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A Love Noire
When Noire, a hip, Afro-wearing Ph.D. student, walks into Brown Betty Books, her righteousness kicks in to overdrive amid the self-identified "talented tenth" who wear their double degrees and five-hundred-dollar shoes like badges of honor. And then Innocent, a well-heeled investment banker from Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, walks in and turns her on her head. Innocent seems interested in her -- but he's one of them.
Before meeting him, Noire shunned the "bourgie" world of black-moneyed cosmopolitans like Innocent, opting instead for socially conscious (but economically challenged) artists and urban intellectuals. Their mutual attraction blossoms into lust -- and eventually love -- but it lives in the shifting sands of personal beliefs and professional ambitions that are often at odds.
Set in New York City with jaunts to Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, A Love Noire is the story of an unlikely couple that transcends all they've known to learn the redemptive power of love.
Before meeting him, Noire shunned the "bourgie" world of black-moneyed cosmopolitans like Innocent, opting instead for socially conscious (but economically challenged) artists and urban intellectuals. Their mutual attraction blossoms into lust -- and eventually love -- but it lives in the shifting sands of personal beliefs and professional ambitions that are often at odds.
Set in New York City with jaunts to Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean, A Love Noire is the story of an unlikely couple that transcends all they've known to learn the redemptive power of love.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
About the author
Erica Simone Turnipseed
6 books23 followersErica Simone Turnipseed's debut novel, A Love Noire, won the Atlanta Choice Award Author of the Year from the Atlanta Daily World. In addition, Turnipseed was nominated for Breakout Author of the Year for the African American Literary Awards Show Open Book Award.
A philanthropist, Turnipseed founded the Five Years for the House Initiative, a fundraising drive for the Afro American Cultural Center at Yale. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn, New York.
Author interview here: http://www.harpercollins.com/author/a...
A philanthropist, Turnipseed founded the Five Years for the House Initiative, a fundraising drive for the Afro American Cultural Center at Yale. She lives with her husband in Brooklyn, New York.
Author interview here: http://www.harpercollins.com/author/a...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
September 21, 2011
This book is such a gem, such a treasure. I felt like I was indulging in something savory and sweet, but bitter and tart at the same time. I loved it. I love Noire, she reminds me so much of myself, Afro and all. I could relate to her on so many levels. Innocent is the kind of man that I imagine most women will swoon over, because he is a Black man in every sense of the word. But Innocent's flaw is he cannot relate to Noire's passion in life. He is too calm and she is too fiery. They can't seem to balance each other out, despite their love for each other. Will they make it in the end? Read and find out... but I don't think that is the point of the story. The point is relishing in their journey. Learning through them, and relating to them. I did feel like Jayna was an underdeveloped character, but I loved Arike' as a best friend character. Overall, I loved this book and I would love to buy it for my own collection.
June 7, 2013
Found this author and got it because love preview of story. Having never read her work didn't know what to expect and I am not one for romance books. This is a LOVE STORY. Liked the complexity of the characters and that they were evolving as the story progressed. Will look for more works by this author.
March 6, 2010
This is one of my favorite books! The sequel, Hunger is just as good. These books would make fantastic movies because of their multi-cultural influence. A great read!
March 1, 2008
I keep this book in the family care and catch up on it on long car trips. Its OK.....Not holding my interest long enough to take it out the car and finish it.
Slow character development.
Slow character development.
June 19, 2013
I LOVED A Love Noire. It was very realistic in some ways. The way Innocent and Noire met, their dueling belief and value systems, the bumps along the way in their relationship. It was also a very sensual and descriptive book. I did find Noire's character a little much at times. The Marcus character also left little to be desired. But he was necessary. There are many, many pompous Marcus's in the world. I did find the relationship between Jayna and Noire odd. They are best friends for years. Some of their exchanges seemed... Hurtful for lack of a better word. Always on Jayna's end. Characters like Arike, Dennis, Alexander lend a certain something to the story. But anyone who has ever had a relationship will probably identify with this story. Can't wait to read the next one.
June 27, 2013
I found this book on the used bookshelf at Strand Bookstore for $1. Over love stories I was hesitate to make the purchase but was as if this book was placed in my hands for a reason. As I read I became more and more compelled and engulfed in the story because it is nearly identical to my last relationship. The realism of love and life and the wandering about is love enough for a lasting relationship? The fear that comes along with meeting someone that inverts your life and makes you feel whole and how that sometimes is too much for people. My only pet peeve is the author's repeated use of incredulous, there are more words to describe this feeling of disbelief.
May 17, 2012
Great premise, but the writing was disjointed, the transitions were jarring, and the conversations between characters were confusing at times. So much more context was needed to truly enjoy this book, and to understand the reactions and decisions made throughout. I still don't understand why Noire and Innocent even liked each other. Who wants to read a love a story where the love doesn't make much sense? i don't. You can't just tell me two people love each other. You need to show me why. Nice try, but very disappointing.
May 18, 2008
i enjoyed this book, but did not love it. i do like her style of writing though. i liked the use of cultures, languages and various locations. i was glad that it did not end with "the perfect or expected" ending.
January 20, 2009
It was an accurate view of my generation's discovery. Reflected within are the dynamics I experienced as a born and bred Mississippian moving to NYC discovering that just because we are black does not mean all is the same...
July 12, 2008
One of my favorites.
September 4, 2010
Good book overall. Wish it had a more story book ending but I'm a hopeless romantic. A little too much cussing for me, but overall very good story line, history, realistic.
September 8, 2018
IQ "She cursed the tears that seemed to well up in her eyes more easily nowadays than she had ever remembered. She was becoming an emotional woman in the way that she had always hated. She hated the tears, the ups and downs, the melodrama of it all." (Noire, 168)
Whew this was not an enjoyable read. From start to finish the book is a mess. The characters are poorly drawn and ridiculous, the romance fell flat, the dialogue is confusing (also cheesy) and several scenarios make absolutely no sense. Noire's conflicts with her friends were bizarre, I honestly had no idea what was going on with Jayna and Arike for 98% of the novel. I do think some scenes were sizzling and sexy but for the most part I was trying not to roll my eyes from the cheesiness of it all or gag at the dramatic gestures and fights. I didn't even think the class analysis was that well done or interesting. This seems like one of those books everyone here liked because we had so few Black chick lit or romance options. We still don't have a lot but there are better books, I've read them. But I also wonder if this was a product of its time and now that we're out of the 90s characters like these (buppies are now just bougie? some of these characters might be considered modern day hoteps?) don't exist so maybe that's why I had such a hard time taking any of them seriously. Noire's social consciousness was also exhausting, I suspect those characters do exist today and I kept hoping she would receive her comeuppance but nope she's allowed to be righteous and insufferable.
I do want a social life like Noire and Innocent's though, all their dates were creative and cool, all their friends had seemingly interesting lives but then became token characters who just brought everyone down. Every now and then a romantic gem shone through, a good line made me smile or nod but mostly I dragged myself through this as a distraction and to see if the end got better. It sort of did, the ending is bold and unexpected but I also didn't care since I never understood why Noire and Innocent were in love. I think the overall message though, that love is not enough to hold a relationship together when you want different things and that that's not necessarily a failure on the part of either person in the relationship, is a valuable one but it could have been presented in a far better novel.
Whew this was not an enjoyable read. From start to finish the book is a mess. The characters are poorly drawn and ridiculous, the romance fell flat, the dialogue is confusing (also cheesy) and several scenarios make absolutely no sense. Noire's conflicts with her friends were bizarre, I honestly had no idea what was going on with Jayna and Arike for 98% of the novel. I do think some scenes were sizzling and sexy but for the most part I was trying not to roll my eyes from the cheesiness of it all or gag at the dramatic gestures and fights. I didn't even think the class analysis was that well done or interesting. This seems like one of those books everyone here liked because we had so few Black chick lit or romance options. We still don't have a lot but there are better books, I've read them. But I also wonder if this was a product of its time and now that we're out of the 90s characters like these (buppies are now just bougie? some of these characters might be considered modern day hoteps?) don't exist so maybe that's why I had such a hard time taking any of them seriously. Noire's social consciousness was also exhausting, I suspect those characters do exist today and I kept hoping she would receive her comeuppance but nope she's allowed to be righteous and insufferable.
I do want a social life like Noire and Innocent's though, all their dates were creative and cool, all their friends had seemingly interesting lives but then became token characters who just brought everyone down. Every now and then a romantic gem shone through, a good line made me smile or nod but mostly I dragged myself through this as a distraction and to see if the end got better. It sort of did, the ending is bold and unexpected but I also didn't care since I never understood why Noire and Innocent were in love. I think the overall message though, that love is not enough to hold a relationship together when you want different things and that that's not necessarily a failure on the part of either person in the relationship, is a valuable one but it could have been presented in a far better novel.
March 5, 2024
More than just a love story. This book is about the love for one’s culture. It explores what it means to be black not just in America but in other countries and cultures. But most importantly it tells a story from the lenses of the educated and black. I appreciate the sophistication of this book. Can’t wait to read the sequel.
Compliments to the author. I had a pleasure of meeting her and our conversation made me buy her book. I’m glad I did! I enjoyed it.
Compliments to the author. I had a pleasure of meeting her and our conversation made me buy her book. I’m glad I did! I enjoyed it.
November 19, 2019
This one of the first book I read entirely in English, as a French-speaker from Ivory Coast (Côte d'Ivoire) like Innocent, in my first year of College in the U.S. It is one of my favorite books, that holds a very special place in my heart.
April 6, 2020
I struggled through this book. I did not find either main characters very compelling.
August 28, 2026
spoilers..the writing was beautiful and i see the message the author was trying to convey; two people can love each other immensely and still acknowledge they aren't a match. they ended up breaking up at the end, RIGHTFULLY SO...there was aspects of their relationship that made no sense..
did really well at exploring different identities in the black diaspora and the language, traveling,
accuracy of culture..chefs kiss
absolutely no boundaries with friends,both cheated and never admitted to the other person, would ghost each other for weeks and than go to dinner like nothing happened
did really well at exploring different identities in the black diaspora and the language, traveling,
accuracy of culture..chefs kiss
absolutely no boundaries with friends,both cheated and never admitted to the other person, would ghost each other for weeks and than go to dinner like nothing happened
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2011
This is one of my favorite romance novels. I learned a lot from it: historical facts and little tidbits about countries I’ve never been to. This is actually the third time that I am reading it. I love how it begins (a chance meeting in a bookstore) but my sentiments towards the ending is bittersweet. The story progresses well however. We see the characters meet, fall in love, and break apart.
I love reading novels that contain strong characters and the protagonists in this one are worth the read. Noire, as her name implies, is all about Black identity and culture, while Innocent seems not to hold such things in high regard. I like how Turnipseed intersperses different elements of Black experience in her cast of characters. The cast are from a diverse background within the African diaspora – the United States, the Caribbean, the African continent. I believe that this is one of the best parts of the novel. The diversity in the cast of characters, and Turnipseed doing a great job of displaying each background and revealing their beliefs, brings a unifying element to the novel. It shows that although they are all different due to their background, they are connected by the common ancestry they share by way of Africa and the common historical experiences of slavery.
Still, although this is a romance novel, I believe that it focuses more on social issues than the actual romance between the characters.
As posted on Zezee with Books.
I love reading novels that contain strong characters and the protagonists in this one are worth the read. Noire, as her name implies, is all about Black identity and culture, while Innocent seems not to hold such things in high regard. I like how Turnipseed intersperses different elements of Black experience in her cast of characters. The cast are from a diverse background within the African diaspora – the United States, the Caribbean, the African continent. I believe that this is one of the best parts of the novel. The diversity in the cast of characters, and Turnipseed doing a great job of displaying each background and revealing their beliefs, brings a unifying element to the novel. It shows that although they are all different due to their background, they are connected by the common ancestry they share by way of Africa and the common historical experiences of slavery.
Still, although this is a romance novel, I believe that it focuses more on social issues than the actual romance between the characters.
As posted on Zezee with Books.
December 10, 2011
This is a story of movement, identity, and love across borders.
At its center is a relationship between an African American woman and an African man shaped by work, ambition, and the quiet, complicated work of understanding one another across difference. The novel starts off in New York, later widening into Haiti and Côte d’Ivoire, grounding the characters in spaces that are both global and deeply personal.
I loved this book.
As an African, then working in America, it spoke to me in a way that felt immediate. The geographies were different- Côte d’Ivoire and NYC, but it was familiar emotional terrain. The constant calibration of self. The question of where you are most legible, and at what cost.
What the book does particularly well is render the texture of life across the diaspora. The interplay between African and African American identities is not flattened. It is layered, sometimes tender, sometimes tense, often searching. There are moments of recognition, and moments of distance.
The love story sits within this complexity. It is not separate from the questions of history, race, and belonging, but shaped by them. And alongside it runs a thread of current affairs, reminding you that these lives are unfolding within real political and social contexts, not outside them.
I loved this one.
At its center is a relationship between an African American woman and an African man shaped by work, ambition, and the quiet, complicated work of understanding one another across difference. The novel starts off in New York, later widening into Haiti and Côte d’Ivoire, grounding the characters in spaces that are both global and deeply personal.
I loved this book.
As an African, then working in America, it spoke to me in a way that felt immediate. The geographies were different- Côte d’Ivoire and NYC, but it was familiar emotional terrain. The constant calibration of self. The question of where you are most legible, and at what cost.
What the book does particularly well is render the texture of life across the diaspora. The interplay between African and African American identities is not flattened. It is layered, sometimes tender, sometimes tense, often searching. There are moments of recognition, and moments of distance.
The love story sits within this complexity. It is not separate from the questions of history, race, and belonging, but shaped by them. And alongside it runs a thread of current affairs, reminding you that these lives are unfolding within real political and social contexts, not outside them.
I loved this one.
April 5, 2013
Noire is a late-twenties NYU grad school student, described as a black bohemian type, who has an aversion to the bourgeois segment of her race. Innocent, an African born investment banker in his early thirties, represents all that she detests. Their paths predictably collide one night at an event in honor of one of Innocent`s friends and sparks fly.
Turnipseed is a capable writer, inventive in her phrasing and deliberate in showcasing the diversity within the Black race. Where the book falters is in its generic “Chick Lit” format and delivery. Ultimately, female readers will walk away from this novel with a greater sense of satisfaction.
Turnipseed is a capable writer, inventive in her phrasing and deliberate in showcasing the diversity within the Black race. Where the book falters is in its generic “Chick Lit” format and delivery. Ultimately, female readers will walk away from this novel with a greater sense of satisfaction.
February 7, 2013
I really liked the author's writing. I think she had a way of expressing the characters and their identity in ways that I could understand. I really enjoyed the words of wisdom from Noire's mom and Arike. That helped me to bring clarity to my own relationships and to myself. I plan on reading her next book. My hope is that Noire can start to reflect on herself and understand how she effects her relationship with Innocent.
December 15, 2013
The author does a great job of capturing how complex relationships can be when affected by more than meets the eye. Turnipseed tackles issues of classism, multi-culturalism, friendship, sexuality, loyalty and loss, all in the context of love.
I read this book every few years for the beauty and intelligence of the prose and the reality in the relationships between the characters, including its authentic, believable dialogue.
This will remain a favorite for years to come.
I read this book every few years for the beauty and intelligence of the prose and the reality in the relationships between the characters, including its authentic, believable dialogue.
This will remain a favorite for years to come.
March 13, 2016
Absolutely loved this book. The story was catching from the start. Having known broke Ph.D students it was nice to hear from their point of view in love. The author surely captured the details of an African brother Innocent and how they have multiple identities both here and back home. These characters were like friends of friends you could watch from afar. Noire was likable and grew from start to fin.
November 1, 2012
My favorite book!!! I read it at 18 and didn't fully understand it. I came across it in my mom's basement it 10 years later and fell in love. It blends different Pan-African cultures together in a interesting story.
LOVE IT!
LOVE IT!
March 22, 2007
yeah i know... im allowed a "guilty pleasure" arent i?
i loved this book...the title is deceptive...its really not trashy!
i loved this book...the title is deceptive...its really not trashy!
December 12, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. It showed a true perspective a modern African immigrant in NYC. I also really liked the love story as it seemed realistic and not packaged.
July 14, 2008
This is the perfect book. Lovely, poetic, thoughtful. I know these characters. It is so wonderful that there are still African American young women writing literature!!!
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August 4, 2008Loved It!
October 15, 2008
One of the best books that I have ever read. It covers so many different issues that we ofter over look in relationships, family and society.
April 3, 2009
Great book. Never thought I'd read what looked like just another romance novel but this was really well done.
January 5, 2010
kinda slow in places but overall a good love story -- title is deceiving -- not x-rated at all!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews