The Two Lives of Sara
Written by Catherine Adel West
Narrated by Adenrele Ojo
4/5
()
About this audiobook
“An utterly absorbing and dazzling novel about the stories we tell to stay alive and the secrets we keep to protect ourselves.” — Nancy Jooyoun Kim, New York Times Bestselling author of The Last Story of Mina Lee
In 1960s Memphis, a young mother finds refuge in a boardinghouse where family encompasses more than just blood and hidden truths can bury you or set you free.
Sara King has nothing, save for her secrets and the baby in her belly, as she boards the bus to Memphis, hoping to outrun her past in Chicago. She is welcomed with open arms by Mama Sugar, a kindly matriarch and owner of the popular boardinghouse The Scarlet Poplar.
Like many cities in early 1960s America, Memphis is still segregated, but change is in the air. News spreads of the Freedom Riders. Across the country, people like Martin Luther King Jr. are leading the fight for equal rights. Black literature and music provide the stories and soundtrack for these turbulent and hopeful times, and Sara finds herself drawn in by conversations of education, politics and a brighter tomorrow with Jonas, a local schoolteacher. Romance blooms between them, but secrets from Mama Sugar’s past threaten their newfound happiness and lead Sara to make decisions that will reshape the rest of their lives.
With a charismatic cast of characters, The Two Lives of Sara is an emotional and unforgettable story of hope, the limitations of resilience and unexpected love.
Editor's Note
Rich and lively characters…
This saga of motherhood and found family takes place in 1960s Memphis during America’s civil rights movement. Sara King, who’s pregnant and unwed, leaves Chicago for Memphis, where she finds home and safety in Mama Sugar’s boarding house, The Scarlet Poplar. The boarding house is filled with rich and lively characters, including Jonas, a teacher that Sara quickly bonds with. “The Two Lives of Sara” reveals how secrecy is often the undercurrent of community — and the one thing that can destroy it.
Catherine Adel West
Catherine Adel West was born and raised in Chicago, where she currently resides. She graduated with both her bachelor's and master's of science in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her work is published in Black Fox Literary Magazine, Five2One, and Better Than Starbucks, among many others. She is the author of Saving Ruby King and The Two Lives of Sara is her sophomore novel.
Related to The Two Lives of Sara
Related audiobooks
Someday, Maybe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sister Mother Warrior: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Last Summer on State Street: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5People Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carolina Built Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5After the Hurricane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wade in the Water: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Stories from The Tenants Downstairs Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On the Rooftop: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Fortunes of Jaded Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: An Oprah’s Book Club Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Women Could Fly: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman of Endurance: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If I Survive You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Touch of Moonlight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Candle Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Attic Child: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Light Always Breaks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Girl's Guide to Love & Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What's Coming to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mika in Real Life: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Scatterlings: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Night Wherever We Go: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fruit Punch: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5On Rotation: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Cry for Me: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Harry Sylvester Bird Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Saving Ruby King: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Karankawas: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Miss del Río Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Historical African American Fiction For You
Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The House of Eve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Queen of Exiles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Let Us Descend: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5She Wears the Mask Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reformatory: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Coming Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Masquerade Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Follow the Angels, Follow the Doves: The Bass Reeves Trilogy, Book One Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5On the Rooftop: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Other Eden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovecraft Country: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria's Goddaughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Government Means to Kill Me: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Attic Child: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Darkest Child Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Night Wherever We Go: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trinity: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Are A Haunting: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mules and Men Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mustard Seed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild Women and the Blues Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The African Samurai: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Destroyer of Worlds: A Return to Lovecraft Country Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Is Secret Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Cry for Me: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Golden Poppies: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Two Lives of Sara
70 ratings7 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title to be a compelling and beautifully written story. The author effectively uses the 1st person narrative and vivid descriptions to create a captivating atmosphere. The diverse cast of characters feels like a family. However, some readers found the book to be too sad and disliked the unlikable protagonist. The ending was also disappointing for some. Overall, the book evokes strong emotions and is recommended for those who appreciate poignant storytelling.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I couldn’t get enough of this book, but hated that her world was filled with so much sadness
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I am conflicted about this book.
Sara finds a new family in her new friends, a safe place for her and her son to bloom. Then life happens, and she chooses something I think I would not have. Of course, that is part of the point. So it is hard for me as it seems that she is knowingly choosing what is the worst for her and for her family.
However, I think it is a very good book that delves into various topics. Some of these are just quickly brushed over, but that was ok for me, as the main topic, Sara, had already a lot going on. Life it is like that. We focus on what affects us more directly and also what we can influence.
Tough read. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The author’s writing was stirring descriptive and poetic. I liked her skill of writing . *Spoiler Alert* I was not looking for this “tone “ of book….if I had known the arc of the story was sadness I wouldn’t have chosen to read it. I must credit the author - life is in fact difficult complex sad and good which I think lingered in her pages. Story tone was just not for me. I ending the book saddened.
I Love afr-amer historical fiction. Is my favorite genre, especially when I find ones not centered around barbaric american enslavement . - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Effectively used the 1st person narrative which is extremely difficult to do! Beautiful, often sad, but nonetheless compelling story. The author uses color, descriptions of food and place extremely well— they almost become another character! I also enjoy the motley crew of personalities that feel like family by the end. Enjoyed this and will read the other novel by this author.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I do not mesh well with this narrator. The inflection in her words (like an upward lilt at the end of each sentence) sounds very unnatural. Such a bummer, too. ?
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I wanted to like the book. Thinking it would have a somewhat happy ending. It was all doom and gloom. It was a bit too sad for my taste.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I didn't enjoy this book at all. From the beginning, Sara was an unlikable character. The ending was disappointing.
1 person found this helpful