The Gilda Stories

Name: The Gilda Stories
Brand: Penguin Random House NZ
SKU: 9781784878627
Price: 38.0 NZD
Availability: OutOfStock

The immortal cult classic

By Jewelle Gomez

0.0 (0 reviews)

3.96

( 4,037 ratings, 647 reviews)

Summary

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez is a unique blend of science fiction and fantasy that follows an escaped slave in 1850s Louisiana who becomes immortal. As Gilda, she travels through time, exploring themes of identity, community, and survival against the backdrop of changing American landscapes. The novel offers a fresh take on vampire lore, focusing on personal transformation and empowerment.
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Format: Hardback

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate a blend of vampire folklore with themes of identity and social change. This unique narrative spans two centuries, blending science fiction and fantasy with explorations of race, gender, and power. It's a powerful and imaginative read for those who enjoy stories with rich character development and a fresh perspective on the vampire genre.

Description

A masterpiece of Black feminist fiction, The Gilda Stories is the cult 90s classic that reimagines the vampire myth.

'A groundbreaking work of Afrofuturism before the term was even coined' - Guardian

'A lush, exciting, inspiring read' - Sarah Waters

In this radically reimagined vampire myth, the night hides many things...

Louisiana, 1850. A young girl escapes slavery and is taken in by two mysterious women. Rumoured to be witches, the pair travel only at night, dress in men's clothing and seem to know others' innermost thoughts. But the girl sees the promise of true freedom in their dark, glittering eyes—the promise to 'share the blood' and live forever. They name her Gilda.

Over the next two hundred years, Gilda moves through unseen spaces—through antebellum brothels, gold-rush bars, Black women's suffrage groups, hair salons, and jazz clubs, searching for a way to exist in the world. Her body, powerful against the passage of time, will know both beauty and horror through the women she desires and the blood she craves. But can Gilda truly outrun the darkness of history and face a future where the lives of everyone she loves are at stake?

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Jewelle Gomez's novel is praised for being ahead of its time, offering a lush, exciting, and inspiring portrayal of Black lesbian community through the ages. It is recognised for its groundbreaking portrayal of identity and community, featuring a protagonist who embodies resilience and ethics amidst challenges of racism, sexism, and more. The book is celebrated as a revolutionary classic in speculative fiction, combining themes of queerness and historical retelling through a vampire narrative, making it both a classic and a timely exploration of important social issues.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784878627

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 07 September 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage Classics

Contributors:

Afterword by Alexis Pauline Gumbs

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 38.0mm

Width: 136.0mm

Height: 218.0mm

Weight: 440g

Pages: 336

Collections

Fantasy Fiction General Fiction Health & Wellness Historical Fantasy Historical Fiction Jewelle Gomez LGBTQ+ LGBTQ+ Romance Penguin Books Sci-Fi & Fantasy Self-Help & Personal Development

About the Author

Jewelle Gomez is a writer, activist and the author of the double Lambda Award-winning novel, The Gilda Stories. Her other publications include The Lipstick Papers, Flamingoes and Bears and Oral Tradition. Formerly the executive director of the Poetry Center and the American Poetry Archives at San Francisco State University, she has also worked in philanthropy for many years. She is the former director of the literature programme at the New York State Council on the Arts, the director of Grants and Community Initiatives for Horizon and the President of the San Francisco Library Commission. She lives in San Francisco.

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