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Wench

by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Goodreads Author)

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 8,217 ratings · 1,447 reviews

In 1850s Tennessee, 13-year-old slave named Lizzie is taken on by the plantation owner as a sexual mistress, a practice common to the time. Lizzie's master even takes her along with him to a spa resort in "free" Ohio when the Southern summer heat becomes too much to bear. There, Lizzie meets two other young black women caught in a similar form of bondage, and the three beg...more

Paperback, 320 pages

Published January 25th 2011 by Amistad (first published December 16th 2009)

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Oct 21, 2012 Jen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mainstream chick lit readers who like literary hot pockets

Recommended to Jen by: my middle sister

Shelves: chicks-dig-it, sisters-book-club

-Edited 10/21/12-

If you are considering reading this book and are cruising 'round reviews, then consider reading

The Book of Night Women instead. It is infinitely better, although it will break your heart and stomp on the pieces.

*****original review*****

My thoughts: Should a writer take the most boring character and make her tell the story? Should I write that? Probably not. But, damn! I didn't want to hear any more about mealy-mouthed Lizzie. Give me Mawu, crazy assed Mawu, with the black sk...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Bob Schmitz rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I saw an article that Dolen Perkins-Valdez was speaking about her book here in Durham. I had never heard of her or her book but a book about a resort in Ohio where Southern men brought their slaves as escorts was an interesting topic so my wife and I joined 25 black people and 10 other whites in a local church to hear what she had to say.

Perkins-Valdez had been told by a writing teacher to look for materials in books in obituaries. She didn't like reading obits. She did however run across a foo...more I saw an article that Dolen Perkins-Valdez was speaking about her book here in Durham. I had never heard of her or her book but a book about a resort in Ohio where Southern men brought their slaves as escorts was an interesting topic so my wife and I joined 25 black people and 10 other whites in a local church to hear what she had to say.

Perkins-Valdez had been told by a writing teacher to look for materials in books in obituaries. She didn't like reading obits. She did however run across a footnote some where that mentioned Tawawa House, a resort in Southern Ohio, a free state, where Southern masters brought their slaves without their wives. More than cooking and mending went on. Fascinated she researched and found that it had existed and had failed prior to the Civil War because Northerners didn't like being around the Southern slave owners. It became a school and eventually Wilberforce College. None of the original building remain and the springs for which people came have dried up.

Perkins-Valdez was an engaging speaker. She mentioned that slavery had many secrets and that her (black) college roommate had only recently told her that she was descended from former president Andrew Johnson That fact had been hidden in the family handed down through the females but never made public because of the shame that incest was involved. With her research skills Dolen was able find that the Johnson ancestry was true and the incest was not. So many stories hidden away.

So now onto the book. It was interesting in that it portrayed some of the ambiguities of slavery. Other reasons besides fear could keep a slave woman from leaving her master. Perhaps affection? Perkins-Valdez is ambiguous on this point with her main character, Lizzie. That being said I did not find the book that engaging. One of the main things that bothered me is that many of the things she discribed did not ring true. For instance Lizzie several times confides in white people and suffers each time. I would think that even by the age of 13 she would know to hide her feelings. She refers to "driveways" A word that dates to 1865-70 10 years after the story. (http://dictionary.reference.com/brows... "chicken wire" that was invented after 1947 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_...)*** This just seemed sloppy writing and I felt the characters were developed in a sloppy way also.

I thought the topic was interesting but the book was not.

****Please read the comments of "Sue" below from 1/29/12 who points out some inconsistencies in my review and my response to her comments.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2010 NerdGirlBlogger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I adore historical fiction, and feel so lucky to have been offered the chance to review Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valez. Not only am I thrilled to have found another brilliant historical fiction novel by a first-time writer, but I haven’t read a book on slavery since high school, and I was so happy to learn so many new things while reading Wench. Did you know about Tawawa House near Xenia, Ohio? It was open from 1852 – 1855 and it was a resort for Southern gentlemen and their “slave entourages.” No...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Cina rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I gave this book 2 stars because I am still waiting for a conclusion to this book. I kept reading hoping that the more I read the better it would get but that didn't happen. Some of the stories of the characters fell to the side or didn't develop fully, even with the characters to me there was very little development and it was disheartening that the main character Lizzie/Eliza never really realized her worth as a woman in the story. To the bitter end, even knowing what being a slave vs a free b...more

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Feb 16, 2013 Monique rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cant-hold-me-down-slavery-stories

Okay so I must admit with the replaying of Roots: An American Family Saga over the holidays and I dont know my recent fascination with the Civil war and slavery I put this book on hold at a neighboring library and picked it up willingly..I found the premise hands down just so interesting with one of the most intriguing leads ever promoting the story of a resort hotel in the free state of Ohio where Southern slaveowners would leave their strenous (bah) life of running a plantation and using and a...more Okay so I must admit with the replaying of Roots: An American Family Saga over the holidays and I dont know my recent fascination with the Civil war and slavery I put this book on hold at a neighboring library and picked it up willingly..I found the premise hands down just so interesting with one of the most intriguing leads ever promoting the story of a resort hotel in the free state of Ohio where Southern slaveowners would leave their strenous (bah) life of running a plantation and using and abusing human beings for profit and travel for unabashed male time and privacy with their slave mistresses..the book's heroines the four Negro wenches Lizzie, Sweet, Reenie and Mawu. This is a brilliant retelling of slave women with no possessions of their own not even time their own thoughts or desires, it was heartbreaking to read the stories of the women in different relationships with the men who own them..Understandably all women harbor the resentment and anger of being a slave and not a willing participant to the "nighttime activities" of the masters but what if somewhere a bit of tenderness grows as in Lizzie's situation where she truly felt that though she was lowly and poor that her master really loved her and offered her kindness when he could though he refused to free her or the children they created together. Lizzie's precarious situation offered just one scenario as you also meet Sweet, a woman whose master obviously adored her and to whom she bore five children for, she seems not as enamored as Lizzie but still has the compassion and at least a form of like for her master while Reenie and Mawu both despise their status, their captors and share the horrific stories of why..With the women in a free state the temptation to escape dances through their head multiple times and for different reasons each must decide if they are strong enough to head on to freedom..I appreciate the realness of the story as they talked about everything dirty, uncomfortable and impossibly sad about the plight of a slave woman..How must it be to not be able to read, not be in charge of your own body, your own mind, your own day, your clothes and in some cases your heart as the women clung to their lives out of love of their children..I had so many feelings as I read and it would have been a five star book if the ending and characters were expounded upon a bit more..I do recommend this book as an eyeopener and a tool to make you think and show you the obstacles we overcame to be so strong..Another great fact you find out about this book is that the resort once used for illicit activites by Southern slaveowners in need of a vacation was taken over by missionaries to be a school to educate free coloreds and this place is still in existence today as Oberlin College..that alone was worth a star and worth recommending.. :)(less)

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Mar 31, 2011 Mari Anne rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I probably shouldn't have read this so close on the heels of "The Kitchen House". While this novel explores another interesting aspect of Southern antebellum slave life, it wasn't nearly as well done as "The Kitchen House". I am waffling between 2 and 3 stars for this one.

"Wench" explores the lives of four slaves who act as mistresses to their slave owners. They meet up four summers in a row at a Northern resort and the novel explores their lives and situations.

The basic storyline is very intere...more

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Jan 19, 2011 Maegen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, chi-raw-bookclub

Wench was a book club choice and I was quite frustrated by it's selection. I hate reading about slavery or anything connected to it. It makes me uncomfortable, sad and angry. Furthermore, the idea that this story focused on the lives and relationships of four slave mistresses turned my stomach. Needless to say, I struggled with this book. It was incredibly difficult for me to get through. I read and put it down so many times that I often thought of not picking it up again, but I kept coming back...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Brenda Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

My pick
This is the first book I've read of the Civil War era. It tells a story about women and their relationships - primarily slave women. It all about love, family, entitlement, losing, lots of losing. It was sad, but I don't think any of those women would want our sympathy. Compassion, sure. But not sympathy.
It was a well written story that was easy to read.

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Jul 28, 2011 Robert Starner added it · review of another edition

A quickly paced, absorbing piece of historical fiction which examines the lives of slave women who also serve as mistresses to their masters. Perkins-Valdez presents a glimpse into a lost piece of history, setting her story in a resort that caters to Southern white plantation owners and their slave mistresses. In the second section of the novel, the reader is introduced to Lizzie, one of the four mistresses who meet one summer at the resort. Lizzie's story is told with great empathy as she is sl...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: southern, historical, 2011, slavery, war

I really enjoyed the audio Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez from Audible.com. Quincy Tyler Bernstine did such an amazing job narrating this and capturing and expressing the varying emotions of the characters. Quincy was really able to effectively present each character in a way that was relatable and gave me, as a reader, a real feel for that time period. [return][return]I thought Wench was an amazing debut novel. It tells the story of Tawana House, an American resort located in Ohio just before th...more I really enjoyed the audio Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez from Audible.com. Quincy Tyler Bernstine did such an amazing job narrating this and capturing and expressing the varying emotions of the characters. Quincy was really able to effectively present each character in a way that was relatable and gave me, as a reader, a real feel for that time period. [return][return]I thought Wench was an amazing debut novel. It tells the story of Tawana House, an American resort located in Ohio just before the Civil War. Tawana House was frequented by quite a few southern plantation owners who brought their slave mistresses with them which caused quite a bit of gossip for the northerners. Wench mainly focuses on the story of 4 particular women who are brought to Tawana House by their owners. Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet, who have visited several times, are introduced to Mawu, whose unpredictable behavior and blunt honesty help the others to face some truths and begin to feel things they have never allowed themselves to feel. Most of all, hope. [return][return]One of the things that fascinated me the most was that Tawawa House actually existed. I guess that shouldn� t be so surprising, but I can see how learning about this place could inspire someone as talented as this author to tell its story. And I felt that Dolen Perkins-Valdez told it brilliantly. Even presenting such a painful subject as slavery and all the horrors that accompany it, while at times it was uncomfortable to read about, the characters were so engaging that I wanted to know their stories, however painful they may be. I was intrigued by the concept that, although these women were forced into a carnal relationship with their � owners� and even to have their children, some of the women considered themselves to be in love. The dynamic between all involved was as fascinating as it was disturbing. I was definitely presented with perspectives I had never before considered. [return][return]Overall, this was a beautifully written honest look at a painful period in history, but also a story about friendship, hope, and family. While Wench is in no way a fast paced novel, it is still a page-turner. What Dolen Perkins-Valdez does so well is present the complexities of those relationships between slave-owner-friends-family. All the shades of gray as well as what is inherently right and wrong in these situations are explored as well as how each individual character felt and reacted. I found it to be thought provoking and emotional, yet altogether satisfying. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys southern historical fiction.(less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of southern fiction

Shelves: audio-book-challenge, audiobook-format, historical-fiction, on-my-shelf, read-in-2011

I really enjoyed the audio Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez from Audible.com. Quincy Tyler Bernstine did such an amazing job narrating this and capturing and expressing the varying emotions of the characters. Quincy was really able to effectively present each character in a way that was relatable and gave me, as a reader, a real feel for that time period.

I thought Wench was an amazing debut novel. It tells the story of Tawana House, an American resort located in Ohio just before the Civil War. Tawa...more I really enjoyed the audio Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez from Audible.com. Quincy Tyler Bernstine did such an amazing job narrating this and capturing and expressing the varying emotions of the characters. Quincy was really able to effectively present each character in a way that was relatable and gave me, as a reader, a real feel for that time period.

I thought Wench was an amazing debut novel. It tells the story of Tawana House, an American resort located in Ohio just before the Civil War. Tawana House was frequented by quite a few southern plantation owners who brought their slave mistresses with them which caused quite a bit of gossip for the northerners. Wench mainly focuses on the story of 4 particular women who are brought to Tawana House by their owners. Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet, who have visited several times, are introduced to Mawu, whose unpredictable behavior and blunt honesty help the others to face some truths and begin to feel things they have never allowed themselves to feel. Most of all, hope.

One of the things that fascinated me the most was that Tawawa House actually existed. I guess that shouldn’t be so surprising, but I can see how learning about this place could inspire someone as talented as this author to tell its story. And I felt that Dolen Perkins-Valdez told it brilliantly. Even presenting such a painful subject as slavery and all the horrors that accompany it, while at times it was uncomfortable to read about, the characters were so engaging that I wanted to know their stories, however painful they may be. I was intrigued by the concept that, although these women were forced into a carnal relationship with their “owners” and even to have their children, some of the women considered themselves to be in love. The dynamic between all involved was as fascinating as it was disturbing. I was definitely presented with perspectives I had never before considered.

Overall, this was a beautifully written honest look at a painful period in history, but also a story about friendship, hope, and family. While Wench is in no way a fast paced novel, it is still a page-turner. What Dolen Perkins-Valdez does so well is present the complexities of those relationships between slave-owner-friends-family. All the shades of gray as well as what is inherently right and wrong in these situations are explored as well as how each individual character felt and reacted. I found it to be thought provoking and emotional, yet altogether satisfying. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys southern historical fiction.(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Cheryl A rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

How do you balance your hopes and dreams with the life your are forced to live? For me, this was the heart of this debut novel about four slave women who spent their summers with their owners in a "vacation" setting in Ohio.

The vacation was for the masters - hunting, fishing, the freedom from the responsibilities of plantation life and the freedom to engage with their slave mistresses when and however they chose. Three of the slave women - Lizzie, Sweet and Reenie - have made the trip before and...more

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Jan 03, 2013 Nicole Carr rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Great first novel. The ending is a bit sketchy and I think the author's desire to want to 'wrap it up' towards the end makes the conclusion a bit forced for me. One thing with Lizzie that I found interesting is that she was not exactly likable as the main character...I, too, thought Mawu and the rest of the women should have been developed more. Still, Lizzie's continued naivete speaks to just how dangerous it was for a slave to actually engage in fantasy. Many times, Lizzie falls into the trap...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was so shocking to me. I have never heard a story like this.
I find historical writing very fascinating,especially life on the Southern plantations. This lets the white planters live a so called
normal family life "up in the Big House" with his wife and children.
Down in the slave cabins, Master chooses his black women freely. It
is like the song sung by Leonard Cohen, "Everybody Knows". Well, in this
book, Master and many of his friends take their slave women for a
summer vacation to a k...more

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Jul 06, 2012 Ariel Uppstrom rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a book I just happened to see at the library and gave it a shot. It turned out to be really good. Though it was a little confusing in the beginning, it quickly led me to care about the characters and then I was hooked. The only complaint I had was that it ended before I wished it had. I wanted to find out more about what happened to the main character and her children after she really figured out her feelings toward her master.

The book follows Lizzy, a slave bought by Drayl years ago, w...more

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May 12, 2012 Jamilla Rice rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So, I can't adequately judge the quality of this book. One might think that because I finished it in a day, it was a great read. But when you factor in the variable of being trapped on a Megabus going from DC to Pittsburgh midday, then you've got to question that assumption. The story seemed far fetched at first, but it turns out to be based on the true history of slave masters taking their black slave concubines on "holiday" with them to a resort up North, in Ohio, free territory, of all places...more

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Mar 28, 2012 Sophia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, historical-fiction, south, slavery

Wench is a debut historical fiction novel based on an interesting premise: how does it feel to be a favored slave and mistress? do you run for it when taken on holiday by your master? Lizzie, whose master regularly vacations at Tawawa House, a resort in the free territory of Ohio, faces these questions. When newcomer Mawu joins the coterie of slave-mistresses and circumstances change, there's talk of running away. Unlike the others, Lizzie is literate and well-treated, perhaps even loved by her...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Christine Rebbert rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a book-club pick that I wouldn't necessarily have picked out for myself, but I'm glad I read it (even though I wound up not attending that meeting of Book Club). Set in the mid-1800's, it centers around Lizzie, a slave in Tennessee, who is brought each summer to a hotel in free Ohio for a vacation with her master (and lover). This hotel frequented by men and their black mistresses is based in fact. It also goes into the back-story of Lizzie's involvement with the master, Drayle, and als...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I randomly came upon "Wench" when a user mentioned it in a review for a related book. The premise sounded intriguing, so I immediately bought the Kindle edition and read it in just two days.

The topic of "Wench" is scandalous, though not surprising as many of us are already aware that slave masters forced their female slaves into sexual servitude. However, Tawawa House was certainly an eyeopener. It's there that the book's protagonist, Lizzie, meets fellow slaves and friends Sweet, Mawu, and Ren...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: readers who are not uncomfortable with ambiguity

Recommended to Jennifer by: Bad Ass Bookclub

Shelves: read-2012, bad-ass-bookclub

Though it took me a bit to warm up to this novel--set in the early 1850's, it eventually sucked me in. Tawana House is a hotel/resort in Ohio (a free state) where a number of southern slave owners bring their black "mistresses" every summer. When Lizzie first starts coming up to Ohio with her master, Drayle, she does not feel tempted by the freedom around her. She has two children (by Drayle) back in Tennessee and he treats her far better than do the masters of her friends, Sweet and Reenie. How...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Nancy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 27, 2011 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Please don't compare this book with 'The Help', because "Wench" is far superior to that book, both in quality of writing and historical background.

"Wench" is the story of four women, who each represent an aspect of the life of a female slave,used for sex. One imagines herself in love, one tolerates her master, one is a fighter, and one is worn out after years of abuse. Regardless of their personal experiences, all are 'wenches', women who are sexual partners (and mothers of children) of the men...more Please don't compare this book with 'The Help', because "Wench" is far superior to that book, both in quality of writing and historical background.

"Wench" is the story of four women, who each represent an aspect of the life of a female slave,used for sex. One imagines herself in love, one tolerates her master, one is a fighter, and one is worn out after years of abuse. Regardless of their personal experiences, all are 'wenches', women who are sexual partners (and mothers of children) of the men who own them. Though they come from different areas of the south, the four women meet once yearly at an Ohio resort, where for the first time, they are exposed to free Blacks and Northerners. As Ohio was a 'free' state, thoughts of running away begin to occupy their minds, and each has to make a decision about going, staying, and the role of family in their lives.

I found this book fascinating. It is not often that one reads an account of slave life juxtaposed with free Blacks and Northerners that is set pre-Civil War. Dr. Dolen Perkins-Valdez has done a beautiful job of period research, making it easy for the reader to slip into the minds and lives of these women, particularly Lizzie, the protagonist. The first and third sections of the book take place in successive summers in the Ohio resort (which actually existed), while the center section focuses on Lizzie's life from the year she first caught her master's eye until the year before the main action of the book takes place. Perkins-Valdez uses this section to begin to illuminate the complexity of the choices, few though they were, that a slave had to make. I particularly enjoyed the moral complexities illuminated: is a mother's responsibility to her children to make them recognize the reality of their status, or to let them grab whatever joy they can from life? Is it better to turn in a prospective runaway, earning them a whipping, or chance a dead friend when the runaway is almost surely re-captured? Can love exist between individuals when one has absolute control over the other? Dr. Perkins-Valdez never gives us the answer; she lets us make our own determination. Thus, this is not an easy book.There are beautiful things and harsh things that happen, and we're not allowed to flinch from either one. In that way, I think it's more than fair to compare Dr. Dolen Perkins-Valdez to Toni Morrison. Though I'm sure her style isn't as polished, there is that same aspect of "LOOK. SEE. KNOW." that I enjoy in Morrison's best works.

What "Wench" shouldn't be compared to is "The Help". Yes, I know that book is America's darling right now, but "Wench" is leaps and bounds ahead in storytelling ability and believability. No schmaltz. No easy answers. No crap. AND "Wench" is far more historically accurate than "The Help". Please read this book if you think that one was pivotal. You won't be sorry you did. (less)

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Oct 22, 2011 Tonysha rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Every woman I know.

Recommended to Tonysha by: Valerie Jackson from ATL Public Radio Show "Between the Lines"

I was thoroughly caught up in this story. Knowing that this surreal time/place within the experience of slavery in America is completely factual was difficult to get my head around. I shouldn't have been as scandalized as I was/am, in light of the fact that everything about this time in American history is a horror. Each of the individual stories of the four women in the novel is captivating. In the same way that a 10 car pile-up on the highway is captivating. You will be horrified by what they...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Sheila rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed this book, but only up to a point. The subject matter was quite gripping, but I found it an "almost there" book rather than a completely satisfying read. I found the prose a bit "prosy"; flat and straightforward, and not always in a good way. The characters were interesting but did not quite come alive; even Lizzie, the main character, who was the most developed, somehow was not completely well-rounded. The biggest disappointment was the ending, because it made no sense to me. Many loo...more

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Aug 05, 2011 The Book Maven rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicalfiction

Completely aside from telling a pretty interesting story, this book does an excellent job of exploring the complexities that can result even in the most unambiguously wrong of relationships.

Lizzie and her friends Reenie, Sweet, and Mawru have been coming to the Tawawa House Resort in Ohio for years. They're not there by choice; they do nothing by their own choice, as they are simply the property of their masters. And their masters love the resort for its discreetly placed cabins, in which they c...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Chanda rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recently read the book and truly enjoyed it. I like reading stories with racial elements. I thought the story put slave/master relationships in a new light for me. I understand and imagined a hate relationship and a love relationship, but I found Lizzie and Drayle's to be somewhere in the middle, from Lizzie's perspective. She never seemed to come to hate him, but by the end of the book, I found that she loved him a little less. I felt this way based on how she handled her last pregnancy and h...more

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Jun 13, 2011 Jenny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

This fictional novel is based on a real place in history, Tawawa House. Tawawa House was located in Ohio and was where, prior to the civil war, white men (typically Southerners) would vacation during the summer with their "favorite" slave (or "wench"). It was one of those things everyone knew but didn't talk about -- men "taking up" with their female slaves, fathering children, yet still enslaving these women. Ohio was also a free state meaning they were surrounded, while there on vacation, by o...more This fictional novel is based on a real place in history, Tawawa House. Tawawa House was located in Ohio and was where, prior to the civil war, white men (typically Southerners) would vacation during the summer with their "favorite" slave (or "wench"). It was one of those things everyone knew but didn't talk about -- men "taking up" with their female slaves, fathering children, yet still enslaving these women. Ohio was also a free state meaning they were surrounded, while there on vacation, by other black people who were living freely.

The book takes place mainly over a few summers. The main character, Lizzie, is treated fairly well by her owner, Drayle, though not as much so by his wife, Fran. Though Fran was unable to bear her husband any children, Lizzie did -- a boy and a girl. She and the children are given some preferential treatment. Drayle has Lizzie accompany him on these summer trips, and Lizzie believes she and Drayle have a true relationship of mutual love. Of course, Lizzie is conflicted in her belief as she still has to try and coax Drayle into freeing her (their) children -- not to mention she is still enslaved.

During the summer at Tawawa House, Lizzie befriends other slave women: Reenie, an older woman, Sweet, who is pregnant at the outset of the novel, and Mawu, a rebellious woman with a bright red shock of hair. It comes to their attention during this summer of 1853 that just along the way is a resort for "free blacks". As they spend time in this area, so much more progressive than where they come from, they are tempted by the thought of running away and becoming free themselves.

The author did a great job in Wench of bringing to light for the reader the complicated dynamics between the "master" and the "enslaved mistresses". Each of these women was tempted to run for freedom, yet they had other realities to take into consideration: for instance, if they were caught they would be severely punished and their quality of life afterward would likely be immensely worse. They also had to consider their children -- not only the thought of leaving their children behind but the potential punishments that would be taken out on the children instead. And possibly the most complex, and an interesting psychological issue, was the relationship between the enslaved mistress and the master in which there may or may not have been actual love. In Wench, some of the women have no question about their disdain for their masters; but Lizzie believes she truly does love her master, and he her.

Wench also did a great job of depicting the typical daily life of a slave and how barbarous and unjust the practice was. Not that I didn't already know that but it was a raw reminder. It had my blood boiling at times, reading about the way these human beings were treated. And what an interesting dynamic between the master and his enslaved children. These men would impregnate their slaves and despite the children being their own flesh and blood, they still treated them as nothing more than objects of their ownership.

Wench was a quick and engaging read that provided a glimpse into the lives of the slaves at Tawawa House and the complex dynamics between the slaves and their owners at a time when they first started realizing that freedom was a genuine possibility. A recommended read!

Taken from my blog at www.takemeawayreading.com (less)

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May 25, 2011 Queen Diva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was recommended by my cousin to read this book just before she got married two weeks ago and I finally finished yesterday. I jumped right into it immediately the first few days and when I got into the middle of the book I had to stop for a week! I started to get mad as I did when I read "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Richard Wright! I started to feel angry because I was reading history as if it was being shown right before my eyes and there was nothing that I could do about it! I'm so thankful that Ms...more

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May 16, 2011 Marmar rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

..... where to begin? I found this book equally disturbing as I did enthralling. It's told completely from Eliza's perspective. She is the slave/mistress of a plantation owner. She beleives herself in love with her master and father of her children.

They travel to a resort in Ohio and it's somewhat common place for the plantation owners to bring their slave mistresses there for a vacation where they can be more open as a couple without fear of censure.

Eliza meets others slaves as well as encount...more

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May 13, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, slavery, survival, african-american, civil-rights, historical-fiction, labor, multicultural, south

It's the 1850's, and abolition is slowly spreading through the Northern states. But white men in the South still own slaves, and aren't quite ready to release them to freedom. This story follows 4 black mistresses, who are owned by white men. These men are able to take them up to Ohio every summer for some R & R at the Tawawa House, a resort that caters especially to these types of arrangements. The main character is Lizzie, and she has been owned by her master Drayle most of her life. She h...more

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Edgerton Elementa...: What was Lizzie's opinion of Mawu when she first met her? Describe the arc of their relationship. What events changed they way they saw each other?	1	3	May 04, 2013 11:54am
2013 Clutch Readi...: Wench Part IV	21	29	Mar 03, 2013 03:06pm
2013 Clutch Readi...: Wench Part III	10	29	Feb 23, 2013 01:09pm
2013 Clutch Readi...: Wench Part II	11	21	Feb 23, 2013 01:04pm
2013 Clutch Readi...: February Pick is Wench	6	41	Feb 09, 2013 03:09pm
UW-Parkside Library: Wench	1	5	Dec 18, 2012 10:35am
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About Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Dolen Perkins-Valdezs fiction and essays have appeared or will appear in The Kenyon Review, StoryQuarterly, African American Review, PMS: PoemMemoirStory, North Carolina Literary Review, Richard Wright Newsletter, and SLI: Studies in Literary Imagination. She is a 2009 finalist for the Robert Olen Butler Fiction Award. A graduate of Harvard and a former University of California Presidents Postdoct...more

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“My children ain’t the only thing I love. If I was allowed, I reckon I’d love myself, too.” — 8 people liked it

“The woman had told the truth. The flowers were the color of sunset. And not the yellowish tinge of a lazy sun either, but the intense orange of a sun refusing to set on anyone else’s terms.” — 3 people liked it

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