Maud Martha (Faber Editions): 'I loved it and want everyone to read this lost literary treasure.' Bernardine Evaristo

This is a beautiful, poetic novella about the life of Maud Martha, a black woman growing up in the Forties on the South Side of Chicago. We dip into moments of Maud Martha's life, mixing snatches of her creative longing with the drudgery of her daily life and the insidious drip, drip, drip of the background racism that pens her life in, alongside her marriage and child. You get the sense that the life Maud Martha could have lived had she been white or wealthier could have been so much more. It is an exercise in contained passion and quiet mourning for what could have been.

I found this an interesting but not quite absorbing read. I am glad it’s been published and that my attention was drawn to it. However I found I didn’t really understand who Maud Martha was or what she stood for exactly. This is Gwendolyn Brooks’ only novel and presumably she never wanted to write another or perhaps didn’t feel at home with writing novels. My sense of the novel is of an author who isn’t quite comfortable with this kind of writing; although parts of the writing are searing and beautiful, while others don’t seem to hold fast. I wish she had written another.

Published in 1953, this is the only novel by Gwendolyn Brooks, the first black woman to win the poetry Pulitzer, it has taken some time for it to be recognised as the captivating gem that it is. It is about to be published for the first time in Britain, having just read this I am astonished and cannot believe it has taken so long. This is a moving and understated poetic portrayal of a ordinary black woman's life in the 1940s and 1950s, elevated to the extraordinary by Brooks, of the not very pretty Maud Martha Brown in Chicago, through the artistic pictures formed through the short, astute, exquisite vignettes of her life from childhood, teenage years, a wife and mother up to the point of her second pregnancy. There are insightful observations of her relationship with her much prettier sister, and with her lighter skinned husband, Paul, who struggles to accept her darker skin tones.There is an introduction in this edition by Margo Jefferson who rightly underlines Brooks inclusion of autobiographical elements in the novella as she probes Maud Martha's thoughts, feelings, and experiences, yet not speaking for her. There is the desire to be cherished in what can be a harsh world with its everyday grim realities of racism for a black American working class woman, finding a dignity, resilience and freedom through the power of her imagination, through which she able to claim her rights and freedoms. Jefferson goes on to ask the reader, like Maud Martha does, what will you do with this life? There is the beauty of a dandelion, the shortfalls in their tiny Kitchenette home that must be endured, the birth of her daughter, Paulette, the pain, anger and hurt of a visit with Paulette, to a white Santa in a department store, and other everyday activities of life.This is a short, philosophical and inspiring novel that makes a powerful and unforgettable impact, with the artful brevity, simplicity and beauty of the prose, capturing the many roles played by Maud Martha throughout her life, providing a valuable history of a black woman in this historical period. It is the poetic language and remarkable resilience of Maud Martha in the face of life's harsh challenges that makes this remarkable book sing, her refusal to be defined and imprisoned by them, finding the strength and inner resources to shape and claim the inner freedom to be who she is. A stellar read that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Lively style - thought provoking and entertaining - poetic style refreshing to read.Would definitely recommend. Will look at her poetry next.

Gwendolyn Brooks is one of America's most celebrated poets, but her only novel, 'Maud Martha', written in 1953, has never been published in the UK, a travesty that has finally been remedied by Faber in this edition. This is a slim but brilliant novel which follows the inner life of a young African-American woman from the 1920s through to the 1940s in thirty-four short and perfectly crafted chapters.Brooks recounts Maud Martha's experiences of childhood, marriage and motherhood through vignettes of her everyday life. Brooks's writing is expressive, lyrical and wise, at times devastatingly so - for instance, when, reflecting on her husband's restlessness, she comments that "She was afraid to suggest to him that, to most people, nothing at all "happen." That most people merely live from day to day until they die. That, after the had been dead a year, doubtless fewer than five people would think of him oftener than once a year. That there might even come a year when no one on earth would think of him at all."Race, gender and class serve as a constant backdrop to Maud Martha's experiences, and there are some acutely powerful moments which depict the realities of life for an ordinary Black woman during this era. But these labels ever eclipse the simple fact of Maud Martha's humanity, and the real achievement of this novel is how Brooks creates such a fully rounded and alive centre of consciousness in so few pages.This edition also comes with an excellent new introduction by Margo Jefferson who makes a compelling argument for the significance of this novel. Hopefully it will now remain in print. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

What a gem this 1953 novella from acclaimed American poet Gwendolyn Brooks is – and why has it taken so long for it to be published in the UK? Still, better late than never – this quiet small masterpiece, understated, beautifully crafted, charming in so many ways but nonetheless with an undercurrent of rage and resentment and bitterness against the racism and sexism that haunts Maud Martha’s life. In 34 short vignettes we meet her as a 7-year-old growing up in Chicago and journey with her until her 40s, as she struggles to lead the best possible life available to her, and we share her hopes and aspirations. A poignant and deeply moving account of an everyday ordinary life transformed into an extraordinary life by the power of language. Unforgettable.

Astute powerful writing. Every word measured and weighed. Nothing wasted. A gem of a novella. The insight into life in another time, place and culture is profound .

Excellent read!