The Women of Brewster Place (novel)

The Women of Brewster Place
First edition (publ. Viking)
AuthorGloria Naylor
LanguageEnglish
Published1982
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint
ISBN0-7868-6421-4
Followed byLinden Hills 

The Women of Brewster Place (1982) is the debut novel of American author Gloria Naylor. It won the National Book Award in category First Novel.[1] It was adapted as the 1989 miniseries The Women of Brewster Place and the 1990 television show Brewster Place by Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions.

The Women explores the lives of seven Black women who all live at Brewster Place, a tenement building in the poorer parts of an unnamed US city. The novel examines female relationships, both in terms of friendship and romantic love, as well as themes of sisterhood, violence, and sexuality.

In each of the "Seven Stories" of its subtitle, one or more of the seven women are involved with the main character of that particular story, such as Mattie appearing in Etta Mae's story or Kiswana showing up in Cora Lee's.

  1. ^ "National Book Awards – 1983". National Book Foundation. Retrieved February 28, 2012. (With acceptance speech by Naylor and essays by Rachel Helgeson and Felicia Pride from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.)
    • First novels or first works of fiction were recognized from 1980 to 1985.