Bailey's Cafe

by Gloria. Naylor

Paperback, 1992

Call number

FIC NAY

Collection

Publication

HARCOURT, BRACE & JOVANOVICH. NY 1992 (1992), Edition: First Edition

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. African American Fiction. Historical Fiction. HTML: A "moving and memorable" novel about a cafe where everyone has a story to tell from the award-winning author of The Women of Brewster Place (The Boston Globe). In postâ??World War II Brooklyn, on a quiet backstreet, there's a little place that draws people from all overâ??not for the food, and definitely not for the coffee. An in-between place that's only there when you need it, Bailey's Cafe is a crossroads where patrons stay for a while before making a choice: Move on or check out? In this novel, National Book Awardâ??winning author Gloria Naylor's expertly crafted characters experience a journey full of beauty and heartbreak. Touching on gender, race, and the African American experience, Bailey's Cafe is "a sublime achievement" about the resilience of the human spirit (People).… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member PrincessPaulina
* NO Spoilers were used in the writing of this review! *

Each chapter in this off-beat, touching book introduces a flamboyant character at a personal crossroads; Bailey's Cafe is their symbolic purgatory. Though the characters come from different walks of life, there is something dysfunctional or
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broken about each of them. Most are products of physical, emotional or spiritual abuse, often tinged by racial discrimination.

In terms of racial issues, this book depicts how deeply prejudice affected the lives of African Americans post WW2, playing a significant role in their circumstances, decisions and ultimate fates on a variety of levels. In my opinion, Jesse's story was the saddest, illustrating the tragic irony when victims of discrimination turn against each other.

Despite covering some heavy material, Naylor imbues each character with a sense of dignity and hope.This book is about survival and overcoming hardships. There are also unexpected humorous touches; the story about Eve helping Jesse kick heroin reads like a hilariously ironic AA parable.

Though it can be confusing due to an esoteric theme (i.e. Bailey's Cafe as Purgatory), this is still a satisfying, informative read. I was sincerely rooting for these characters!
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LibraryThing member astrologerjenny
I didn’t like this book at first, and that’s mainly because there’s too much baseball in the first chapter. It’s a language I don’t speak. It’s also a little obscure in the beginning. Even though there was some beautiful writing, I thought about laying the book aside.

The second chapter
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was breathtaking. I put it down just because it was too intense to read more immediately. And the next day, I picked it up again. And no, there’s no more baseball after the first chapter.

It’s a very surrealistic novel. Bailey’s Café is a way station for people who need a time-out in their lives. It only exists for these people, at this moment, and it can appear anywhere in the world. It’s a strange, magical place, and it’s also a bitter, mournful place, because everybody there has been wounded.

The stories that comprise this novel are the life-stories of those who enter. They are all unique, amazing people, and the writing is hypnotic, musical, haunting – lavish without ever being over-written, ambitious yet colloquial. I loved this book and was glad I let it unfold until its meaning appeared.
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LibraryThing member grandpahobo
Excellent.
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
Naylor's writing has such gorgeous life to it, and this book is no different. A tapestry of characters and worlds all brought together into one, the book's claim to being "nothing less than a blues tapestry of America" is heartbreakingly true, and showcases Naylor at her best. This is a difficult
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one to talk about without giving away the novel's secrets, but in a blend of short stories, character sketches, and novel-form told through a multitude of voices, it is utterly worth reading and rereading, an experience all its own.

Absolutely recommended.
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Awards

ISBN

0151104506 / 9780151104505
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