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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
On a North Carolina vineyard, a tale of conjure can hide a sharp lesson about power.
In Charles W. Chesnutt’s The Conjure Woman, John and Annie move south after the Civil War for Annie’s health. They meet Uncle Julius McAdoo, a formerly enslaved man who knows the vineyard and has stories to tell. John listens with amusement and doubt. Annie pays closer attention.
These seven tales lead into plantation life, where masters hold power, families face separation, and conjure offers help or harm. The Goophered Grapevine, Po’ Sandy, and Mars Jeems’s Nightmare mix eerie folklore with cruelty and sly humor. Julius tells more than John always understands, making each story a contest over who sees clearly.
What you’ll discover
- A storyteller with purpose Watch Julius use charm and old tales to pursue quiet aims of his own.
- Grapes under a spell Enter The Goophered Grapevine, where Henry eats enchanted grapes and must live with the cure.
- Conjure and its bargains Meet Aunt Peggy, whose spells help, harm, and bargain for those who seek her.
- Beneath the gentle myth Face stories of slavery that challenge the comforting picture of a happy plantation.
- Two ways of listening Notice what separates John’s practical doubts from Annie’s more sympathetic attention to Julius.
Who will love it
This book suits readers who love folk tales, ghost stories and magic with a sting in it, and anyone curious about how storytelling can carry truth.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Julius makes a warning do the asking
- A spell exposes the master's greed
- Sandy longs for somewhere to stay
- Separation wounds mothers and lovers
- Belief and memory shape the tales
- Stories give Julius room to act
- Annie hears suffering beneath the magic
- Two voices reveal more than one
- Listening means noticing power and purpose
Who’s who
- Julius McAdooAn old Black coachman and former field hand who tells plantation tales of conjure to the Northern couple, always with a purpose of his own.
- The narrator, JohnA Northern grape grower who moves south for his wife's health and listens to Julius with amused doubt.
- AnnieThe narrator's wife, whose health needs a warm climate and whose sympathy is stirred by the sorrows in each tale.
- Aunt PeggyA free conjure woman near the Wilmington Road who works her roots for a price in many of Julius's stories.
- Master Dugal McAdooJulius's old master, who appears in many tales as a shrewd and often greedy owner of vineyard and people.
- MabelAnnie's young sister, who loves stories and is drawn into a quarrel with her sweetheart Malcolm Murchison.
- TomA sleepy young relative of Julius who works around the house and is often in trouble with the narrator.
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The Conjure Woman
by Charles W. Chesnutt · 1899
Old Julius spins tales of spells and ghosts for a Northern couple, and every story serves a purpose of his own.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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In short
What would you do if a kindly old man told you not to buy a vineyard because it was under a spell? A Northern grape grower moves with his wife Annie to the sand hills of North Carolina for her health.
The Conjure Woman at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 40 min2 h 55 min fast, 4 h 20 min slow
- Length
- 52,200 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1899by Charles W. Chesnutt
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Northern grape grower meets old Julius
The narrator grows grapes in northern Ohio. His wife is in poor health, so the doctor sends them south to a warmer climate. The couple settle on a ruined plantation once owned by a man named McAdoo.
One day he drives out with Annie along sandy roads to the old house site, where only chimneys and brick pillars remain. On a log under an elm they find an elderly man eating grapes from his hat. This is Julius, who was born on this plantation. He says he would not buy the vineyard, because it is goophered, his word for conjured. He speaks with such solemn earnestness that Annie moves closer to her husband.
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Details
- First published
- 1899
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 15 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Chesnutt, Charles W. The Conjure Woman. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-conjure-woman.
Chesnutt, C. W. (2026). The conjure woman. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-conjure-woman (Original work published 1899)
Chesnutt, Charles W. The Conjure Woman. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-conjure-woman.
@book{chesnutt2026conjure,
author = {Chesnutt, Charles W.},
title = {The Conjure Woman},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-conjure-woman},
note = {First published 1899}
}
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What is The Conjure Woman about?
It is a collection of ten linked tales. A Northern couple move to a North Carolina vineyard, and a former slave named Julius tells them plantation stories about spells, ghosts, love and loss, using a conjure woman named Aunt Peggy.
Who is Aunt Peggy in The Conjure Woman?
Aunt Peggy is a free Black conjure woman who lives near the Wilmington Road. In Julius's stories, people bring her gifts such as corn, potatoes, ham or a handkerchief so she will work her roots on their behalf.
What does goophered mean in the book?
Goophered means conjured or bewitched. Julius uses the word in the first story to warn the narrator that the vineyard is under a spell, and the word returns whenever a charm is worked.
The author
Charles W. Chesnutt
1858–1932 · American novelist and story writer
Charles W. Chesnutt (1858–1932) was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and activist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, grew up in North Carolina, and returned to Cleveland in 1883. He published The Conjure Woman in 1899, The House Behind the Cedars in 1900, and The Marrow of Tradition in 1901.
More by Charles W. Chesnutt
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