Wench

WENCH by Dolen Perkins-Valdez Based on the real Tawawa House, a summer resort in Ohio, this story provides a glimpse into the lives of enslaved women who were brought to the resort as “mistresses” by southern slave owners. As you can imagine this was not at all a relaxing holiday. The author uses historical information and real life first-person narratives to tell the story of Lizzie and the women (Mawu, Reenie and Sweet) she befriends while staying at the resort. Unfortunately, I felt Lizzie wasn’t that interesting of a character. The other women, Mawu especially, had more compelling, impactful stories that I felt weren’t given enough attention in the end. Overall, the author gives readers a lot to think about and dissect. It’s real, raw and worth reading. Rating: 3/5 ⭐️

A look at the hard life of slave women chosen to serve as their "master;s" mistress and bear his children. Enjoyed the unique voices, sad as they were.

Dolen Perkins-Valdez makes a formidable debut in the tale of four women poised on the edge of slavery and freedom in Wench. Based on meticulous research, the author presents Tawawa House, which has oral history as a resort where southern slave owners brought their families during the summer months to Ohio. Using artistic license, Perkins-Valdez imagines the slave masters bringing their slave mistresses where they could openly be with them. Lizzie believes what she and Drayle, her master, has is a love match. She has two children by him and it is her hope that he will free his children. Reenie, the oldest in the group, is resigned to a life of misuse and servitude while Sweet is docile and fragile, forever connected to her master. Then there is Mawu, fiery, wild and rebellious, she provokes the other women to dare think of freedom as a reality. For three summers these women bond in a way they cannot do on their respective plantations in Tennessee and Louisiana because they are the masters' "women." The Northerners are appalled at the blatant mannerisms of the southern men who brazenly parade the slave women. For the women, being among free blacks and so close to freedom gives them both courage and brings on their greatest fears. Phillip, another slave of Drayle's, finds himself in love with a free woman. Glory, a Quaker and abolitionist, offers her services for escape but when Mawu plans to leave she experiences a betrayal of the worst kind and a public flogging. The language is easy and fluid as the author paints the Ohio landscape with a wide brush of setting, a sense of place and time, and characters who stir a myriad of emotions in the reader. Slavery is a harsh life and freedom, no matter how elusive, may be the desired outcome. However, the dynamics are not always black and white and I found myself cautioning against judgment. Does one dare chance freedom and leave your children behind? Will a man who claims to love you grant his children freedom? Perkins- Valdez, a professor of writing and post doctoral fellow, has written another chapter of slave history that is accessible and not muddled in social commentary and controversy. I recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction and slave era novels. Dera R. Williams APOOO BookClub

I could not put this book down. Rarely does a book capture my attention the way Wench did. After I started reading this book I left my chores undone, ignored the work on my desk and stayed up late at night reading. I have such mixed feelings about the pleasure I took in this book because it covers a horrible topic. Yet the author took such care telling the stories of four slave women forced into sexual relationships with their master. You must not miss the stories of Lizzie, Sugar, Reenie and Mawu. They share their lives with the reader and you come to care deeply about them before the reading is done. What the white masters did to these women is terrible yet the women handle it grace and strength that I myself do not have. My only hope is that the author plans a sequel because the story is just too good to end.

Dolen Perkins-Valdez delivers the gripping tale of primary characters, Lizzy, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu's, lives as slave maids and mistresses during the mid-19th century. Although from separate southern plantations, the mistresses vacation with their white masters to a free-state resort in Ohio each summer, forming a sisterly bond and developing relationships with each other. Suffering emotional, physical and sexual abuse at the hands of their "owners," the women grow weary, often dreaming of their and their children's freedom. While each of the women has a unique relationship with her respective master, Lizzy, Reenie, Sweet and Mawu share the bond of slavery and mistreatment. Despite the seeming perks each wench receives over all the other slaves at their home plantations, each woman still finds herself living in misery. This story brings readers into the heart-wrenching decisions, painstaking moments and emotional turmoil endured by each of the women as they struggle to save themselves spiritually, physically and emotionally. They walk a fine line of favor with their masters. Should the women stay, or should they run, when the opportunity is staring them right in the face? This story is unlike any other story I've read about slave women and children. Yes, I've heard the stories and knew these type things happened but never have I been drawn into the minds of the women that have lived this life. Themes of particular interest to me while reading this story were the relationship between the master's wife, Fran, and Lizzy. Lizzy's character is also of the most interest to me in that she was quite indecisive. I understood her indecision. I felt these women's pain and suffering. I also acknowledge the author's underlying message of the possible cause and evolvement of black-on-black prejudices. After reading this story, I am even more deeply appreciative of the women before me. They suffered tremendously and if it weren't for them I would not be living the life I am today. Any time you read a story and you feel the emotions jumping from the pages, you've got a page turner. The history behind the Tawawa House and what the land is actually used for today is also quite interesting. I would have never known had I not read this book. Based on this novel, I would read a second offering from Ms. Perkins-Valdez.

Dr. Dolen Perkins-Valdez does a great job portraying the setting and the characters - providing details that bring the story to life, without being superlative. As I was reading, I shed several tears. I smiled some too - and, many times, I felt a host of mixed emotions concurrently. Perkins-Valdez does a great job of showing the complexity of humanity in her characters - allowing her readers to think about themselves in a very real manner. The novel compelled me to think about several issues in more intricate ways. The words led me to think about history and slavery, but also love and strength, in subtle yet powerful ways. I read a lot, and I have written a good deal too. I know that this much vitality in a novel is hard to find. I found Wench to be very well-done. I had a hard time putting it down. My only complaint is that I wasn't ready for it to end.