Scarlet Carnation: A Novel

Written by Laila Ibrahim

Narrated by Bahni Turpin

In an early twentieth-century America roiling with racial injustice, class divides, and WWI, two women fight for their dreams in a galvanizing novel by the bestselling author of Golden Poppies.

1915. May and Naomi are extended family, their grandmothers’ lives inseparably entwined on a Virginia plantation in the volatile time leading up to the Civil War. For both women, the twentieth century promises social transformation and equal opportunity.

May, a young white woman, is on the brink of achieving the independent life she’s dreamed of since childhood. Naomi, a nurse, mother, and leader of the NAACP, has fulfilled her own dearest desire: buying a home for her family. But they both are about to learn that dreams can be destroyed in an instant. May’s future is upended, and she is forced to rely once again on her mother. Meanwhile, the white-majority neighborhood into which Naomi has moved is organizing against her while her sons are away fighting for their country.

In the tumult of a changing nation, these two women—whose grandmothers survived the Civil War—support each other’s quest for liberation and dignity. Both find the strength to confront injustice and the faith to thrive on their chosen paths.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Apr 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781713651819

Laila Ibrahim

Laila Ibrahim spent much of her career as a preschool director, a birth doula, and a religious educator. That work, coupled with her education in developmental psychology and attachment theory, provided ample fodder for the story lines of her bestselling novels: Paper Wife, Mustard Seed, and Yellow Crocus. She’s a devout Unitarian Universalist, determined to do her part to add a little more love and justice to our beautiful and painful world. She lives with her wonderful wife, Rinda, and two other families in a small cohousing community in Berkeley, California. Her young adult children are her pride and joy. Laila is blessed to be working full-time as a novelist. When she isn’t writing, she likes to take walks with friends, do jigsaw puzzles, play games, work in the garden, travel, cook, and eat all kinds of delicious food. Visit the author at www.lailaibrahim.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lailaibrahim.author.

Reviews for Scarlet Carnation

[Cathie McKenna · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed this book as much as the previous 3 in the series. Nicely written and presented, well worth a listen.

[Sylvia nah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great sequel to the 2 books, generational achievements based on love

[suesbooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The intention of this book, to teach about the racism endemic in American society was admirable, and I enjoyed most of the anecdotes used to present the information. The accompanying information as who this society deems disposable was also valuable. However, both the writing and the editing were sloppy and detracted from the whole of the book. The numerous characters were also confusing, but the main ideas were still well told.