decade teaching students and mentoring teachers, she shifted her storytelling craft from a side passion to center stage. A 2021 We Need Diverse Books mentee under Rajani LaRocca, Nwosu writes bold, heartfelt fiction that explores connection, purpose, and what it means to live a life well.
She applied the Page 69 Test to her debut novel, The Wondrous Lives and Loves of Nella Carter, with the following results:
Page 69 opens with Nella meeting James, an early love, and details their growing attraction. I feel it speaks to the wonder of the premise of the novel, as she would have been long dead had she met her natural end.Visit Brionni Nwosu's website.Jacques didn’t read the books, seemingly satisfied to have me recount the contents to him. I felt important as I shared the ideas and the conversation the books sparked. I didn’t question why he spent sums on books, only to give them away. I was only interested only in growing my own collection as I read deep into the night, learning of lands far beyond this one, grateful for Death’s gift of being able to read and speak any language I heard.I think page 69 gives a good sense of the emotional heart of the book, even if it doesn’t show the full scale of it. On this page, Nella is learning, exploring, and slowly opening herself up to connection, as she determines what love looks like for someone like her during this point in time.
Some Sundays, we broke off and walked alone, his hand lingering over mine. It felt good to be the center of his attention. It wasn’t the red-hot love Eugène had for Eulalie. I didn’t know if I was even capable of those kinds of feelings, but it was a warm, pleasant glow.
In September, Eulalie and Eugène moved into a large two-story home on Rampart Street. They hosted a masked ball at their house to celebrate their commitment, a celebration open to all who understood the nature of their relationship.
For the occasion, I had chosen a blue cotton dress with marigold petticoats, a white shawl tucked around my shoulders and into the neckline, and a marigold tignon to match.
Eulalie bustled by me. “Is that a new dress? Quite fetching.”
I nodded, fluffing the cream cotton skirts with the dark-blue trim.
She gave me a long look. “Anyone you’re hoping you’ll see tonight?
“Possibly.” I blushed and straightened the row of extra masks meant for guests. The steady stream of guests soon consumed my attention as a quartet began to play. The sound of stringed instruments mingled with lively conversation as a pair of dancers swept about the room, waltzing to the sprightly fiddle. Other couples joined them on the dance floor, and the room became an atmospheric swirl, colored with the flicker of candlelight, the spin of vibrant cotton and patterned silk, the spice of tobacco, and the titters of laughter from tongues loosened by wine and champagne. The scene was a wonder, and my place in it would have been unthinkable before Death had given me this chance.
What readers won’t get from this page is the larger premise — the deal with Death, the centuries she moves through, or the bigger questions the book wrestles with. So the Page 69 Test is only partially accurate: it shows the tone, the wonder, and the warmth, but not the full sweep of her journey. I think the chapters from Death’s perspective give it an interesting structure and a POV we don’t often see in literature.
What I love about this page is that it shows Nella at the very beginning of becoming who she’ll be. She’s discovering books, love, friendship, and a world she never imagined she’d get to see. Those small moments — learning a new idea, being noticed by someone, feeling joy that once felt impossible — end up shaping the whole novel.
Throughout the book, Nella travels across cities and centuries, meeting people who challenge her, surprise her, and sometimes break her heart. Page 69 catches her right at the start of that process. She’s standing inside a new life and realizing, almost for the first time, that she has the chance to experience true romantic love.
Writers Read: Brionni Nwosu.
--Marshal Zeringue
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