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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is a remarkable historical novel. The book starts out in February of 1805 in Charleston, South Carolina. Hetty Handful Grimke is ten years old and a slave in the Grimke household. Her mother is Charlotte and the seamstress of the house. Sarah Moore Grimke is turning eleven years old and is leaving the nursery. She is finally getting her own room and her mother is giving her a “waiting maid” as a present. Handful (as Sarah calls her) is Sarah’s new maid. Sarah is against slavery and does not want to own a slave. She tries to refuse, but her mother will not back down. Sarah is very intelligent. She loves to read and learn (not what she is taught at the girl’s school, but what her older brother teaches her). Her father has reluctantly given her access to his library (she loves to read books on mythology, law, history). Sarah is a very unusual girl for her time. Sarah’s draft up manumission paper for Hetty, but her parents destroy them.
Sarah rebels by teaching Hetty to read. They get up to 100 words before they are discovered. Sarah no longer has access to the library and Hetty gets the whip. Hetty’s mother, Charlotte, is always pushing the boundaries. She steals small items (and usually no one notices), she found a way to sell her sewing work (since the missus would not give permission) and earn money, and is dallying with a free black man in town (when she is supposed to be buying material). Is she setting the right example for Hetty?
Sarah at one point gives her ownership of Hetty back to her parents. Hetty then becomes the assistant seamstress in the house and turns out to be even better than her mother. Sarah spends a lot of her time helping to raising Angelina or Nina. Sarah had requested to be the child’s godmother (which she got despite her mother’s misgivings). Sarah raises Nina in her image (strong, determined, rebellious, and very intelligent). When Sarah’s father becomes very ill, Sarah takes him up north to see a specialist (her mother wanted her out of the house). Sarah gets to experience a different way of life and likes it. After her father dies, Sarah delays returning home as long as she can.
When Sarah returns home, she is not happy. She finds her way to a Quaker settlement in the north (where she does not quite fit in). Sarah is determined to find a way for her voice to be heard. The book tells of how Sarah as well as Nina fight for abolishment of slavery as well as rights for women. We get to see how Hetty rebels in her own way as she grows up. The Invention of Wings is a complex novel, but very enjoyable. I was not sure I would like this book and I ended up riveted. I give The Invention of Wings 4.5 out of 5 stars. Please be aware that there are some scenes that go into detail on slave punishments (especially the one involving a rope and a foot). The Invention of Wings is a well-written and deeply moving novel. I will definitely be reading more books by Sue Monk Kidd.
I received a complimentary copy of The Invention of Wings from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-invention-of-wings.html
Sarah rebels by teaching Hetty to read. They get up to 100 words before they are discovered. Sarah no longer has access to the library and Hetty gets the whip. Hetty’s mother, Charlotte, is always pushing the boundaries. She steals small items (and usually no one notices), she found a way to sell her sewing work (since the missus would not give permission) and earn money, and is dallying with a free black man in town (when she is supposed to be buying material). Is she setting the right example for Hetty?
Sarah at one point gives her ownership of Hetty back to her parents. Hetty then becomes the assistant seamstress in the house and turns out to be even better than her mother. Sarah spends a lot of her time helping to raising Angelina or Nina. Sarah had requested to be the child’s godmother (which she got despite her mother’s misgivings). Sarah raises Nina in her image (strong, determined, rebellious, and very intelligent). When Sarah’s father becomes very ill, Sarah takes him up north to see a specialist (her mother wanted her out of the house). Sarah gets to experience a different way of life and likes it. After her father dies, Sarah delays returning home as long as she can.
When Sarah returns home, she is not happy. She finds her way to a Quaker settlement in the north (where she does not quite fit in). Sarah is determined to find a way for her voice to be heard. The book tells of how Sarah as well as Nina fight for abolishment of slavery as well as rights for women. We get to see how Hetty rebels in her own way as she grows up. The Invention of Wings is a complex novel, but very enjoyable. I was not sure I would like this book and I ended up riveted. I give The Invention of Wings 4.5 out of 5 stars. Please be aware that there are some scenes that go into detail on slave punishments (especially the one involving a rope and a foot). The Invention of Wings is a well-written and deeply moving novel. I will definitely be reading more books by Sue Monk Kidd.
I received a complimentary copy of The Invention of Wings from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.
http://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2015/07/the-invention-of-wings.html
annaeslane's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
mbenzz's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok. The writing was outstanding, and the character development was awesome...it's just the story itself was hard to read.
This was our October Book Club selection, so I absolutely would not have read this on my own. I liked it in the way one likes and appreciates a well-written book, but the subject was insanely depressing.
I did find some of the historical information to be fascinating. We lived in Charleston for 2 years and are moving back down there next year, so it was really neat to read about the city itself and different landmarks that I'm familiar with. The whole slavery aspect of this was very difficult to get through without me getting furious. I know it happened, and it was so, so wrong, but I don't like reading about it.
Not the worst book club selection I've read, but also not my favorite.
This was our October Book Club selection, so I absolutely would not have read this on my own. I liked it in the way one likes and appreciates a well-written book, but the subject was insanely depressing.
I did find some of the historical information to be fascinating. We lived in Charleston for 2 years and are moving back down there next year, so it was really neat to read about the city itself and different landmarks that I'm familiar with. The whole slavery aspect of this was very difficult to get through without me getting furious. I know it happened, and it was so, so wrong, but I don't like reading about it.
Not the worst book club selection I've read, but also not my favorite.
frostap's review against another edition
4.0
I legitimately enjoyed this book. I wasn't so keen on "The Secret Life of Bees," but this was 1. interesting 2. thought-provoking and 3. creative. I am sometimes hesitant to endorse historical approximations (this one follows Sarah Grimke, abolitionist), but I found this to be an engrossing read.
stephtherose_'s review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get through this because it's not my typical genre. Kidd's writing was eloquent and flowing and the way she switched perspectives was great! I have to admit I lost interest in this but I'm glad I powered though to get to the end.
atenelli's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
wynnslaughter's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
alyciajstewart's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
This book is truly heartbreaking. Reading about the experiences of slaves in the 1800s South was difficult. The author did an admiral job of bringing historical figures to life. I regret that I didn't know about the Grimke family until reading this novel. Clearly they played a very important role in history and I am grateful to now know more of their story. While this is a fictional account, it's clear that the author put a great deal of thought into keeping it as historically realistic as possible. The relationship between Sarah and Handful is well executed. They obviously have a very complicated relationship, but the author is still able to provide the depth needed for us to feel for both characters. Overall, this was a very well done novel and I found it both entertaining and educational. I listened to the book on audio, and I greatly appreciated that Sarah and Handful had different narrators. It definitely added to the overall experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Religious bigotry, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Racism, and Slavery
kerinl's review against another edition
2.0
I found it difficult to connect with this book. The book chronicles a fictional account of the Grimke sisters. The sisters born into slavery who became prominent abolitionists. The book also tells the story of Handful a slave given to Sarah Grimke on her 11th birthday. There have been several similar books released and the past few years and I am tired of the subject. This book was not original enough to keep me up nights reading.