FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
This engaging audiobook is narrated with energy and style. The debut novel, a well-imagined take on the music scene of the 1970s, is packed with insights on the time and the real inequities that existed for Black performers. Janina Edwards, who plays S. Sunny Curtis, the central character, is convincing, thoughtful, and measured. Both Bahni Turpin (Opal) and James Langston (Nev) give their idiosyncratic ‘70s rockers nuanced portrayals. Gabra Zackman and Dennis Boutsikaris enliven the proceedings with well-delivered New York accents. The plot concerns a drug-addled Brit, Nev, and a bald African-American diva from Detroit, Opal. The story hinges on a horrific concert during which Sunny’s father, a drummer, was murdered in a racist brawl. Despite that, it is often laugh-out-loud funny—a grand listening experience. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
PRAISE FOR THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL AND NEV BY DAWNIE WALTON
“This novel is so good, I want to rent a velvet-swagged amphitheater and gather a large audience to blare through a microphone just how much I like it...Befitting her name, Opal is a complex, shade-shifting idol, not so much sparkling as iridescent...[Dawnie Walton] has conjured an entire oeuvre of lyrics, licks and liner notes that is backdrop for some of the most pressing political issues of our era, or any era. The story Sunny “tells” using the tools of journalism is propulsive, often funny and thought-provoking. Like the best fiction, it feels truer and more mesmerizing than some true stories. It’s a packed time capsule that doubles as a stick of dynamite.”—NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“A dazzling triumph...it is refreshing to read a book that centers a Black woman [Opal] who has this many layers, a book that seeks neither to save her from nor punish her for the flaws that make her human...an unforgettable character.”—WASHINGTON POST
“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is itself anything but "regular." A deep dive into the recent past, it also simultaneously manages to be a rumination on up-to-the-minute themes like cultural appropriation in music, and the limits of white allyship. It's the kind of overwhelming novel that, like a polyphonic double album back in the day, readers might want to experience more than once to let all the notes sink in.”—MAUREEN CORRIGAN, NPR’s FRESH AIR
“A lively take on the music industry’s commercialism, racism, and sexism, and also a commentary on how history and memory are refracted through changing cultural currents.”—NEW YORKER
“Dawnie Walton’s fabulous debut novel is an utterly fresh take on finding one’s voice, on systemic racism and sexism, and on freedom of expression. That these heavy subjects don’t weigh down this hugely entertaining novel are testament to Walton’s deftness and skill.”—OPRAHMAG.COM
“Easy to read, and yet layered in both its organization and its impact... [a] twisty, politically inflected tale. Provocative, rich, and assured, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a singular debut.”—VOGUE
“The book bursts with fourth-wall breaks and clear-eyed takes on race, sex, and creativity that Walton unfurls in urgent, endlessly readable style.” —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev features an ambitious literary structure that is rarely seen in contemporary writing. On the surface, it is a complex oral history conducted by a music journalist about her beloved rock ‘n’ roll duo. But as the interview touches deeper, we see more unexpected layers of the story that will threaten to reverse any established narratives. The unique storytelling matches the depth of the theme that the novel aspires to explore: Black women who dare to tell the truth but whose voices are too often repressed.”—THE MILLIONS
“[A] showstopper...Unsparing and raw in its exploration of the personal and political complications these characters face, the novel explodes with color, style, and music as it explores the challenges of love and art, racism and gender inequality in a story that doesn’t leave a single note out of place.”—DAILY BEAST
“Spectacular...This is a firecracker.”—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, *starred review*
“Walton's debut novel is so lucidly envisioned, readers will wish that YouTube videos existed of the fictional Opal & Nev...A cinematic, stereophonic, and boldly imagined story of race, gender, and agency in art.”—BOOKLIST, *starred review*
“[Opal] is a champion for people who have suffered discrimination, bullying, and marginalization, and she is fierce and sticks to her convictions, no matter the consequences to her career...Walton has penned a true wonder of a debut novel.”—Library Journal, *starred review*
“An intelligently executed love letter to Black female empowerment and the world of rock music.”—KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Walton has crafted a rock ‘n roll novel for the ages.”—LIT HUB
“A poignant and relevant reckoning for two captivating women...An utterly absorbing addition to contemporary fiction.”—BUST
“This book is so original on its own. [But] if you love Daisy Jones & the Six, run for this book...it’s incredible...it feels so real.”—BOOK RIOT
“In her powerful debut novel, Walton sews a fictional rock duo so seamlessly into the fabric of music history you’ll be tempted to Google as you read to hear Opal & Nev’s nascent Afro-punk sound, to see their pictures, to share shaky footage of their provocative live shows.”—Philadelphia Inquirer
“Walton handles even the most serious issues with a gloriously light, wise touch.”—COLUMBUS DISPATCH
“A delightful and intriguing investigation into pop culture, American history and race. It makes you question why you’re drawn to the music that you like, forces you to reflect on important moments in pop culture, and makes you think about who gets forgotten over time.”—Minnesota Public Radio
“Walton’s debut novel has all of the dishy ingredients you’d want in a story about a scrappy rock duo that came to fame in the 1970s: Sex! Drugs! Scandal! Bell-bottoms! But this is a clever Trojan horse of a plot that contains a powerful critique of racism and sexism. It also, thankfully, includes Opal: a flawed, fierce, force of nature asserting herself in a world that makes it more difficult for women to thrive, especially women of color. So, come for the 70s fun, but stay for a bold new voice in fiction that skillfully serves some much needed medicine with just the right amount of sugar.”—AMAZON BOOK REVIEW, Best of the Month
“Electrifying...Walton’s tale bursts with such ripe detail–from Opal’s iconic ensembles to gossipy run-ins with real-life celebrities–that we were desperate to give the imaginary duo’s albums a spin. Drawing on all-too-familiar current events to prove that the past is never truly behind us, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is as thought-provoking as it is a through-and-through pleasure.”—APPLE, Best of the Month
“Walton’s debut is bold, audacious and endlessly fascinating—much like Opal Jewel herself.”—Bookreporter.com
“A true feat of creativity—and a book that uses history to help contextualize what is going on in the here and now. Racism, feminism and capitalism are all addressed and subverted in Walton’s debut novel.”—She Reads
“Walton does an exquisite job weaving together the pains of loss and knowledge to show the real America and how only certain moments are cast as significant and remembered by most storytellers. She unravels the lead-up to Opal and Nev’s “Final Revival” in a piece of literature that is perfectly timed to respond to where we are now as a country...The Final Revival of Opal & Nev has strong characterizations that work in an oral history format and elevate it to a level that captures America at its core, even while it revolves around the story of this ahead-of-its-time punk band. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.”—Real Change News
“A vibrant and immersive portrait of 1970s rock and roll that hooks the reader early with its central mystery of what exactly happened at one life-changing show.”—News-Gazette
“One of the most immersive novels I've ever read...largely because of Walton's skill at letting so many people talk in so many different ways. Voices are marshalled from across America, and then across the Atlantic, and blended seamlessly into a tale about Black culture, Black women, and American capitalism. This is a thrilling work of polyphony—a first novel that reads like the work of an old hand.”—TA-NEHISI COATES, New York Times bestselling author of The Water Dancer and Between the World and Me
“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is as musical and revolutionary in tone and structure as it is in content. It delves into the complexities of the creative life, specifically as it pertains to Black women and instead of shying away or egg-shelling, it does what every good book does: tells the truth. A truth that bangs. That shrieks. A siren song to shatter what we’ve known of the novel. Things won’t ever be the same after this. And I’m so happy Dawnie Walton has arrived.”—JASON REYNOLDS, author of the New York Times bestseller A Long Way Down
“The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is lovely and lyrical; a warm and wonderful intersection between journalism and fiction. This is a novel you'll want to read out loud. It's made for readers and music lovers who find themselves wishing that Behind The Music was still on the air.”—KILEY REID, New York Times bestselling author of Such A Fun Age
“‘Bold’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. Dawnie Walton's exhilarating debut is a thrill ride into the Afro-punk 1970s complete with a central character so unforgettable, you'll almost believe you’ve heard her name before. Innovative, sexy, edgy—I’ve never read anything like Opal & Nev, and I promise you haven't either.”—AYANA MATHIS, author of The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
“By turns playful and serious, and always wonderfully entertaining...the immensely gifted Dawnie Walton creates a vivid chorus of voices as she tells the story of Opal’s journey from a dive in Detroit to the stage in New York where everything changes. This novel rocks.”—MARGOT LIVESEY, author of The Boy in the Field
“Buckle up when you sit down to follow Opal on her journey from a young girl in Detroit who is trying to find her voice to a confident woman who travels the world speaking her own truth, even when it gets her in trouble. An intoxicating blend of pop culture and politics, feminist power and fun.”—BEVERLY BOND, author of BLACK GIRLS ROCK: OWNING OUR MAGIC, ROCKING OUR TRUTH, and creator and executive producer of BLACK GIRLS ROCK!
“Fantastic. I so desperately wanted Opal Jewel to have existed; I wanted to have experienced her music first-hand. What I love most of all about this book, though, is the way Walton quite literally inserts a strong, bold Black rock musician into a history that’s often discouraged us from shining, or from even entering at all. Magical.”—ZAKIYA DALILA HARRIS, author of The Other Black Girl
“What girl who has had to march to the beat of her own drummer can’t relate to Opal? Or to the things she says such as one of my favorite lines, ‘Looking the way I did, and as poor as we were, how did I not let life run me over?’ Opal’s search for herself, for love, for acceptance is infinitely relatable. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a jewel!”—PAT CLEVELAND, author of Walking with the Muses
“From page one of this fictional story that reads like a series of interviews conducted by Rolling Stone, I knew I was in for a treat...This gripping novel reads like an exposé and a tribute at the same time...An unforgettable, exciting, special debut.”—ALY RAISMAN, Gold Medal Gymnast and Advocate for BOOK OF THE MONTH CLUB
Library Journal
★ 04/01/2021
DEBUT Going way beyond the typical sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll scenario, this story about performing duo Opal Jewel and Nev Charles, and the genre of pop culture music writing, is a deep plunge into their world. Opal, who is Black, is a native of Detroit, while Nev is a white red-haired fellow from Britain. He chooses Opal as his musical partner after seeing her incredible energy and passion in a New York City club. The duo's struggle for success is well-documented (the novel is structured as oral history, with a journalist interviewing the principal characters and their family, friends, and fans), but even more engaging and important are Opal's thoughts and actions concerning politics, history, and race relations. She is a champion for people who have suffered discrimination, bullying, and marginalization, and she is fierce and sticks to her convictions, no matter the consequences to her career. VERDICT The characters seem so real that readers will find themselves searching the internet, hoping to find that Opal and Nev are actual people. Walton has penned a true wonder of a debut novel, bringing real events into her story. Walton has a true storytelling voice, and her writing is impeccable.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, Leetonia Community P.L., OH
FEBRUARY 2022 - AudioFile
This engaging audiobook is narrated with energy and style. The debut novel, a well-imagined take on the music scene of the 1970s, is packed with insights on the time and the real inequities that existed for Black performers. Janina Edwards, who plays S. Sunny Curtis, the central character, is convincing, thoughtful, and measured. Both Bahni Turpin (Opal) and James Langston (Nev) give their idiosyncratic ‘70s rockers nuanced portrayals. Gabra Zackman and Dennis Boutsikaris enliven the proceedings with well-delivered New York accents. The plot concerns a drug-addled Brit, Nev, and a bald African-American diva from Detroit, Opal. The story hinges on a horrific concert during which Sunny’s father, a drummer, was murdered in a racist brawl. Despite that, it is often laugh-out-loud funny—a grand listening experience. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2022 Audies Winner © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2021-02-10
A fictional history of a 1970s Black rock singer with a complicated past.
Sunny has just been named the new editor-in-chief of the storied music magazine Aural—the first Black person and woman to hold the position—when a scoop falls into her lap. It’s 2015, and Opal Jewel, “the ebony-skinned provocateur, the fashion rebel, the singer/screecher/Afro-Punk ancestor,” is contemplating a reunion tour with her old musical partner, Nev Charles, an Englishman who’s since embarked on a successful solo career; Opal herself hasn’t performed live in more than 25 years. Sunny begins writing a book—this book, an oral history of Opal and Nev’s brief but iconic collaboration during the early '70s—and focuses particularly on the disastrous 1971 concert in which a racist mob kills Opal and Nev’s drummer, a Black man named Jimmy Curtis. Sunny’s interest in the story is more than merely professional: Curtis, she discloses in an "Editor’s Note" at the very beginning of the book, was her father—and Opal his mistress while Sunny’s mother was married to Curtis and pregnant with her. Nevertheless, the first section of the book bears all the hallmarks of a rigorously reported work of journalism. Sunny interviews everyone from the label’s receptionist to Opal’s stylist and stitches together quotes to form a multifaceted narrative of Opal and Nev’s rise. But as Sunny reconstructs the events leading up to her father’s death, she hears something that changes the story she thought she knew—and forces her to shed her protective, professional shell. Debut author Walton wields the oral history form with easy skill, using its suggestion of conversation and potential for humor to give her characters personality. “But also Virgil sold reefer. Everybody loves the reefer man,” Sunny quotes Opal saying about her stylist. Immediately after: “VIRGIL LAFLEUR: I styled ladies’ hair. That’s how I paid my bills. I don’t know what she’s told you.” And the author adeptly captures the particular tenor of discussions of race in the early '70s (Opal’s destruction of a Confederate flag sets off the fateful riot) and in the age of memes: The creator of one Opal GIF, Sunny muses, “understood the culture and the language and this current moment of Black exasperation, and was nodding to the eerie relevance of Opal Jewel in them.”
An intelligently executed love letter to Black female empowerment and the world of rock music.
