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Title details for House of Cotton by Monica Brashears - Available

House of Cotton

A Novel

by Monica Brashears
Jeanette Illidge
Audiobook
2 of 6 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 6 copies available

A stunning, contemporary Black southern gothic novel about what it means to be a poor woman in the God- fearing south. The perfect audiobook if you loved The Other Black Girl and Luster.
"Every page, every scene, every sentence of Monica Brashears's debut novel House of Cotton dazzles and surprises. An intense, enthralling, and deeply satisfying read!" —Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"A new, dazzling, and essential American voice." —George Saunders, author of Lincoln in the Bardo

"Narrator Jeanette Illidge gives voice to Magnolia as she tackles racial, religious, and power dynamics with strength while still allowing her tenderness and fragility to show. Brashear weaves an intriguing, if wandering, novel, full of twisty turns and mysteries. The gloomy atmosphere is oppressive, felt strongly through the characters and narration."—Library Journal
"Illidge deftly handles the many different accents throughout the audiobook of House of Cotton, adding just a touch of Southern dialect here and there in a way that brings the characters to life on audio."—Booktrib
Magnolia Brown is nineteen years old, broke, and effectively an orphan. She feels stuck and haunted: by her overdrawn bank account, her predatory landlord, and the ghost of her late grandmother Mama Brown.
One night, while working at her dead-end gas station job, a mysterious, slick stranger named Cotton walks in and offers to turn Magnolia's luck around with a lucrative "modeling" job at his family's funeral home. She accepts. But despite things looking up, Magnolia's problems fatten along with her wallet. When Cotton's requests become increasingly weird, Magnolia discovers there's a lot more at stake than just her rent.
Sharp as a belted knife, this sly social commentary cuts straight to the bone. House of Cotton will keep you mesmerized until the very end.
A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 4, 2023

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781250882295
      • File size: 307792 KB
      • Duration: 10:41:13

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 13, 2023
      In Brashears’s haunting and macabre debut, a young Black woman navigates her own grief while shouldering the burdens of others. Magnolia Brown, 19, is living life hand-to-mouth in Knoxville, Tenn., when a representative for Cotton and Eden Productions, a shady side project of a local funeral parlor, offers her an unorthodox modeling job: she’ll be made up to impersonate deceased loved ones so that bereaved family and friends can say their farewells over Skype. Meanwhile, Magnolia copes with the recent death of her beloved grandmother, Mama Brown, who raised her after her father was killed on a construction site and her mother got in trouble with the law. Now, Mama Brown’s ghost appears to Magnolia, claiming she’s haunted by a boogeyman-like Bible salesman who scared her as a child. Magnolia is a wonderfully complex character, sympathetic to the bereaved but not sentimental (“There ain’t no Bloody Marys or Candymans,” she tells Mama Brown. “Only men who too happy to find a woman alone”), and fiercely independent as she gratifies her sexual desires via Tinder hookups. Brashears skillfully portrays the ease with which Magnolia pivots from her interventions in the spirit world to her interactions with Cotton and Eden’s paying customers. This is a fine testament to resilience. Agent: PJ Mark and Hafizah Geter, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Jeanette Illidge's impressive vocal versatility perfectly suits this audiobook. Magnolia's grandmother dies, leaving her alone at 19 with a predatory landlord and a job that pays poorly. When a white man offers her a strange but lucrative modeling job, Magnolia accepts and moves into his plantation-style house and funeral parlor. There, as Magnolia impersonates the dead, Illidge's numerous portrayals are realistically delivered. She reproduces the dramatic touches in the story with excellent results. Her portrayal of the ghost of Magnolia's grandmother is gravelly and coarse, and she immerses listeners in Magnolia's horror as it gradually falls apart in front of her. Emotionally connecting to characters who mask their true feelings, Illidge's performance should not be missed. A.K.R. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      June 10, 2024

      Nineteen-year-old Magnolia Brown, a poor Black woman living in Knoxville, TN, has just lost her beloved grandmother. With $19 to her name, a predatory landlord, and the ghost of Grandma Brown haunting her, Magnolia doesn't have much hope. One night, while working her dead-end overnight job at a gas station, a mysterious man named Cotton approaches Magnolia. Complimenting her, he offers her a job modeling at his funeral home. What Magnolia thinks will be a simple job becomes increasingly disturbing, and soon she stands to lose everything. Affrilachian author Brashears's debut novel is a Southern gothic novel with modern themes. Narrator Jeanette Illidge gives voice to Magnolia as she tackles racial, religious, and power dynamics with strength while still allowing her tenderness and fragility to show. Brashear weaves an intriguing, if wandering, novel, full of twisty turns and mysteries. The gloomy atmosphere is oppressive, felt strongly through the characters and narration. VERDICT Fans of lushly described surroundings and winding plots will enjoy. An atmospheric, engrossing story for readers of Octavia E. Butler and Tananarive Due.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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