Queen Anne Books

Description

About the Author

Dolen Perkins-Valdez's fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, African American Review, North Carolina Literary Review, and the Richard Wright Newsletter. Born and raised in Memphis, a graduate of Harvard, and a former University of California President's Postdoctoral Fellow, Perkins-Valdez teaches creative writing at the University of Puget Sound. She splits her time between Washington, D.C. and Seattle, Washington. This is her first novel.

Praise for Wench…

“In her debut, Perkins-Valdez eloquently plunges into a dark period of American history. . . . Heart-wrenching, intriguing, original and suspenseful, this novel showcases Perkins-Valdez’s ability to bring the unfortunate past to life.”
-Publishers Weekly

“[E]lectrifying. . . . [T]his remarkable novel skillfully dramatizes a dark chapter in American history. Writing with lyrical grace and a gift for plot development, Perkins-Valdez has produced an inspiring portrait of four brave women and the risks they take to change their lives.”
-BookPage

“A striking debut intimately limns a Southern slave’s complicated relationship with her master. . . . Compelling and unsentimental.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“Perkins-Valdez memorably portrays how the entwined destinies of chattel and master, increasingly related by blood, passion and hatred, prefigure the looming national conflict. This is an almost forgotten, but important, chapter in American history--recorded as fiction but nonetheless full of hard facts.”
-Town & Country

“Perkins-Valdez crawls under your skin and probes most gracefully in clear, concise lyric prose, ultimately asking the question that only extraordinary fiction can ask--what would you have done? A superb and outstanding achievement.”
-Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall and A Peculiar Grace

“[A] fascinating and tragic story. . . . [A] compulsive read.”
-NPR.org, Book Club Pick

“A fabulously creative and daring historical novel .”
-Dawn Turner Trice, Chicago Tribune

“A finely wrought story that explores the emotional lives of four slave women caught in the web of the Peculiar Institution.”
-Lalita Tademy, author of Cane River and Red River

“Dolen Perkins-Valdez’s debut novel, Wench, is outstanding: well crafted, imaginative, spellbinding, and above all satisfying.”
-World Literature Today

“[A] memorable and engaging debut.”
-Library Journal, Best Books of 2010

“A shattering story told with dignity, compassion, and some wicked humor. A brave, honest, beautifully written book that will shock and move readers to much new awareness.”
-Sigrid Nunez, author of The Last of Her Kind and A Feather on the Breath of God

“Absolutely phenomenal. . . . Wench is an excellent novel that will appeal to many readers. Debut author Dolen Perkins-Valdez has crafted a historical narrative that shouldn’t be missed.”
-Sacramento Book Review

“Readers entranced by The Help will be equally riveted by Wench. A deeply moving, beautifully written novel told from the heart.”
-USA Today

“Drawing on research about the resort that eventually became the first black college, Wilberforce University, the novel explores the complexities of relationships in slavery and the abiding comfort of women’s friendships.”
-Booklist

“A powerful story.”
-Sequim Gazette

“Impressive. . . . There are countless stories to be told and to be read regarding the lingering emotional impact of slavery; and here, Perkins-Valdez has imagined a memorable one, her characters are framed within a well-crafted and expressive narrative.”
-The Network Journal

“A heartbreaker, full of understated tragedy and lyrical prose. . . . Perkins-Valdez has woven a devastatingly beautiful account of a cruel past.”
-People

“A mesmerizing read.”
-Seattle Times

“Perkins-Valdez manages to shed a poetic light on one of the ugliest chapters in American history.”
-Essence

“Through unforgettable characters and luscious prose, Wench stares down the difficult truths while never losing its beautiful beating heart. With all the weight of a historical excavation and the urgency of a page-turner, Perkins-Valdez establishes herself as a powerful new voice in fiction. ”
-Tayari Jones, author of Leaving Atlanta and The Untelling

“[A] memorable first novel . . . Readers of historical fiction centering on Southern women’s stories like Lalita Tademy’s Cane River or Lee Smith’s On Agate Hill will be moved by the skillful portrayal of Lizzie’s precarious situation and the tragic stories of her fellow slaves.”
-Library Journal (starred review)

“This elegantly-structured novel sheds much-needed light on the racial intricacies of America’s past.”
-Margaret Cezair-Thompson, author of The Pirate's Daughter (a #1 Indie Next Pick)