The House Behind the Cedars (AmazonClassics Edition)

By: Charles W. Chesnutt

Narrated by: Kenya Brome

In the aftermath of the Civil War, siblings Rena and John Walden seek a better life for themselves by passing as white in their new home state of South Carolina. John’s success as an attorney and marriage to a white Southerner help cement his own place, but Rena’s engagement to John’s best friend brings a new level of scrutiny that threatens to expose them both. As the rewards increase, so does the risk, and ultimately, the color line seems determined to re-exert itself.

Charles W. Chesnutt’s masterwork offers a subtle and penetrating look at the insidious nature of Reconstruction-era racism and shows how forcefully that racism separated Americans from their dreams.

Revised edition: Previously published as The House Behind the Cedars, this edition of The House Behind the Cedars (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.

Public Domain (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved

More than what meets the eye

This book is a masterwork in navigating the racial divides in America following the Civil War and in particular the difficult choice of women during this precarious time. The story is wrenching and powerfully poignant.

Interesting story

Enjoyed the story all the way through out and characters seem to bring the story alive.

Genealogy?

This story had so much rambling and insignificant paragraphs. I tried to find sommething interesting, but had to give up on Chapter 20. I just couldn't get into it.