Tayari Jones novel Silver Sparrow has made it the semifinals round of Goodreads Choice Awards for Best fiction as a write in. If you loved Silver Sparrow and you haven't done so already head over to Goodreads to vote for it and please spread the word. If you are not a goodreads member it takes five seconds to join. Voting for the Semifinal round ends on November 20th.
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Blog: Color Online (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Full Name - Tayari Jones
Date of Birth - 1970
Location - Jersey City, NJ
Website/Blog - Tayari Jones
Genre -Fiction
Most recently published work - Silver Sparrow
How frequently to you update your site? - 3 times a week
Is your site designed for interaction? -Yes
Can you tell us a little about Silver Sparrow?
Silver Sparrow is the story of two sisters- Dana and Chaurisse. Dana has known all her life that their father is a bigamist and that her existence is his biggest secret. Chaurisse, on the other hand, is under the impression that she lives a normal life. I just had to tell the story from the point of view of both the sisters because both are victims and both are heroes. It's a coming of age story, a study of personal history and mythology, and it's an exploration of the family, love, and betrayal.
I love your opening paragraph. It's lyrical, telling and one of the best of the year. How many drafts did you go through before you got it just right?
I really can't say. I worked on this novel for five years-- it went through so many drafts and even so many titles. I don't keep count. If I had to guess, I would estimate about twenty times. But I love to write. Each new draft was an adventure. I am happiest when I am working on a story. I always want it to go on forever.
That first line, My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist. I remember that for a long time, it was on page two or three. At some point, decided to stop being coy and just come out with it, right on the first line.
Much of the stories beauty and strength lies in your three dimensional characters and their relationships. Which character came to you first, James Witherspoon or his wives and daughters? And how does Raleigh fit into this two family dynamic?
When I write a novel, I imagne a world. The characters don't really show up one by one. Instead, they tend to come to me as sort of ghostly figures and their features become more clearly as a write-- like a polaroid developing.
I firmly belive that James could not keep such a complicated web of secrets straight without a lot of help; I knew he had to have an enabler and this was Raliegh. Then, I had to ask myself why would one man dedicate his entire life to assisting another man in a lie. The answer, of course is love.
That's pretty much the motivation for all the characters. They do what they do because of love, love of their kids, love of each other.
Laverne, the first wife, is a hairdresser. One night she gets an infamous female client. I loved this surprise, the true tragedy weaved into the story line perfectly. When did you decide to incorporate it into your novel?
I won't go into too much detail because I don't want to be a spoiler. But this woman has been a symbol of black female rage, for as long as I could remember. I did a little research and found out tha tit was more than just a humorous annecdote. And even before I decided to make her into a character, she was sort of swimming under the boat for the whole story. Whenever men behave badly, people allude to her. I wanted to imagine her as a real flesh and blood woman, and you can't get much realer than when you're getting your hair done.
The publishing industry has changed a lot since your first novel was published in 2003. It's even harder for authors to make a semi living. One
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Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones
James Witherspoon is a bigamist. This is the story of two families and one husband, told through the eyes of the two daugthers. The first daughter we get to meet is Dana. She is the secret. I loved the opening paragraph, Jones tells the reader exactly what they're are going to get.
Dana and her mother both know James is a bigamist. Dana grows up knowing James will never love or claim her in public. James, other daughter, Chaurisse and her mother are in the dark. When the sisters paths cross years of secrets are revealed.
The strength of this story lies in the complexity and ease in which the relationships are drawn. Jones has a beautiful way with words. She shows off her skills with a powerful opening paragraph.
Silver Sparrow is firmly grounded in its setting, Atlanta in the 80's. Anyone familiar with the city then or now will recognize many of the landmarks. Living in Atlanta, I've been meaning to read one of Jones novels for a long time. This was a beautiful place to begin. It could've been set any where and I still would've loved it. This is one of my favorite books of 2011.
Read the first chapter
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JacketFlap tags: algonquin books, book club, julia alvarez, edwidge danticat, heidi durrow, tayari jones, the girl who fell from the sky, terry mcmillan, in the time of butterflies, silver sparrow, Add a tag
Alqonquin Books is launching a new book club series beginning March 21.
We’ll be featuring four Algonquin Book Club selections a year for dynamic literary events held around the country and simultaneously webcast on our site. For each event, an Algonquin author will be interviewed by a notable writer.
I am mentioning the book club at Color Online because in this inaugural year two of four books are written by female authors of color. Its not often that women authors of color make up fifty percent.
March 21 Julia Alvarez (In the Time of the Butterflies) interviewed by Edwidge Danticat, author of Brother, I’m Dying
April 26 Sara Gruen (Water for Elephants) interviewed by Kathryn Stockett, author of The Help
August 18 Heidi Durrow (The Girl Who Fell from the Sky) interviewed by Terry McMillan, author of Getting to Happy
October 20 Robert Goolrick (A Reliable Wife) interviewed by Patricia Cornwell, author of Port Mortuary
Anyone who has read In the Time of Butterflies is encourged to Join the Conversation.
Want to chat with other readers about In the Time of the Butterflies? Each week, we’ll be giving away Algonquin Book Club tote bags, autographed Julia Alvarez books, Advance Review Copies, brand new titles hot off the press, and other swag to people who join in the conversation by:
Posting comments on the In the Time of the Butterflies discussion section on our Facebook page.
Sharing thoughts on Twitter using #AlgBookClub.
Contributing feedback to our In the Time of the Butterflies book club discussion blog posts leading up to the event.
Check out the user friendly Algonquin Book Blog to learn more about the book club series.
I've read Alvarez before but not In the Time of Butterflies. Now I am looking forward to reading it though Alvarez is going to have to get in line behind Tayari Jones. Tomorrow I will start Jones upcoming novel Silver Sparrow which is published by Algonquin books.
I really enjoyed the interview. This gave me a chance to know Tayari more as an author rather than just a person on a social website. Five years??? You do deserve any credit you receive. I'm glad to hear you truly love to write.
I loved Jones' first two books which I read just in the past few months. Cannot wait for this next one. Thank you for sharing this interview. So glad to hear the book is being published after such a long writing journey.
Thanks, Tea I hope you get a chance to read Silver Sparrow.
Amy - I know you'll love Silver Sparrow. This is the first book I've read by Jones. Looking forward to reading her other two novels.