Wench: A Novel
Product Description
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 bui… More >>
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Helene Johnson said :
February 25, 2010 at 3:07 pm
This book is a light quick read – nothing too deep and thought provoking. It’s another side of slavery that shows you how sad this time in our history was. I found myself wishing the characters could have the freedom they so desired. If you’re looking for a novel to read on a rainy weekend, this is a good choice.
Rating: 4 / 5
Cecelia E Connally said :
February 25, 2010 at 5:00 pm
The premise of this work of historical fiction is that white men from the South came to Southern Ohio to vacation and brought along their slave concubines to sort of a spa/brothel where they could hunt, fish, enjoy the bathes and also spend time with their mistresses. In the author’s notes she points out that the Tawawa Resort really existed in the early 1850′s and that it was frequented by Southern slaveholders who brought their slave entourages. However, the idea that with was a resort of these inter racial couples is based on “oral history”, which means that someone said it was passed down but there is no documentation of the fact. I’m sure that the author’s account of Tawawa as a place where Southerner’s came is accurate, but it seems pretty strange that anyone would bring thier slaves in the 1850′s to Ohio, which was a hot bed of abolitionist activity.
Based on this, the author creates this world at the resort of slave women and their masters. She tries to look into the souls of these mythical women and create a world for them. She also attempts to look at the relationships between the black women and the men through the eyes of the long suffering wives. She attempts to show the love these men seem to have for some of the women and also the cruelty of these same men and the contempt that they had for them. For example, the one owner essentially rents his woman out to the hotel manager, probably in exchange for reduced rates.
I find the fact that Drayle’s wife moved Lizzie into a bed room across the hall at the plantation, and had her children sleeping with her too far fetched to believe. Having done a good deal of reading on slavery – I have a masters in American History and did mostly African American history – I don’t find the actions of Fran – the wife – believable. I recognize the fact that women in the mid 19th century had little control over the actions of thier husbands, and I don’t want to look at this from the perspective of a 20th century/21th century woman, but Fran’s conduct as it relates to Lizzie are really hard for me to believe – which makes the novel too mythical for me.
Other reviews liked this book a great deal. I found it readable, but there were just too many times when I had to question the story line. The accounts of Sweet and the loss of her children were moving. Mawu’s attempts at freedom along with those of Reenie were also credible and moving. The subplot about Phillip and his attempts at freedom was interesting. But I never really figured out Glory’s role in the story. Another loose end was the nephew who came to visit. And the whole ending about Mawu and Lizzie being two halves of the same spirit was too much of the African mysticism that people like Alice Walker write about.
Slavery was a brutal and cruel system. We all know that there were relationships between white men and black women. Drayle’s treatment of Lizzie was consistent with many verified historical accounts of such relationships. But the author tries to buy into the theory that white southern women accepted the relationships to essentially get along. In this story, I just don’t buy it.
Read it for yourself and come to your own conclusions.
Rating: 2 / 5
Daniel L. Self said :
February 25, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Heartwrenching, but powerful story of a time of great shame for all of us who love the South.
Rating: 4 / 5
Patricia A. Nelson said :
February 25, 2010 at 9:20 pm
I just finished this book and wanted to write a quick review. It’s hard to call this a wonderful book because of the serious subject matter. The author tells the story of four slave women who travel each year with their masters to a summer resort in Ohio. The author’s writing is so descriptive that you can actually imagine what the women look like and she does a great job of making us care about who these women are and what happens to them. It’s so well written that it’s hard to put down and I finished it in just a few days. Like many of the other reviewers I hated to see the book end but the book is well set up for a sequel should the author choose. I also enjoyed “The Help” immensely and didn’t want it to end either. If you’re looking for a really good engrossing book look no further. This one is it – a great first time novel. I look forward to her next novel.
Rating: 4 / 5
Paul Austin said :
February 25, 2010 at 11:16 pm
Dolen Perkins-Valdez shows us part of our history that we’d like to deny. This book is a flesh and blood, skin and bones experience. Ms. Perkins-Valdez does not condemn or excuse: instead, she puts us right in the middle of her characters’ lives. This book moves forward. It is hard to put down.
Rating: 5 / 5