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The Book of Night Women
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins
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The Book of Night Women
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Publisher's Summary
But when she begins to understand her own feelings and desires and identity, Lilith starts to push at the edges of what is imaginable for the life of a slave woman in Jamaica, and risks becoming the conspiracy's weak link. Lilith's story overflows with high drama and heartbreak, and life on the plantation is rife with dangerous secrets, unspoken jealousies, inhuman violence, and very human emotion - between slave and master, between slave and overseer, and among the slaves themselves. Lilith finds herself at the heart of it all. And all of it told in one of the boldest literary voices to grace the page recently - and the secret of that voice is one of the book's most intriguing mysteries.
What the critics say
"Both beautifully written and devastating... Writing in the spirit of Toni Morrison and Alice Walker but in a style all his own, James has conducted an experiment in how to write the unspeakable - even the unthinkable. And the results of that experiment are an undeniable success.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“The narrative voice is so assured and the descriptions so detailed and believable that one can’t help being engaged. This is a book to love.... The Book of Night Women is hard to pick up, even harder to put down...and it deserves to be read." (Chicago Tribune)
"The Book of Night Women is a searing read, full of blood, tears, and the stench of misery. It’s barbaric and ancient, but also familiar in the ways that people, consumed by their differences and divisions, easily overlook all that binds them - the desire for independence, the right to a civilized life, and the need to give and receive love.” (The Boston Globe)
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What listeners say about The Book of Night Women
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Carla
- 2019-02-12
very good.
very well written and read. the writing was very vivid and descriptive. the narrator did a fantastic job with the performance.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anastasia Beaverhausen
- 2022-06-07
Powerful
Marlon James is one of the few male authors with the ability to write from a female perspective with authenticity. The word that first comes to mind when hearing this novel is raw. It is raw and unforgiving in its emotions and descriptions.
This book also reminded me of one of my favourite quotes by Solzhenitsyn, from The Gulag Archipelago :
Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Melissa
- 2021-03-13
the accent of the narrator
Would have been nice to hear this story in an authentic Jamaican accent. The accent was somewhat off-putting but I LOVED the story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nicole Bee
- 2020-12-21
Reels you in little by little
I’ll admit, I started this book with a quizzical eyebrow. The beginning was a bit confusing for me, and I had a lot of “What was she seeing?... Why was she there?... Wait.. who’s that?” Yet each chapter would reel me in, and I’d want to know more. I was so fascinated by these well-rounded characters and felt like I was reading a Caribbean slave narrative... maybe my own ancestor, perhaps. I borrowed it from my local library and had to own it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily Heard
- 2019-11-06
Very unnerving
There was a lot to unpack about here about slavery, slave women and the abuse that happened on the plantations but beyond that there was much to be said about how very human people can be in times of suffering.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kathryn
- 2018-07-02
Horrifying and brilliant
Difficult to listen to but a timely reminder of the inhumanity of slavery. Beautifully read.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- ann
- 2011-01-07
"A lyrical, heart thumping, engaging masterpiece"
Please do not sleep on this audio book. The narrator sings her way through the chapters in true Jamaican dialect while ensuring that each and every character has their own voice. I literally could not stop listening until the entire read was complete. After it was finished, I found myself researching carribean slavery, and found the content to be mostly true. I could see the characters in my mind and smell them, and hear their songs. I cannot express how touching this book was to me and dare I say, I dont know if I would have felt the same if I would have simply read the book. The narrator gave the stories life and I was wanting more and more even after the final word was read. This is my first written review of a book ever which should tell you how deeply I feel that this is one that should not be ignored.
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86 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Denise
- 2010-09-21
twenty stars
Ten stars for the author and ten for the reader. Robin Miles is wonderful. Male voices, female voices, accents, flavors, tones. When there are six people in the room I hear six different people, and remind myself with amazement that it's all Ms. Miles. Wonderful book!
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75 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Emily
- 2010-04-20
read now to understand the past
I have never come across a work of fiction that so powerfully portrayed the moral complexities of European slavery as James's novel. In this book, slave owners and slaves alike are complex characters: the family whose slaves are the "best dressed in all Jamaica" also cruelly kills its slaves on the slightest whim; house slaves and field slaves distrust and despise each other; and an Irish overseer is the only person who treats the book's main character, the mulatta Lilith, as a human being. What conclusions can we draw from this book? Slavery was an institution that corrupted the lives of all that it touched, White or Black, free or slave. And for those who doubt that its ramifications continue into the present day, read this book!
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55 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Lyn
- 2009-05-19
10 stars if available
This book is perfect for audible. It is read (and I presume written) in a Jamacian/Creole patois which would be hard to read but a joy to listen! The narrator is gifted as she uses the patois, British, Irish and even Cockney accents to draw the many faceted characters. The story itself opens a view of an history and mind set none of us could begin to realize. Don't miss this listening opportunity.
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49 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ann Abanaka
- 2012-03-27
WOW!!!!!
This book was awesome!!!!! I could not stop listening, it held my interest from beginning to end!!! It was so very well written. Im so glad I didnt miss out on this one, I took a chance and Im sooooo glad I did!!! The narrator was one of the best!!!!!!!!!!!
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36 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- P. J. Benyei
- 2010-09-27
Excellent book, but not for the squeemish
Listen to the sample for an idea of the patois dialect in which it is written. It must be unbearably difficult to read such broken english, but spoken aloud it is intoxicating and authenic. The narrator is superb. I was unable to stop listening.
That being said, I do need to warn you it is almost unendurably explicit. The language used is not for the faint of heart. The vulgarity of both slave life on the plantation and the language used to describe it can be hard to listen to. I'm pretty tough and not a lot bothers me from the standpoint of profanity but I found myself cringing in a lot of places. It does not bother me enough to rate it lower. It deserves every star, but be aware of what you are getting yourself into. If you can't take obscenity heaped high and wide, stay away.
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24 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Bill
- 2009-04-25
the book of night women
Simply a beautiful novel. I have never encountered such an brutally honest story before that takes you so completely into the lives of these women. If you are faint hearted or prefer not to look the truth in the face, skip this book, but if you want a listening experience that you will never ever forget, this is the one.
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22 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Noreen
- 2010-03-06
The Book of Night Women (Unabridged)"
I loved this book. I especially loved the Narration.I loved the rawness that the writer brought to life. He used great language that was so real, I felt as though I was sitting watching this world unfold. Marlon Davis, dipiction of The Book of Night Women (Unabridged) made me thank God I was born in this time. I was capitivated by his use of dialect. I felt as though I was there with the women in all of their suffering. I thought and think that this book is excellent and that the writer is amazing. Certainly not a watered down version of how slavery was.
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20 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Susan
- 2009-11-11
Worth the Time
A fascinating look at slavery in Jamaica told from a slave's point of view. While we study a great deal of history of slavery in the U.S we are greatly unaware of what happened in other parts of the world. Well read, gripping story
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Samantha
- 2010-11-06
Not for the Timid
This book was very good and the narration was terrific, but some of the content was very difficult to listen to. However, having said that, I would recommend this book as it's a very good description of the terrible life of slaves in Jamaica.
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9 people found this helpful