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diannej's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
jemin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? Yes
3.75
pretty good but i dont think it emotionally affected me and i could see how the characters were meant to have personality but i thought they were slightly bland
lynnestokes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
fast-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? Yes
5.0
My favorite book in a while. Historical and gripping.
joaniesickler's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't realize til the end that it's based on real history. Was urged to read it. Didn't really want another slave/master story. It's much more than that. Extraordinary women, first feminists, and Southerners at that! Good.
bibi003's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating fictionalized account of the Grimke sisters, a powerful pair of feminist abolitionists, speakers, writers and teachers. Novels about slavery are always confronting to read, and so important. I listened to the audiobook version and it was really good. The story was engrossing and I learned a lot. The author's notes at the end were really interesting, too.
ionab46's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
stephaniesteen73's review against another edition
4.0
Set in early 1800s Charleston, this book portrays the "peculiar institution" of slavery and the beginning of the abolitionist movement. Memorable characters, although the story drags down a bit in the middle.
carlisajc's review against another edition
4.0
I have never been a history person. I can remember a date as well as anybody but I have a hard time connecting with the subject because I have a hard time connecting with a name in a book. Lately though, I’ve realized how beautiful historical fiction novels can be because they bring the reader straight into the history. You can feel empathy for the characters. You can see their personalities. You can understand where they might have been coming from and make your own opinions based on that. Historical novels, done well, can really be perspective-changing experiences.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is just that. It is a beautifully-written historical fiction novel that follows the life of the first public women abolitionist, Sarah Grimké and the slave that was given to her at the young age of eleven, Handful. The lives of these two women intertwine in a beautiful, literally life-changing way.
Review: It was beautifully-written and the character development was thorough. The story is organized with a chapter in the perspective of Sarah and then one in the perspective of Handful. This dual-perspective approach sometimes throws me off and makes me distrust the author (For example…Allegiant…I should really write a post about that series). In some books, it’s used as a (not-so-subtle) device that the author uses for bad plot development later. In this story, Kidd uses both perspectives beautifully and the story would have lacked substantially without it. The two character’s perspectives work together in a flawless way to help the reader understand that “white” didn’t always mean free and that “a slave” didn’t always mean completely imprisoned.
The one thing that I think could be better about this story would be if we were able to see a different perspective from the rest of Sarah’s family. We get enough of her sister Angelina (another famous woman abolitionist), but we only get one side of Sarah’s mother, older sister, and father. If I had been able to understand their thoughts better, if the characters had been a little rounder, the novel would have been even more complete.
Despite this, this is an amazing novel. It taught me a little about my nation’s history that I would never have known otherwise in a beautiful, inspiring, heart-breaking way. I give this five stars and would recommend it to all.
It is a story of finding a voice, of building your wings, so that you may stand up, speak out, and ultimately fly.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is just that. It is a beautifully-written historical fiction novel that follows the life of the first public women abolitionist, Sarah Grimké and the slave that was given to her at the young age of eleven, Handful. The lives of these two women intertwine in a beautiful, literally life-changing way.
Review: It was beautifully-written and the character development was thorough. The story is organized with a chapter in the perspective of Sarah and then one in the perspective of Handful. This dual-perspective approach sometimes throws me off and makes me distrust the author (For example…Allegiant…I should really write a post about that series). In some books, it’s used as a (not-so-subtle) device that the author uses for bad plot development later. In this story, Kidd uses both perspectives beautifully and the story would have lacked substantially without it. The two character’s perspectives work together in a flawless way to help the reader understand that “white” didn’t always mean free and that “a slave” didn’t always mean completely imprisoned.
The one thing that I think could be better about this story would be if we were able to see a different perspective from the rest of Sarah’s family. We get enough of her sister Angelina (another famous woman abolitionist), but we only get one side of Sarah’s mother, older sister, and father. If I had been able to understand their thoughts better, if the characters had been a little rounder, the novel would have been even more complete.
Despite this, this is an amazing novel. It taught me a little about my nation’s history that I would never have known otherwise in a beautiful, inspiring, heart-breaking way. I give this five stars and would recommend it to all.
It is a story of finding a voice, of building your wings, so that you may stand up, speak out, and ultimately fly.
fraseyy's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0