Conjure Women

This gorgeously written novel brings history vividly to life, as it tells the story of three remarkable women. Miss May Belle is a wise midwife, believed to be gifted at both healing and the conjuring of mysterious curses. Her young daughter Rue observes and learns her mother's gifts, meanwhile forming a secret friendship with their slave master's daughter Varina. The lives of these women unfold amid the dangers of war and of Reconstruction, coming to a head when Rue assists at the birth of a strange child who the townspeople suspect is threatening not just the community's well-being but their newly won freedom.

At once richly imagined and grounded in history, Conjure Women tells the haunting story of these three unforgettable women: their secrets and passions, their tragedies and desires, and the lengths they will go to save themselves and those they love.