Welcome to Bailey's Café, the most mythically real diner you've ever
walked into. Presided over by Bailey and his helpmate, Nadine, it is a
magnet that draws a wide variety of the "colored" people of 1948, each
with a story to tell. Bailey tells us about his love for his strong,
quiet wife, and shares his haunting memories of World War II. Then, one
by one, we hear from the café's regulars. There is Sadie, whose
addiction to alcohol is second only to her mania for cleanliness; the
oddly maternal Eve, whose bordello accepts only fresh flowers as legal
tender; Sweet Esther, who takes nothing but white roses for her
particular favors; Peaches, whose badly mutilated face is a sharp
contrast to her beautiful body; Jesse Bell, who cannot overcome her lust
for heroin; Miss Maple (whose real name is Stanley); and Mariam, the
Ethiopian child who may be the bearer of a miracle. Gloria Naylor,
author of "Women of Brewster Place" and "Mama Day", has created perhaps
her finest work in "Bailey's Café". Her wonderful chorus of characters
tell tales of woe and fortitude, prejudice and pride; Naylor has
transformed the trials of these outcasts into timeless truths about the
strengths of people everywhere.
