• Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo

  • A Novel
  • By: Ntozake Shange
  • Narrated by: Allyson Johnson
  • Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (462 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo  By  cover art

Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo

By: Ntozake Shange
Narrated by: Allyson Johnson
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $13.22

Buy for $13.22

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Ntozake Shange’s most beloved novel, Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo, is the story of three “colored girls,” three sisters and their mama from Charleston, South Carolina. Sassafrass, the oldest, is a poet and a weaver like her mother, gone north to college and living with other artists in Los Angeles, trying to weave a life out of her work, her man, her memories, and her dreams. Cypress, the dancer, leaves home to find new ways of moving and easing the contractions of her soul. Indigo, the youngest, is still a child of Charleston - with “too much of the South in her” - who lives in poetry, can talk to her dolls, and has a great gift of seeing the obvious magic of the world.

©1982 Ntozake Shange (P)2010 Blackstone Audio, Inc., and Buck 50 Productions, LLC

Critic reviews

“Miss Shange writes with such exquisite care and beauty that anybody can relate to her message.” ( New York Times)
“A marvel…Languages—colloquial, established, lyric—play together like the most lush chamber music, the coolest jazz, the brassiest marches, the hippest jug band…[It] leaves us filled with joy and yearning for more.” ( Philadelphia Inquirer)
“Possessed of poetry, motion, and light…Shange’s tale is poignant, surprising, and deep as she looks at the different worlds of women and their special places therein.” ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    289
  • 4 Stars
    93
  • 3 Stars
    57
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    11
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    300
  • 4 Stars
    71
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    251
  • 4 Stars
    75
  • 3 Stars
    53
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    12

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Black authers I love.

love the book, one of my favorites. It was great to have it read aloud.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it!!!

One of my new favorites!!! My favorite line is "Do you want me to have me or to love me?" Powerful.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

the Narrator really bought this Book to Life.

Great Story , Great Narrator. the Narrator really put me dead in the center of this book. it's filled with Spells & lessons that I recommend

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting

The narrator is amazing! She demonstrates her talent to lend distinct voices and personalities to each character in such a skillful and en hanging way. Such a wonderful and unique story, full of description, intrigue and humor. Great read!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Delightfully entertaining

Worth the read, worth the listen. An adorable story about 4 black women that defied the odds and remained.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Iconic novel is one of my favorites

I love Shange’s work & wanted to revisit the world of these 3 women & their mother. Allyson Johnson’s easing nailed it! 30 years after I read it in college, the work still resonates.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautiful!

what a wonderful arrangement and reading Sassafras, Cypress & Indigo. This brought more life to an incredible novel

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

if you love Zora and Toni read this book!!

loved it, brilliant writer, excellent narration!! Kept me wanting more and more! Great read for any avid reader!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice storyline

I wanted to hear more. I feel like there should be more to the story.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

Ms Johnson did a excellent job with the ready of this book. Bravo a must read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!