[Review of The Conjure Woman]

The Conjure Woman

Charles W. Chesnutt has, in "The Conjure woman," done a new turn in negro story writing. He has taken up the North Carolina Negro and has given us the atmosphere of the old North State admirably. It is well known that the Georgia darky differs from the darky of Virginia or Kentucky, and the North Carolina Negro possesses his individuality also. These conjure stories are all remarkably ingenious, and their wild improbabilities are told so plausibly that Mr. Chesnutt must be credited with having discovered a new and fresh field. And not the least delightful feature about the stories is the skill of the old negro who tells them, in turning each of them to good account in carrying some point he has in mind. Published by Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston, and received through R.M. Mansford.