If Beale Street Could Talk

A Novel

By: James Baldwin

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

From one of the most important writers of the twentieth century comes a stunning love story about a young Black woman whose life is torn apart when her lover is wrongly accused of a crime—"a moving, painful story, so vividly human and so obviously based on reality that it strikes us as timeless” (The New York Times Book Review).

"One of the best books Baldwin has ever written—perhaps the best of all.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

In this honest and stunning novel, James Baldwin has given America a moving story of love in the face of injustice. Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin’s story mixes the sweet and the sad.

Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and is imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions—affection, despair, and hope.

In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche.

©1974 James Baldwin. © renewed 2002 by Gloria Baldwin Karefa-Smart (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

The narrator's voice is as smooth as silk!

I loved the story and I got chills hearing it told by this Narrator. Listen

Turpin's 5-star performance of a tragic urban tale

I love this book. Baldwin writes about love as if he's somehow been inside the heads of both men and women. At times, this story reads like a typical urban story about young lovers down on their luck. But periodically, Baldwin hits the reader with deep insight disguised in a throwaway line of dialogue or inner monologue, and you remember why this is considered a modern American Classic. This book contains some "white devil" rhetoric, but it's not really gratuitous because there are 3-dimensional white characters, such as the attorney. I work in NYC's legal system on the defense side, and unfortunately much of what plagues the young lovers in this story (key witness disappearing to Puerto Rico, unreliability of lineup identifications, etc.) are challenges that still exist. They don't use lineups with only 1 member of the race alleged as the perpetrator. I'm not sure how long ago that happened. What does happen sometimes now, especially with victims who are persons of color, is that they'll describe the perp as "light skinned" or "dark skinned" or "redbone." Those are subjective terms used differently in different communities, and often not understood by the people who put together the lineups. So, I've heard complaints that there was only 1 "dark-skinned" person in a certain lineup, for example. Anyway, the problems in this story were very believable to me. It reads like it could be a memoir. Some reviewers complain about the lack of an ending. I think what Baldwin might say is that this story has an ending that we all know: single black mother, raising her child while the man she loves is in jail. By not writing us an ending, Baldwin invites the readers to see the possible injustice in our system and (hopefully) inspires us to take steps to ameliorate it. There are things that everyone can do. Those of us in the legal system can take pro bono cases of course, but even if you don't work in the area, you can volunteer, support friends and family of accused, raise money, or simply donate to the Innocence Project.

A great book

Loved the story, characters, and narration. James Baldwin is a great storyreller and Bahni Turpin is my favorite Audible narrator.

Great Listen

Extraordinary narration. Beautifully done by an extremely strong and empathetic woman. Worth it just for her

Loved it

The presentation of historical black life, especially as it compares and contrasts to current day black life, is flawless. This is the first Baldwin book I’ve ever read and I was not disappointed. The ending, however, does not deliver as I would have hoped. That may just be Baldwin’s style of writing. I’ll have to read a couple more of his works to see.

Quick read. Definitely worth the time.

Vivid Book!

I have been wating to read this book for a long time. Unexpected ending but love the vivid descriptions if NYC as I read. Definitely recommend it!

And this is truly a great book

This book was captivating ,a must read loved every minute of it hopefully there will be a part ll

Wow! Really! Ah, Huh...and,, Then What Happened?

I absolutely enjoyed listening to the book. Or, better said, listening to a friend. I couldn't stop listening until completion...many parts were relatable from my childhood until womanhood. The narrator was magnificent! Her voice made me feel as though I was on the phone listening to one of my best childhood friends, as she explained her brief (yet, life-altering experiences) about love, family, friendship, the reality of loving behind bars, the 'hushed lies' many young Brothers and Sisters (unfortunately) endure with the 'System'; and, the bold truthfulness of an extended family. Tish faces and explains her TRUTH. I kept listening, yet subconsciously finding myself, nodding..uh, huh, and, then what happened! In one day, the book with Baldwin's word choices had me hypnotized--- uninterrupted, until completion! I am sending this to family and friends. Thank you, again, Mr. Baldwin...your work lives on.


Now, I am going to watch the movie.

Beautiful suspense..seems incomplete

The ending left a bad taste because couldn't tell what happened to the characters involved. Feels incomplete to me

Good reading

The is truly about a loving relationship in spite of all the difficulties of life. I loved the story from beginning to end.