The Turner House

Locations
Call Number: Fiction / Flournoy, Angela, Adult Book / Fiction / General / Flournoy, Angela
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	Downtown 2nd Fl. Display
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	Fiction / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	Due 03-07-2023
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Flournoy, Angela	4-week checkout	On Shelf

"A powerful, timely debut, The Turner House marks a major new contribution to the story of the American family. The Turners have lived on Yarrow Street for over fifty years. Their house has seen thirteen children grown and gone--and some returned; it has seen the arrival of grandchildren, the fall of Detroit's East Side, and the loss of a father. The house still stands despite abandoned lots, an embattled city, and the inevitable shift outward to the suburbs. But now, as ailing matriarch Viola finds herself forced to leave her home and move in with her eldest son, the family discovers that the house is worth just a tenth of its mortgage. The Turner children are called home to decide its fate and to reckon with how each of their pasts haunts--and shapes--their family's future. Already praised by Ayana Mathis as "utterly moving" and "un-putdownable," The Turner House brings us a colorful, complicated brood full of love and pride, sacrifice and unlikely inheritances. It's a striking examination of the price we pay for our dreams and futures, and the ways in which our families bring us home"-- Provided by publisher.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Fiction Profile
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Wonderful depiction of a family and a city submitted by willow on June 21, 2015, 10:47am This story brings together the tale of a modern-day Detroit family with the history of their move North from Arkansas. It's a beautifully told story of one family, struggling with everyday concerns, and that family might just be our own.

Also nice to see complex African American characters.

Enjoyed This Book! submitted by Beth Manuel on July 8, 2016, 12:51pm This was a great depiction of a Detroit family that delved into their histories two generations back to present day. I thought that the characters were multi-faceted and dynamic. The underlying plot of whether such a thing as haints exist that the eldest brother Cha Cha has seemingly witnessed multiple times in his life seemed far fetched, as did the convoluted reason behind Cha Cha's therapist maintaining her professional relationship with him. Otherwise, I liked it but it was a tad slow at the beginning.

Turner house submitted by KatyaS on July 13, 2019, 5:48am American family story with the roots in Detroit.

Beautiful submitted by unknown on July 13, 2020, 4:43pm Gorgeous novel about several generations of a family in Detroit. Well written, fun, sad, interesting. Recommended!

Good book submitted by Kanchan21 on July 14, 2021, 3:14pm I enjoyed reading this book

A Detroit Story submitted by Meginator on August 20, 2022, 6:02pm This novel follows a Detroit family as they grapple with their matriarch’s declining health, the prospect of losing the family home amid the 2008 housing crisis, and the ghosts (real and imagined) that haunt them. Focusing primarily on three out of the family’s thirteen siblings, with nods to all of the others and with flashbacks to their parents’ first year of marriage, the story tackles a range of themes about love, obligation, and hope, all set amid the backdrop of a city that itself reflects the Turner siblings’ histories, hopes, and present situations. The book has a slow, consistent pace to it that gradually reveals its storylines and, ultimately, pulls a neat final trick in revealing that the supposed crux of the book- the fate of the titular house itself- is far less important than the lives of the people who once inhabited it. The supposed loose ends feel realistic and even give the book a sense of closure despite an ending that calls back to the very beginning of everything. I appreciated this deep and nuanced portrait of Detroit and its residents (both current and former).