100,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

🏆Don't forget Father's Day this Sunday! Auckland Bookstore open 8:30am-5:00pm Sat & Sun 🎉

Yellow Wife

By Sadeqa Johnson
0.0 (0 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson follows Pheby Delores Brown, a woman born into slavery on a Virginia plantation. Promised freedom at eighteen, she instead faces the brutal reality of a notorious slave jail known as Devil's Half Acre in Richmond. Shielded once by her mother's role and the Master's sister's favour, Pheby must now navigate cruelty, sacrifice, and the fight for survival in a harsh world where love and freedom come at a high price.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$5200

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 2-3 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This historical fiction novel will resonate with readers interested in narratives about resilience and the brutal history of American slavery. It's suitable for those who appreciate deeply immersive, emotional stories grounded in historical reality.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Born on a plantation but set apart from the others by her mother's position as a medicine woman, a young slave is forced to leave home at eighteen and unexpectedly finds herself in an infamously cruel jail.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description
From the New York Times bestselling author of House of Eve—a 2023 Reese's Book Club Pick!

A Best Book of the Year by NPR and Christian Science Monitor

Called "wholly engrossing" by New York Times bestselling author Kathleen Grissom, this "fully immersive" (Lisa Wingate, #1 bestselling author of Before We Were Yours) story follows an enslaved woman forced to barter love and freedom while living in the most infamous slave jail in Virginia.

Born on a plantation in Charles City, Virginia, Pheby Delores Brown has lived a relatively sheltered life. Shielded by her mother's position as the estate's medicine woman and cherished by the Master's sister, she is set apart from the others on the plantation, belonging to neither world.

She'd been promised freedom on her eighteenth birthday, but instead of the idyllic life she imagined with her true love, Essex Henry, Pheby is forced to leave the only home she has ever known. She unexpectedly finds herself thrust into the bowels of slavery at the infamous Devil's Half Acre, a jail in Richmond, Virginia, where the enslaved are broken, tortured, and sold every day. There, Pheby is exposed not just to her Jailer’s cruelty but also to his contradictions. To survive, Pheby will have to outwit him, and she soon faces the ultimate sacrifice.

Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson offers a vivid and gripping narrative that explores the complexities of love, survival, and sacrifice in the face of oppression.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781982149116

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 December 2021

Country: United States

Imprint: Simon & Schuster

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 137.0mm

Height: 208.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 288

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Sadeqa Johnson

About the Author

Sadeqa Johnson is the New York Times bestselling author of five novels. Her most recent novel, The House of Eve, was an instant New York Times bestseller, Reese's Book Club selection, NAACP Image Award nominee, and Goodreads Choice award finalist. Her previous novel, Yellow Wife, was the Library of Virginia's Literary People's Choice Award winner, Goodreads Choice Award finalist, Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy finalist, and a BCALA Literary Award honoree. Originally from Philadelphia, Sadeqa currently lives near Richmond, Virginia. For more information, go to Sadeqa.net.

Also by Sadeqa Johnson

View all
  • The House of Eve
    Amazing...I was completely surprised by the ending of this beautifully told and written book. --Reese Witherspoon A triumph of historical fiction (The Washington Post), an instant New York Times bestseller, and a Reese's Book Club pick, set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington, DC, that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother, and how much one is...
    By Sadeqa Johnson
    Paperback
    $5200
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Keeper of Lost Children
    Keeper of Lost Children
    In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman's vision in post-WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way. Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American Officer, is living in Occupied Germany in the 1950s. After discovering a local orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed-race children...
    By Sadeqa Johnson
    Hardback
    $6900
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Keeper of Lost Children
    'A powerful and beautifully told novel about hidden secrets and the hunger to belong. I loved it' Clare Leslie Hall, author of BROKEN COUNTRYA BBC RADIO 2 BOOKCLUB PICKA GOODREADS MOST ANTCIPATED BOOK OF 2026AS SEEN ON THE TODAY SHOWFrom the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve comes a sweeping story of one woman's dream in...
    By Sadeqa Johnson
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Yellow Wife
    Yellow Wife
    Virginia, 1850: "Ain't many choices for a slave woman. Just know everything I do is for you. You are meant to see freedom. I's makin' sure." Pheby Delores Brown was born on the Bell Plantation in Charles City, Virginia. The daughter of the estate's medicine woman and cherished by the Master's sister, her days as an enslaved girl are almost...
    By Sadeqa Johnson
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • The House of Eve
    The House of Eve
    'Amazing' Reese Witherspoon 'Heart-rending' Taylor Jenkins Reid 'Luminous and moving!' Kate Quinn 'Unforgettable' Kristen Harmel The heartbreaking and completely unputdownable instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick about the pain and sacrifice of forbidden love, the lengths a mother will go to protect her child, and survival against the toughest of odds. Philadelphia, 1948: Fifteen-year-old Ruby's...
    By Sadeqa Johnson
    Paperback
    Sold Out

More from Historical Fiction

View all
  • The Parisian Chapter
    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Library and The Librarians of Rue de Picardie comes a charming and cinematic novel following a young woman from Montana who lands a job in the American Library in Paris, where she discovers the power of storytelling and writes her own Parisian chapter.'Stirring and rich with detail' New York Times...
    By Janet Skeslien Charles
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3499
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Inferno
    AD 60. Nero Claudius Caesar is Emperor. He is feared for his temper. He is known to be intoxicated by the power he wields. And why not? The Roman Empire stretches from the wilds of Britain to the deserts of Parthia. Nero is god of all he surveys. Yet dangerous traitors lie close at hand. Generals commanding legions. Senators whispering...
    By Conn Iggulden
    Paperback
    $3100
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Circle of Days
    From the master of epic fiction comes the deeply human story of one of the world's greatest mysteries: the building of Stonehenge. A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his...
    By Ken Follett
    Hardback
    $4499
    Elsewhere:
    $6000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Soldier's Daughter
    The heart-stopping new blockbuster by the bestselling author of The Fallen Woman. Violet Nash has grown up in the shadows of her father Charlie's shattered dreams. It's been years since he walked away from the battlefields of France, a WWI hero but his heart in tatters, only to see it broken all over again in the worst way possible. In...
    By Fiona McIntosh
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Girl with the Suitcase
    The enthralling new novel from the 10-million-copy, No. 1 bestselling author. London 1941 When Mary meets a glamorous stranger named Elizabeth, she realises their lives couldn't be more different. But when an air raid forces them to take shelter underground, Mary's life is set to change forever. After waking up in hospital, injured but alive, the nurse mistakes her for...
    By Lesley Pearse
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3800
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Lost Bookshop
    Evie Woods' stunning new novel The Story Collector is available now. The Echo of Old Books meets The Lost Apothecary in this evocative and charming novel full of mystery and secrets. ‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’ On a quiet street in...
    By Evie Woods
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2500
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • All the Diamonds in Paris
    Kristin Harmel is firmly in the top echelon of WW2 storytellers - HEATHER MORRIS A master storyteller - SANTA MONTEFIORE The best at sweeping historical drama - KELLY HARMS A dazzling diamond of a novel - HAZEL GAYNOR * Paris, 1942: Anabel Martinet is a jewel thief, descended from a family that has spent centuries stealing from the unkind and...
    By Kristin Harmel
    Paperback
    $2999
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • On Sale
    19% off
    The Listeners
    ‘By turns a beautiful love story, a fascinating glimpse into the horrors of history and a haunting tale of loyalty and courage. A marvel of storytelling’ CHRIS WHITAKER, bestselling author of All the Colours of the Dark The Avallon Hotel offers unrivalled luxury in the wild Appalachian Mountains, its curative sweetwater washing away the troubles of high society. June 'Hoss'...
    By Maggie Stiefvater
    Paperback
    $2900
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Song of Achilles
    The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is a brilliantly crafted retelling of the ancient Greek epic of Achilles and Patroclus, transforming the classical myth into a profoundly moving love story. Set against the richly depicted backdrop of Greece during the heroically tumultuous age, the narrative follows Patroclus, an awkward and exiled young prince, who is taken to the court...
    By Madeline Miller
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (3)
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • Mythos
    Mythos by Stephen Fry is a compelling retelling of the classic Greek myths, reimagined with a wit and elegance that only Fry can deliver. This volume transports the reader to a world where mortals intertwine with the divine, and the timeless tales unfold in a spellbinding narrative that captures the imagination. From the cosmogony—the birth of the cosmos—to the exploits...
    By Stephen Fry
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Four Winds
    Kristin Hannah is a classic storyteller and The Four Winds sees her at the top of her game - Matt Haig Powerful and compelling - Delia Owens, number one international bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing A story of love, family, unbreakable bonds, bravery and hope. I loved this book so much! - Christy Lefteri, bestselling author of The...
    By Kristin Hannah
    Paperback
    $2000
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    In Stock
    Ships Monday
  • The Lost Apothecary
    Hidden in the depths of eighteenth-century London, a secret apothecary shop caters to an unusual kind of clientele. Women across the city whisper of a mysterious figure named Nella who sells well-disguised poisons to use against the oppressive men in their lives. But the apothecary's fate is jeopardised when her newest patron, a precocious twelve-year-old, makes a fatal mistake, sparking...
    By Sarah Penner
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships Monday

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.

Historical Fiction lists from the team

Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!

The Latest at Book Hero

View all