Queenie

Publisher's Summary

Bridget Jones’s Diary meets Americanah in this disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that will speak to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place. 

Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she’s constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle-class peers. After a messy break-up from her white long-term boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places...including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth. 

As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, “What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?” - all of the questions today’s woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her. 

With “fresh and honest” (Jojo Moyes) prose, Queenie is a remarkably relatable exploration of what it means to be a modern woman searching for meaning in today’s world.

©2019 Candice Carty-Williams (P)2019 Simon & Schuster

Growing up for Grownups

I chose the all star rating because narration, plot, the unfolding of the story, with character development, all flavored with amazing humor, pathos, and the blossoming of the characters, presented in a bird’s eye view of the story, blended together to create an outstanding novel. The theme of interracial relationships between black and white delved into fear, power, and differences between outward appearances of both racial groups. It dismissed stereotypes of racial sexuality. It displayed the folly of misconceptions that humans base relationships on, with a delightful description of the beauty inherent in all humans. PLEASE read it to discover life. Would be a great book for high school students with the psychologies presented regarding motives for sexual activities.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Great Read

I thoroughly enjoyed listening. The story is very relatable. I have been Queenie. Totally recommend this book !

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Don't touch her hair !!!!

Where do i begin with this one?
Queenie, Queenie, Queenie. She sort of reminded me of myself when i was younger. Not the promiscuous parts but the "not having your shit together parts".
I LOLed several times. I enjoyed this audiobook. There were a few shock factor moments but all in all it was a good book. Don't listen with children around though. I was listening while in a fast food drive thru with my window down and had to turn it off until i was able to close my window back.
Reminded me of a Jamaican Bridgette Jones maybe?
The narrator was perfect.
I do recommend it for a little mindless chic-lit.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Queenie !

Love love loved it!
Queenie is addictive!
Quick read just do it!
You will laugh, cry and pondering the issues Queenie faces.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I wanted to like it

I was underwhelmed with this story as it flitted about jumping from one issue to another. It had the potential but it never really grabbed me.

Queenie went through some hardships as a child, which made for a hot mess of a grown-up Queenie. She’s has low self worth and engages in some pretty risky encounters with white men after a breakup with Tom, her white boyfriend who thought nothing of his uncle using the N-word when referring to her.

Good for her for walking away.

What baffles me is - why would she take such a hard stance with Tom about racist comments and then go out to carry on with white men who objectify her and use her (horrifically) to satisfy their curiosity of being with a black woman.

And then there were the little detours into the realm of BLM. If you are going to take that on... commit to it. Give it the space that it deserves.

The story was just flat to me. It didn’t know what it wanted to be.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Queenie is a must read for 20 somethings

Queenie is a complicated soul grounded in generational dysfunction. The book pulls you in to the very last page and gives the reader hope that overcoming is hard, but pushing through is necessary.

Strong Black Woman

So well written that you equally love and hate Queenie's destructive behaviour. Love the delivery of the material. I identify with so many themes in this book. It was an irresistible read that keeps you drawn to the story.

Loved it from start to finish

I couldn't get enough of Queenie! I had similar experiences in my mid twenties but saw them from a whole new perspective. This book made me laugh and cry. Candice, thank you for writing this beautiful book and sharing it with the world. I'll be purchasing a physical copy.

Relatable

I’m quite older than the character, but can relate! Enjoyable listen! Narrator was awesome! Will listen to again soon! Now what’s the next read 2 keep my interested?

So Relatable

I love this book so relatable ... I could not put this audioable on pause