Wish List 0 Wish List 0
Download high-resolution image

If Beale Street Could Talk

Part of Vintage International

Author James Baldwin
$11.99 US
Knopf | Vintage
On sale Sep 17, 2013 | 9780804149679
Sales rights: US, Canada, Open Mkt
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies
See Additional Formats
From one of the most important writers of the twentieth century comes a stunning love story about a young Black woman whose life is torn apart when her lover is wrongly accused of a crime—"a moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless" (The New York Times Book Review).

"One of the best books Baldwin has ever written—perhaps the best of all." —The Philadelphia Inquirer

Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions—affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.
"One of the best books Baldwin has ever written—perhaps the best of all." —The Philadelphia Inquirer

"A moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless.” —Joyce Carol Oates

"If Van Gogh was our nineteenth-century artist-saint, James Baldwin is our twentiethth-century one." —Michael Ondaatje

"Striking and particularly haunting.... A beauty, especially in its rendering of youthful passion." —Cosmopolitan

"A major work of Black American fiction.... His best novel yet, even Baldwin's most devoted readers are due to be stunned by it." —The New Republic

"Emotional dynamite.... A powerful assault upon the cynicism that seems today to drain our determination to confront deep social problems." —Library Journal

"A moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless." —The New York Times Book Review

Discussion Guide for If Beale Street Could Talk

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

About

From one of the most important writers of the twentieth century comes a stunning love story about a young Black woman whose life is torn apart when her lover is wrongly accused of a crime—"a moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless" (The New York Times Book Review).

"One of the best books Baldwin has ever written—perhaps the best of all." —The Philadelphia Inquirer

Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions—affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.

Praise

"One of the best books Baldwin has ever written—perhaps the best of all." —The Philadelphia Inquirer

"A moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless.” —Joyce Carol Oates

"If Van Gogh was our nineteenth-century artist-saint, James Baldwin is our twentiethth-century one." —Michael Ondaatje

"Striking and particularly haunting.... A beauty, especially in its rendering of youthful passion." —Cosmopolitan

"A major work of Black American fiction.... His best novel yet, even Baldwin's most devoted readers are due to be stunned by it." —The New Republic

"Emotional dynamite.... A powerful assault upon the cynicism that seems today to drain our determination to confront deep social problems." —Library Journal

"A moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless." —The New York Times Book Review

Guides

Discussion Guide for If Beale Street Could Talk

Provides questions, discussion topics, suggested reading lists, introductions and/or author Q&As, which are intended to enhance reading groups’ experiences.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

Read More

Additional formats

Other books in this series

Other Books by this Author

Penguin Random House Backlist Vault

Penguin Random House Sales

Penguin Random House

Legal

Back to Top
0
    • 0
    Wish List (0)