A History Lesson in the Telling

Excellent story of early Alabama during slavery in the US; a good history lesson as well as a gripping story of the Allen Family Cotton Plantation and the slaves who were owned by this family and their quest for freedom. Overall I loved the book - the journey of Sarah's life both heart wrenching and encouraging. The ending however, was somehow thrown in your face that it actually changed my opinion of the main characters and left me feeling that it wasn't true to the rest of the story. I don't know if this was suppose to be a true story or not - only - the ending epilogue left me feeling that either the main description of the characters was misleading throughout the book or the ending was contrived and thrown in for shock value.

Very good book

I really enjoyed this book. It is set pre-civil war, the life of a southern family and their slaves. The story keeps your interest and entwines you in the characters lives. I have to say I enjoyed The Kitchen House better but this story is very worth listening to.

ehh..o.k.

Not enough suspense, drama , romance or character development for my liking. The subject, however; unlimited potential.

Wonderful Story!

The story was great, but I gave one less star overall because some of the dialogue was awkward. The author appeared to try to use dialogue between the characters in order to explain historical events which made the conversations seem less than realistic. Otherwise though, the book was terrific and I highly recommend it.

Great from Beginning to End!

Loved it! Some parts are pretty difficult to hear, but needed, to ensure that the reader got a clear picture of the life of a slave woman. Great from Beginning to end!

Amazing!!!

Powerful amazing story with captivating ending!! I feel like I understand slavery better than I ever understood it before. Love the character. Love the story

SENSATIONAL

I wish there were more than 5 stars to give. I loved the story.