num_pages: 256
description: Avey Johnson--a black, middle-aged, middle-class widow given to hats, gloves, and pearls--has long since put behind her the Harlem of her childhood. Then on a cruise to the Caribbean with two friends, inspired by a troubling dream, she senses her life beginning to unravel--and in a panic packs her bag in the middle of the night and abandons her friends at the next port of call. The unexpected and beautiful adventure that follows provides Avey with the links to the culture and history she has so long disavowed. Originally published in 1983, Praise Song for the Widow was a recipient of the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award.
  "Astonishingly moving."
--Anne Tyler, The New York Times Book Review
language: English
title: Praisesong for the Widow
titlecomplete: Praisesong for the Widow
genres: African American Literature, Fiction, African American, Magical Realism, Classics, School, Historical Fiction, Black Literature, Literature, Novels
ratings_count: 1323
series: Of the Diaspora
awards: awardedAt: 441792000000
name: American Book Award
publisher: Putnam Adult