The Gilda Stories

By: Jewelle Gomez

Narrated by: Adenrele Ojo

Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's summary

"The Gilda Stories is groundbreaking not just for the wild lives it portrays, but for how it portrays them - communally, unapologetically, roaming fiercely over space and time." (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)

"Jewelle Gomez sees right into the heart. This is a book to give to those you want most to find their own strength." (Dorothy Allison)

This remarkable novel begins in 1850s Louisiana, where Gilda escapes slavery and learns about freedom while working in a brothel. After being initiated into eternal life as one who "shares the blood" by two women there, Gilda spends the next 200 years searching for a place to call home.

An instant lesbian classic when it was first published in 1991, The Gilda Stories has endured as an auspiciously prescient book in its explorations of blackness, radical ecology, re-definitions of family, and yes, the erotic potential of the vampire story.

©1991, 2016 Jewelle Gomez (P)2019 Audible, Inc.

A perfect novel I never knew I needed!

This book is everything Id want in a lover. Absolutely beautiful, thought provoking, insightful, sensual and exciting! One I know I'll read/listen to again and again.

Adenrele Ojo's performance was like listening to poetry.

Great storytelling

Black Feminism and the danger of mankind’s violence are greed blended into a wonderful poetic story.

A story before it’s time

4.5⭐️ a must read in my opinion for black queer women that enjoy fiction novels

Best Ever

This is truly the greatest book I’ve ever read. I don’t even have words. What a spectacular story, so well written. Great plot, perfect pacing, and complex characters. I just finished it but am already ready to listen once again.

A Beautiful Story

Gorgeously written, beautifully told and an excellent experience. I’ll certainly be recommending this to several friends.

Vampires? Yes, but that is a clever way to carry on with one character

This novel is very cleverly put together. As my title implies, there isn't a huge focus on the vampire-ness of the various characters as is common in other vampire novels that focus on the biting, drinking blood, stealth, garlic, stakes, the whole shebang. The characters in this novel do live on the blood of others, but it almost mentioned in passing to remind us that they are vampires.

What really makes this novel great though is the way the main character grows and adapts over the 200 years covered in these pages. She flourishes during each time period in which we visit her. I was a little frustrated that the time spans between our focuses is not regular and a couple of the gaps are pretty big. But overall it works.

Creative

I came to this book with high expectations. It was not as compelling as I anticipated but I'm glad I read it as it is groundbreaking.

It found me.

I listen to the performance . This must be what it was like to huddle around the radio for one’s entertainment. I weep thinking why hadn’t I had this book before now? This story is everything , allowing me to move easily through worlds ; I will never see, painting pictures and leaving road maps. I love Gilda . I love this book . I love the artist performing it her voice the meditation, I like the concentration to obtain on my own, but I require nonetheless, to be lulled to sleep or motivation to move my feet. Thank you Ms Gomez, thank you for your courage to publish your work then , so it could find me now.

maybe I read more queer black feminist vampires

Well written, interesting, and doesn't evoke mental eyerolling while listening to descriptions of characters in relation to their gender. The latter being something I continually wish to be the bare minimum, but is seemingly just too much to ask.
This book though, does meet what one expects and doesn't find to be the bare minimum when reading books written by someone vaguely aware of the human condition, as well as exceeds the hope of finding a quality story
told from a compelling perspective.

I love vampires!

This book took me on such a journey into being a black woman. The added pleasure of the protagonist being a powerful black lesbian vampire made the journey so much more beautiful I did not want it to end. I enjoyed this book immensely!