Wench

A Novel

By: Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Narrated by: Quincy Tyler Bernstine

Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

An ambitious and startling debut novel that follows the lives of four women at a resort popular among slaveholders who bring their enslaved mistresses.

wench \'wench\ n. from Middle English "wenchel," 1 a: a girl, maid, young woman; a female child.

Tawawa House in many respects is like any other American resort before the Civil War. Situated in Ohio, this idyllic retreat is particularly nice in the summer when the Southern humidity is too much to bear. The main building, with its luxurious finishes, is loftier than the white cottages that flank it, but then again, the smaller structures are better positioned to catch any breeze that may come off the pond. And they provide more privacy, which best suits the needs of the Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their black, enslaved mistresses. It's their open secret.

Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at Tawawa House. They have become friends over the years as they reunite and share developments in their own lives and on their respective plantations. They don't bother too much with questions of freedom, though the resort is situated in free territory, but when truth-telling Mawu comes to the resort and starts talking of running away, things change.

To run is to leave behind everything these women value most - friends and families - still down South, and for some it also means escaping from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. When a fire on the resort sets off a string of tragedies, the women of Tawawa House soon learn that triumph and dehumanization are inseparable and that love exists even in the most inhuman, brutal of circumstances, all while they are bearing witness to the end of an era.

An engaging and wholly original novel, Wench explores, with an unflinching eye, the moral complexities of slavery.

©2010 Dolen Perkins-Valdez (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers

Interesting story but the ending was a let down

I love period fiction so this story had my attention right off. While stories about slavery can be difficult to hear the history involved intrigued me. The characters were very entertaining & the narrator did an excellent job. However the ending seemed like the author just ran out of steam & decided to end the story.

Wow

First off , this is the first time I've ever listened to an audiobook and my God I made the right choice. From the Author's command of the English language to the Narrator's powerful voice , I was not disappointed.

Stirs a lot of emotions

This was a good book that kept me interested throughout. The beginning of the book was somewhat confusing, but the confusion works itself out eventually. I found myself confronted with many emotions about slavery and the devotion (wrong word??) of the slaves to their masters. I have heard many times about some masters being kinder than others, and though I suppose it was a better environment for those slaves, this story showed me that slavery is slavery, regardless of how "kind" a master is. Even those slaves who were treated better than others, were still tortured emotionally. I felt unsettled with the ending, which is why I only gave the book 4 stars.

Interesting Read

"I could have freed 1000 more if they knew they were slaves" ~ Harriet Tubman

An insightful historic fictional book

I enjoyed listening to this book. It was insightful. The character development was well done. The narrative to this historic fictional account was detailed enough to transcend the listener back in time to gain a glimpse of what life might have like for these individuals.

Hard to listen, but couldn't put it down.

The book made me very angry so many emotions! Women, black and white were mistreated throughout the storyline. Good read!

Great Read, Kept My Attention!

Would you consider the audio edition of Wench to be better than the print version?

Well read - gave an authenticity to the book with the choice of reader.

What did you like best about this story?

Perked my interest - wanted to know what would happen next.

What about Quincy Tyler Bernstine’s performance did you like?

Being able to portray the character so well.

Any additional comments?

Great book! Would recommend it!

The act of slavery

Really good performance involving
Slavery….factual! Held my interest would have like to have known how the children were when she arrived back home…

Good story

I enjoyed this story it was very good but the ending left me hanging. I wanted to know what happened to the main character and her children. I wanted to know what happened to Mawu.

Interesting

What did you love best about Wench?

The Reader was Excellent! Story was ok and I did enjoy the book It is just that I've read this kind of thing before. The other thing I would mention is the book is not a feel good kind of read I always felt a little sad while reading and even a short while after turning it off. So If you need a pick me up put this on off for a while, but still read because we should know how bad it is in bondage I feel it is worth the read and everyone should know the truth.