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Book Summary and Reviews of Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

Harlem Rhapsody by Victoria Christopher Murray

Harlem Rhapsody

by Victoria Christopher Murray

  • Critics' Consensus (12):
  • Readers' Rating (28):
  • Published:
  • Feb 2025, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The extraordinary story of Jessie Redmon Fauset whose exhilarating world of friends, rivals, and passions all combined to create the magic that was the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.

In 1919, as civil unrest grips the county, in a flourishing part of New York City called Harlem, something special is stirring. Here, the New Negro is rising and Black pride is evident everywhere…in music, theatre, fashion and the arts. And there on stage in the center of this renaissance is Jessie Redmon Fauset, the new literary editor of the preeminent Negro magazine The Crisis.

W.E.B. Du Bois, the founder and editor of The Crisis, has charged her with discovering young writers whose words will change the world. Jessie attacks the challenge with fervor, quickly finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends. Under Jessie's leadership, The Crisis thrives, the writers become notable and magazine subscriptions soar. Every Negro writer in the country wants their work published in the magazine now known for its groundbreaking poetry and short stories. 

Jessie's rising star is shining bright….but her relationship with W.E.B. could jeopardize all that she's built. The man, considered by most to be the leader of Black America, is not only Jessie's boss, he's her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Their torrid and tumultuous affair is complicated by a secret desire that Jessie harbors — to someday, herself, become the editor of the magazine, a position that only W.E.B. Du Bois has held.

In the face of overwhelming sexism and racism, Jessie must balance her drive with her desires. However, as she strives to preserve her legacy, she'll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Murray's meticulous research brings this exciting period in American literary and artistic history into the spotlight and sheds a welcome light on an important and intriguing figure whose influence often goes unmentioned." —Booklist (starred review)

"[A] winning portrait of Harlem Renaissance figure Jessie Redmon Faust (1882–1961)...Historical fiction fans will want to snatch this up." —Publishers Weekly

"Jessie Redmon Fauset is such a captivating figure that Murray's success comes from bringing her accomplishments to greater attention. A celebration of a woman who worked behind the scenes." —Kirkus Reviews

"While the historical facts could be more smoothly woven into the flow of the story, this bibliophilic novel will please fans of the bestselling historical novels that Murray coauthored with Marie Benedict (The Personal Librarian and The First Ladies)." —Library Journal

"What a triumph! In her superb novel, Murray brings to life a woman lost in the shadows of history but whose name we should all know…. Thanks to the masterful storytelling by Murray, Jessie Redmon Fauset will no longer be forgotten." —Marie Benedict, New York Times bestselling author of The Queens of Crime

"Major kudos to Murray for resurrecting the memory of Jessie Redmon Fauset, the strong-willed literary editor who discovered and encouraged the great writers of the Harlem Renaissance…An exquisite rendering of Fauset's struggles and triumphs as a woman and an artist. Not to be missed." —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

This information about Harlem Rhapsody was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Victoria Christopher Murray Author Biography

Photo: Rochelle Scott Design and Photography

Victoria Christopher Murray is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including The Personal Librarian, a Good Morning America book club pick, and The First Ladies, Target's 2023 Book of the Year, both of which she coauthored with Marie Benedict. She is a NAACP Image Award Winner for Outstanding Literary Work for her novel Stand Your Ground, which was also a Library Journal Best Book of the Year. She holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business.

Author Interview
Link to Victoria Christopher Murray's Website

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