Black Candle Women

A warm and wry family drama with a magical twist about four generations of Black women, a family curse, and one very complicated year of heartache, miscommunication, and learning to let go.

Generations of Montrose women—Augusta, Victoria, Willow—have lived together in their quaint two-story bungalow in California for years. They keep to themselves, never venture far from home, and their collection of tinctures and spells is an unspoken bond between them.

But when seventeen-year-old Nickie Montrose brings home a boy for the first time, their quiet lives are thrown into disarray. For the other women have been withholding a secret from Nickie that will end her relationship before it’s even begun: the decades-old family curse that any person they fall in love with dies.

Their surprise guest forces each woman to reckon with her own past choices and mistakes. And as new truths about the curse emerge, the family is set on a collision course dating back to a Voodoo shop in 1950s New Orleans’s French Quarter—where a hidden story in a mysterious book may just hold the answers they seek in life and in love…

This discussion guide was shared and sponsored in partnership with Graydon House Books.

Book club questions for Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

Victoria has structured her life in a way that supports her and her family’s isolation. Did you understand why she chose to live that kind of life? If the household hadn’t been shaken up by Nickie’s interest in Felix, Madelyn’s arrival, and Willow’s relationship with January, do you think Victoria would have been able to maintain this way of living forever? Why or why not?

Although Willow doesn’t believe in the curse, she has still kept herself from being in a relationship, at least until she meets January. Why do you think she behaves this way? Why does she change her behavior when January comes into her life?

After learning about Victoria’s relationship with Jimmie, Augusta doesn’t intervene. How would you have acted if you’d been in Augusta’s position?

Like Augusta’s mother, Victoria envisions a certain future for her daughter and tries to control her. What other patterns are passed on among the generations? Discuss how traditions and behaviors, both useful and harmful, can continue within families.

At several points in the story, there are four generations of Montrose women living in the same household. What impact does this living arrangement have on their lifestyles? Is it more of a hindrance or a help to have so many generations under one roof?

Why do you think Black Candle Women was selected as the title for this book? How are the Montroses black candle women? Is Bela Nova also a black candle woman?

Which Montrose woman was your favorite? Why?

Discuss the family curse. Do you think Bela Nova was justified in cursing generations of Montrose women? Does your family have any superstitions?

The Montrose family documented much of their history in the book that originally belonged to Delilah. Why was Augusta willing to return it to Bela Nova with so much of their story inside? Is there an item that your own family passes down between generations? How does your family share and celebrate its history?

Black Candle Women Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Black Candle Women discussion questions

“Propulsive and poignant, Black Candle Women concocts an intoxicating potion of warmth, wisdom, and wonder. This gorgeous debut novel is a sweepingly fashioned love story where romance and rebellion intertwine with fear and family. And the stakes are epic. I was completely and gladly under Ms. Brown’s spell.”
—Ava DuVernay

“Richly imagined and elegantly told, with plenty of satisfying secrets, heartaches, and twists. Black Candle Women is a promising debut.”
—Sadeqa Johnson, author of Reese’s Book Club Pick, The House of Eve

“Black Candle Women is a bold and tender story about three generations of women each attempting to find their way amidst the gifts and curses they've inherited. This novel is a wondrous celebration of womanhood.”

—Cleyvis Natera, author of Neruda on the Park

“A spellbinding romp. This book will have you asking yourself, who amongst us isn’t cursed? More importantly, how far would you go for a chance at love?”
—Carolyn Huynh, author of GMA Book Club Pick The Fortunes of Jaded Women

“A big-hearted debut, with complex, flawed, and compelling characters I was rooting for every step of the way. Diane Marie Brown compassionately depicts how mothers try to protect their daughters from the threats and disappointments of the world.”
—E.M. Tran, author of Daughters of the New Year

“Written with warmth and an eye for detail, Diane Marie Brown’s Black Candle Women explores the bonds of family and the magical power of belief to transform our lives.”
—Shaunna J. Edwards and Alyson Richman, authors of The Thread Collectors

“Black Candle Women is a compassionate novel about motherhood, sisterhood, independence, and the reflection and forgiveness required to break generational curses. Diane Marie Brown’s prose, as well as her fascinating main characters, will win you over immediately.”
—De'Shawn Charles Winslow, winner of the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and author of Decent People

“Brown deftly portrays an insular family of women in all of its complicated glory...The spiritual angle gives this powerful family drama a magical twist that will delight readers.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“For fans of intergenerational family dramas, this magical twist on the genre will prove refreshing.” —Publishers Weekly

“[A] gripping Black family drama...Brown’s debut tackles generational trauma in an engaging and heartfelt way.” —Library Journal