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The Revisioners

By: Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
Narrated by: Myra Lucretia Taylor, Adenrele Ojo
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Publisher's summary

Following her National Book Award-nominated debut novel, A Kind of Freedom, Margaret Wilkerson Sexton returns with this equally elegant and historically inspired story of survivors and healers, of black women and their black sons, set in the American South.

In 1925, Josephine is the proud owner of a thriving farm. As a child, she channeled otherworldly power to free herself from slavery. Now, her new neighbor, a white woman named Charlotte, seeks her company, and an uneasy friendship grows between them. But Charlotte has also sought solace in the Ku Klux Klan, a relationship that jeopardizes Josephine's family.

Nearly 100 years later, Josephine's descendant, Ava, is a single mother who has just lost her job. She moves in with her white grandmother, Martha, a wealthy but lonely woman who pays her grandchild to be her companion. But Martha's behavior soon becomes erratic, then even threatening, and Ava must escape before her story and Josephine's converge.

The Revisioners explores the depths of women's relationships: powerful women and marginalized women, healers and survivors. It is a novel about the bonds between a mother and a child, and the dangers that upend those bonds. At its core, The Revisioners ponders generational legacies, the endurance of hope, and the undying promise of freedom.

©2019 Margaret Wilkerson Sexton (P)2019 Blackstone Publishing
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Editor's Pick

Family magic
"I must admit, what first drew me to this title is that the author and I share a first name. Then when I learned that Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s first novel, A Kind of Freedom, was longlisted for the 2017 National Book Award, I was curious to see how she would follow up such a dazzling debut. Moving back and forth in time, The Revisioners tells the haunting story of Josephine’s conjured escape from slavery as a child, her life as a widow and farm-owner, and the dangerous friendship she forms with her white neighbor as the Ku Klux Klan takes root in post-Reconstruction South. Fast-forward 100 years, and Josephine’s great-great-great-granddaughter, Ava, has reluctantly moved in with her white grandmother who’s spiraling into dementia—or is it something more? What happens in between is the heart of this sweeping, multigenerational saga that's beautifully performed by Myra Lucretia Taylor and Adenrele Ojo."
Margaret H., Audible Editor

What listeners say about The Revisioners

Average customer ratings
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So proud of Margaret!

What a beautiful novel she wrote. I took too long to read it but my was it worth it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Imitation of life

so, I think I just found another author that I like. Before this book, I read Margaret other book "My Kind of Freedom". I was never fond of authors who go back and forth between time era's but Mrs. Sexton changed my mind. They way she does it is effortlessly. During reading "The Revisioners", I kept thinking of the previous book. Maybe I should read another author between so I won't get the characters mixed up, because I'm sure these 2 books could have been one. This one put me in the mindframe of the imitation of life and colorism. hmmmm now what's next.....#Book43of2020 #bookworm

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  • Overall
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book

Loved the book but felt the ending was rushed. Lots more could have been done for the ending.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Wow

This was an amazing read. I felt a strong connection and new understanding with people from the past

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Absolutely captivating

I need more! Please. You know a book is good when you can’t shake it and start another. This book will have its hold on me for a while, if not forever. Beautifully written.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Decent book

The story developed the characters very well but the plot never deviled as well as the characters. It was enjoyable to listen to because the performance was top notch but the story picked up and never really went anywhere in my opinion. More could have been done with the plot lines a couple more chapters would have done it justice.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story. Smart, engaging

Great listen. Ended abruptly. Wanted more. Feels unfinished. Waiting for part two. New take on old history.

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Abrupt ending and unbalanced narration

The story was good but I agree with others that it ended abruptly. It almost felt unfinished. The Josephine narrator was fantastic but the Ava narrator less so.

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Beautifully written and petformed

What a fantastic tribute to history, to the ancestors who give us the strength to move forward. I can't wait to hear more from this author.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Book needs closure at the end

The ending was abrupt. Better connection of past/present needed. Could've been so much better.

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