Village Weavers

By: Myriam J. A. Chancy

Narrated by: Robin Miles

“Chancy is one of our most brilliant writers and storytellers.”―Edwidge Danticat

“Myriam J. A. Chancy is a masterful writer.”―José Olivarez

From award-winning author Myriam J. A. Chancy comes an extraordinary and enduring story of two families―forever joined by country, and by long-held secrets―and two girls with a bond that refuses to be broken. In 1940s’ Port-au-Prince, Gertie and Sisi become fast childhood friends, despite being on opposite ends of the social and economic ladder. As young girls, they build their unlikely friendship―until a deathbed revelation ripples through their families and tears them apart. After François Duvalier’s rule turns deadly in the 1950s, Sisi moves to Paris, while Gertie marries into a wealthy Dominican family. Across decades and continents, through personal success and failures, they are parted and reunited, slowly learning the truth of their singular relationship. Finally, six decades later, with both women in the United States, a sudden phone call brings them back together once more to reckon with and―perhaps―forgive the past.

Told with power and frankness, Village Weavers confronts the silences around class, race, and nationality, charts the moments when lives are irrevocably forced apart, and envisions two girls―connected their entire lives―who try to break inherited cycles of mistrust and find ways back into each other’s hearts.

©2024 Myriam J. A. Chancy (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Golden Voice Robin Miles does a good job of putting listeners on the island as schoolgirls Gertie and Sisi become best friends in 1940s Port-au-Prince in spite of their very different class and family standings. Miles has the beautiful melodious accent we associate with the island, which she employs to great effect for the characters' dialogue while using a less lilting accent for the narrative.” —AudioFile Magazine

"Moving...with beautifully fleshed out characters and a bone-deep understanding of the inexorable pull of the past.... A powerful novel about lifelong female friendships against a backdrop of political upheaval and family secrets." —Kirkus Reviews

"Chancy continues to impress with this character-driven view of Haiti’s turbulent history. . . . Her heartfelt prose lays bare the women’s inner lives, and the story is further enriched by its symbolism." —Publishers Weekly

woman's issues

nothing about weaving very boring with the "she said..." sad story voice stuff. I felt like this story ( which i did not finish) was just a feminist complaint and not much substance to anything but cancer.