Things Past Telling

A Novel

By: Sheila Williams

Narrated by: Robin Miles

“This is a truly character-driven novel that explores how people define themselves, the creation of family and home, and the importance of memory and language. . . . Fans of historical epics won’t be able to put this book down.”—Historical Novel Society

“Emotionally satisfying. . . . A remarkable character portrait.”—Publishers Weekly

The author of The Secret Women tells the story of a brave and enduring woman as indomitable as Ernest Gaines’ legendary Miss Jane Pittman, in a breathtaking novel that combines the epic romance and adventure of Outlander, the sweeping drama of Roots, and the haunting historical power of Barracoon.

Things Past Telling is a remarkable historical epic that charts one unforgettable woman’s journey across an ocean of years as vast as the Atlantic that will forever separate her from her homeland.

Born in West Africa in the mid-eighteenth century, Maryam Prescilla Grace—a.k.a “Momma Grace” will live a long, wondrous life marked by hardship, oppression, opportunity, and love. Though she will be “gifted” various names, her birth name is known to her alone. Over the course of 100-plus years, she survives capture, enslavement by several property owners, the Atlantic crossing when she is only eleven years of age, and a brief stint as a pirate’s ward, acting as both a spy and a translator.

Maryam learns midwifery from a Caribbean-born wise woman, whose “craft” combines curated techniques and medicines from African, Indigenous, and European women. Those midwifery skills allow her to sometimes transcend the racial and class barriers of her enslavement, as she walks the razor’s edge trying to balance the lives and health of her own people with the cruel economic mandates of the slave holders, who view infants born in bondage not as flesh-and-blood children but as investment property.

Throughout her triumphant and tumultuous life Maryam gains and loses her homeland, her family, her culture, her husband, her lovers, and her children. Yet as the decades pass, this tenacious woman never loses her sense of self.

Inspired by a 112-year-old woman the author discovered in an 1870 U.S. Federal census report for Ohio, loosely based on the author’s real-life female ancestors, spanning more than a hundred years, from the mid-eighteen-century to the end of America’s Civil War, and spanning across the globe, from what is now southern Nigeria to the islands of the Caribbean to North America and the land bordering the Ohio River, Things Past Telling is a breathtaking story of a past that lives on in all of us, and a life that encompasses the best—and worst—of our humanity.

©2022 Sheila Williams (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Perfect narration to a 10 star book

Ive never ever cried over a book, until now. Oh man, cried my eyes out and will think about Maryam forever. I felt so attached to her I just wanted to hug her and cry with her. Although the Maryam I got to know in this book wouldn’t allow that type of blubbering lol

I hate this part of history, and experiencing it through Maryam’s eyes just broke my heart in a million pieces.
I loved her so much, her determination and wit and wisdom. I felt her losses and rooted for her in the little triumphs she had. I wanted so much more for her.
I was so angry at the disgusting racist pigs and men who ran and ruined her life.
I felt so much love and appreciation for the kind souls that helped her along the way.
I’ve never had such strong emotions provoked from a story.
Ugh, this is beautifully written about horrible things.

This is the book that should be trending. This is the book everyone needs to read.
10000000 stars

Narrator did an amazing job at bringing this to life and nailed the different accents.

Absolutely wonderful

A great story told by a very talented narrator who was very adept at the many accents. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and loved the story even more.

Storytelling at its best!

Sheila Williams and Robin Miles have joined together and made the story of us come alive!!

The narrator!

I am so damn impressed with this narrator. And the story had me in tears many times. Highly recommend.

Everything

Wonderful narration of a life story enjoy every minute of it, I look forward to listening to my books by this artist

beautiful

a beautiful and captivating story about travels through slavery to freedom though the eyes of a powerful woman

Wonderful Listen

A sad part of history told with truth and dignity. I enjoyed the narration. One of the best narrations I have ever heard! Story was told with unexpected phrases that were sing song and graceful that just pulled you into the story but also spoke of terrible cruelty of the time. Wonderful book.

10 Stars!

A trip through time! What a beautiful but sad story. I remember tales from my southern roots and sometimes I cry because of what people of color had to endure through no fault of their own. Families being separated had to be so hard. I cried/sobbed at the ending of this tale, even though it was a happy occasion. Well written. Excellent narration. A keeper!

Thought provoking!

This is a heart touching story through generations, written in a time most of us can understand and even relate to. This is a Wonderful story written in a way that put the reader in her shoes. Despite all the hurdles thrown her way, she survived and thrived.
The narrator was awesome, capturing all of the diverse cultural accents. Because of my hearing loss, the accents were sometimes hard to understand, but not any fault of the narrator.

Beautiful, storytelling and narration

The author did a beautiful job of weaving the story, and the narrator was amazing!