Memphis Av Tara M. Stringfellow

<p><b>LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN''S PRIZE FOR FICTION</b><br><b>SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE</b><br><br><b>''A rhapsodic hymn to Black women'' <i>New York Times Book Review</i></b><br><br><b>''Epic yet intimate'' <i>Cosmopolitan</i></b><br><br><b>''Ferocious and compassionate'' <i>Irish Times</i><br></b><br><b>FAMILY CAN HOLD YOU TOGETHER. AND TEAR YOU APART.</b><br><br>Joan was only a child the last time she visited Memphis. She doesn''t remember the bustle of Beale Street or the smell of honeysuckle as she climbs the porch steps to her aunt''s house. But when the front door opens, she does remember her cousin Derek.<br><br> As Joan learns more about her family''s past she discovers she''s not the only North woman to have experienced great hurt. But she also sees their resilience and courage, how these extraordinary women fry green tomatoes and braid hair and sing all the while.<br><br><b>Joan can''t change the past, but she can change her future. It''s time to fi

For fans of The Vanishing Half, a new American classic about love, resilience and family. 'This story truly touched my soul' PRIMA, BOOK OF THE MONTH'If ever there was a novel that reflects how the past can shape us, and how we can change our story, it's this stunning debut' WOMAN AND HOME'An incredible read' BELLA'A rhapsodic hymn to Black women' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEWJoan can't change her family's 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.