Read for book club. I have mixed feelings. Too depressing for me. Every chapter had something terrible happening that I didn’t enjoy or want to read about. I appreciate it was patterned as a generational saga and set against historical events - but it felt far too forced. For example, everyone knows about MLK’s assassination. Tell me something I don’t know! The story alludes to another assassination but the 2nd one is unnamed and unexplored. What?! The people in this story didn’t respond in some unique way that made it worth the pain of reading about it.

I appreciated that the story was from the point of view of the women. Clearly, the men were all terrible. I got the message. I don’t take personal offense. But was it a good read? I suppose it’s okay for a beach read but I have limited time. For the dozen or so books I have time to read every year, I’d prefer them to be a lot more enjoyable than this. I often find myself telling friends about recent books I've enjoyed. Not this one. It has not sprung to mind since reading it and I hope to forget it completely as quickly as possible. (That's partly why I write reviews - so if I'm ever asked about it, I'll know what I've disliked and forgotten.)

There were some things going on that I didn’t even understand such as the prison scene? Too hard to believe Joan’s sister could say anything that would force her to visit Derek in prison. And why the secrecy? Not tell the mothers? I don’t even believe Joan would even tell her sister about her rape in the first place - at least, not after keeping it secret for so long.

No idea how this book got such good ratings. I’ve read far better multigenerational family saga stories such as The Island of Sea Women, Roots, or any Michener book like Alaska, Hawaii, and so on. Amusingly, I see that Memphis got 4.15 stars on Goodreads, the exact same rating as War and Peace. I don’t buy the author is another Tolstoy. ( )

This is a creditable debut novel about a multigenerational family of determined black women. I really enjoyed her portrayal of her characters but felt it lacked cohesion. Some scenes (ex: the scene in Iraq) seemed thrown in almost as an afterthought to explain behaviors that occurred later on. ( )

Memphis is a family saga focusing on the women in the North family, spanning generations and time periods. From matriarch Hazel to daughters Miriam and August and granddaughters Joan and Mya, the story is one of family, strength, and love.

Fans of historical fiction will find much to enjoy in this book, as it spans from the 1930s to the early 2000s. Its best moments focus on interactions between family members; the dynamics of the family are complicated, as they are with any other family, and Stringfellow really does a good job of showing that.

The only issue I had with the book was the fact that it felt a little too polished. The plot, while not exactly predictable, did not deliver any surprises; most ends are tied up neatly in a bow, which simply doesn't happen in real life. Some of the characterizations of Joan felt especially over-the-top, most notably with her artistic talents. Ultimately, the story is tight in a way that feels like a let-down - I would have liked to see what earlier drafts might have looked like, as this published version feels like it has been gone through by an editor very heavily to the detriment of the story.

Overall, this is a read I would recommend to fans of family sagas and historical fiction. It shows the real lives of Black women in the South in a way that neither glosses over nor holds back, and while the women endure much hardship, they are still able to find hope. ( )

Story of three black women of the same family who survive all the hardships life throws at them. ( )

Memphis follows three generations of Black women over the course of seventy years, weaving together the alternating chapter narratives of Hazel, her daughters Miriam and August, and Miriam’s daughter Joan. We follow the North women through their personal struggles during milestone events including WWII, the Civil Rights movement, and 9/11.
Memphis is beautifully written; exploring the strength and triumph of family over heartbreak, trauma, and grief. The storytelling and atmosphere is exceptional, I was highly invested in the lives of these women, and I cannot wait to see what Tara M. Stringfellow delivers to readers next! ( )