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About this item
Highlights
- GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK - A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister's ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms.
- About the Author: Erin Crosby Eckstine is an author of speculative historical fiction, personal essays, and anything else she's in the mood for.
- 368 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, African American
Description
About the Book
"Junie has always yearned for more. Born and raised on the Bellereine plantation in the Alabama countryside, the sixteen-year-old spends her days working for the McQueens and serving as a maid for their daughter Violet, her oldest and closest friend. In the daytime, she entertains herself with poetry and imagines grand romances and faraway worlds. Under the cover of night, she steals away to the woods, curling up by the riverbank. But consumed by grief over the recent death of her older sister Minnie, she has vowed never to leave her family's side. Her world is capsized at the arrival of the Taylors, a wealthy brother and sister from New Orleans. The McQueens are keen to marry Violet off to Mr. Taylor, and if they succeed, Junie would be ripped away from everyone she knows and loves"--Book Synopsis
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK - A young girl must face a life-altering decision after awakening her sister's ghost, navigating truths about love, friendship, and power as the Civil War looms. "An enrapturing tale of survival . . . Eckstine has poured a ton of heart into her characters."--The Atlanta Journal-Constitution "The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into [Junie's] treacherous yet magical world."--Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake Sixteen years old and enslaved since she was born, Junie has spent her life on Bellereine Plantation in Alabama, cooking and cleaning alongside her family, and tending to the white master's daughter, Violet. Her daydreams are filled with poetry and faraway worlds, while she spends her nights secretly roaming through the forest, consumed with grief over the sudden death of her older sister, Minnie. When wealthy guests arrive from New Orleans, hinting at marriage for Violet and upending Junie's life, she commits a desperate act--one that rouses Minnie's spirit from the grave, tethered to this world unless Junie can free her. She enlists the aid of Caleb, the guests' coachman, and their friendship soon becomes something more. Yet as long-held truths begin to crumble, she realizes Bellereine is harboring dark and horrifying secrets that can no longer be ignored. With time ticking down, Junie begins to push against the harsh current that has controlled her entire life. As she grapples with an increasingly unfamiliar world in which she has little control, she is forced to ask herself: When we choose love and liberation, what must we leave behind?Review Quotes
"Junie . . . has such a raw beauty that absolutely captivated me. . . . Junie's quiet strength comes from the stark, uncompromising truth of enslavement, creating a tension that kept me completely immersed in her world. Eckstine crafts a narrative that is both haunting and profoundly moving, and her prose is wildly vivid."--CityBeat (Cincinnati) "The richly textured prose quickly pulled me into the protagonist's treacherous yet magical world. I was drawn to the story of Junie, an enslaved teenager with a love of books and nature who must navigate difficult truths about her family and friendships in order to survive her times."--Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake "Propulsive and haunting, young Junie takes on the many burdens handed to her while reaching for the hope she wasn't meant to have. Erin Crosby Eckstine breathes urgency, wit, and resilience into her preternaturally gifted protagonist. Junie is a lush and immersive story about power, reckoning, love, and redemption. . . . A true beauty of a book."--Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle Women "Junie is the beating heart of this powerful and moving coming-of-age novel, insisting on her right to language, love, and a life on her own terms. Rich in historical detail and packed with suspense, this is a story of survival I will not forget."--Erin Swan, author of Walk the Vanished Earth "A haunting tale about power, family, and the difficult choices we sometimes have to make for (or in spite of) the people we love. Here is a novel that takes a clear-eyed look at the brutality of slavery without ever depriving the people harmed by it of their agency and humanity."--Rita Chang-Eppig, author of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea "Eckstine combines the lyricism of Jesmyn Ward and Toni Morrison with the speculative historical fiction of Tananarive Due and Leslye Penelope in a stunning debut that will also appeal to fans of Percival Everett's James."--Booklist, starred review "A compelling portrait of the psychological, emotional, and social degradations of slavery . . . Eckstine is a talented writer to watch. Featuring a spirited protagonist, this compelling mix of the historical and the supernatural will resonate."--Kirkus Reviews "Bringing elements of magical realism that will remind readers of Janelle M. Williams and Jesmyn Ward, Junie is a stunning debut novel about resilience and ancestral power that is both haunting and inspiring."--She Reads "[A] finely crafted debut . . . The complex plot and righteous protagonist will keep readers turning the pages. Eckstine evokes the earthly and supernatural to equally powerful effect in this richly layered tale."--Publishers Weekly
About the Author
Erin Crosby Eckstine is an author of speculative historical fiction, personal essays, and anything else she's in the mood for. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Eckstine grew up between the South and Los Angeles before moving to New York City to attend Barnard College. She earned a master's in secondary English education from Stanford University and taught high school English for six years. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and their cats.Dimensions (Overall): 9.21 Inches (H) x 6.38 Inches (W) x 1.34 Inches (D)
Weight: 1.27 Pounds
Suggested Age: 22 Years and Up
Number of Pages: 368
Genre: Fiction + Literature Genres
Sub-Genre: African American
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Theme: Historical
Format: Hardcover
Author: Erin Crosby Eckstine
Language: English
Street Date: February 4, 2025
TCIN: 92147321
UPC: 9780593725115
Item Number (DPCI): 247-20-4074
Origin: Made in the USA or Imported
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Shipping details
Estimated ship dimensions: 1.34 inches length x 6.38 inches width x 9.21 inches height
Estimated ship weight: 1.27 pounds
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B Rex - 2 months ago
This is a book that will make you feel all kinds of emotions. I'll start off by saying that I was unsure about the supernatural aspect of the book going into it, and I can say that it was my least favorite part of the book. I personally could've done without it, though I know it was the driving force behind the overall plot. I also realize that the supernatural element fits perfectly into the story (whether I liked it or not), as Southern culture has/had a strong belief in haints. So this is more of a me thing than an actual complaint about the book. I am the problem here (especially considering this element was mentioned in the synopsis). But despite all that, I'm still glad I read it, because it's an EXCELLENT book. I appreciated that this book, while focused on Junie and her life as a slave, also showed us Junie's life outside of her role as a slave. We got to see her as a young woman, a friend, a cousin, a girl falling in love, and a girl dreaming of a bigger and better life for herself. A girl that loved poetry and books. I loved Junie's heart, spirit, and gumption. I also appreciated how multi-faceted the characters were. They had depth and layers that left me changing how I felt about some characters as the story progressed. I love books that can make me feel, and I also love characters that are flawed and real. This book had some twists and surprises in it, and I liked how it was done because there was not really any foreshadowing or big lead up to the reveals. The reveals weren't a focus of the book, but rather an added element, and I thought the author worked them into the story perfectly. This was an excellent book all on its own, but once you read the author's note, it'll give an even greater appreciation for the book. The ending left me feeling a complete mix of emotions - I'd love to say more, but don't want to spoil anything. Just pick up this book and experience it for yourself.