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Harlem Rhapsody

Written by alamancelibraries on . Posted in Book Reviews.

Cover of Harlem Rhapsody. Orange background, with a woman in a green and white striped dress sitting in the center of the cover. Behind her is a street of apartment building facades (you can see the orange of the cover through the windows). On her skirt and in front of the apartment buildings are people dancing, walking, and playing music.

Harlem rhapsody. Murray, Victoria Christopher. New York : Berkley, [2025]

Victoria Christopher Murray’s Harlem Rhapsody is a stunning literary tribute to Jessie Redmon Fauset, a name many readers may not know, but one they won’t soon forget. With elegance, precision, and emotional resonance, Murray breathes life into the woman who stood at the cultural epicenter of the Harlem Renaissance, yet whose story has largely remained in the shadows.

Set in the early 20th century, the novel captures a vibrant and turbulent period in American history, blending art, politics, and race with the electricity of cultural change. At its heart is Jessie Fauset: brilliant, ambitious, and deeply human. Through Murray’s skilled storytelling, Jessie emerges not only as a literary force by editing The Crisis, nurturing Black voices, shaping narratives, but also as a woman balancing intellect and heart, mission and vulnerability.

What makes Harlem Rhapsody extraordinary isn’t just its historical richness, but its intimacy. Murray doesn’t just write about history; she immerses us in it. From smoky jazz clubs to editorial boardrooms, from Paris salons to Harlem’s brownstones, every setting hums with authenticity. Yet the novel never feels weighed down by its historical detail. Instead, it reads like a love letter to a time, a movement, and above all, a woman who dared to dream beyond the limitations placed upon her.

The prose is lyrical yet grounded, and accessible without sacrificing sophistication. Murray’s language sings in moments of triumph and aches in moments of quiet reflection. The relationships in the book, platonic, professional, and romantic are drawn with emotional complexity, adding layers to Jessie’s journey without overshadowing her own agency and evolution.

At a time when readers are craving stories of underrepresented trailblazers, Harlem Rhapsody arrives with both purpose and grace. It challenges, it uplifts, and it educates but never at the expense of entertainment. This is a novel that celebrates Black excellence, feminine strength, and the transformative power of the written word.

Chantell H. is a Circulation Assistant at North Park Library.

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