amazing first novel I rarely hand outfor a debut novel but this one certainly deserves it Author Kathleen Grissom's debut novel about slavery in the South in the late's early's is one of the best out this year This thought provoking look at life on a tobacco plantation in that era both shocks us and draws us into the souls of these compelling characters the white owners the black slaves and the little white girl who is brought in as an indentured servant with whom we experience her growth into womanhood Totally believable and thoroughly researched I have not read a novel this compelling in some time Told in the voice of two of the main characters it is easy to keep up with the story line Lavinia is the first voice the main character an Irish orphanedyear old girl brought in to live and work with the negroes in the Kitchen House At that time the kitchens actually were commonly in a separate house away from the main house When she is brought onto the plantation by the white owner she does not remember the trauma that orphaned her on a shipful of Irish immigrants She is shocked mute for some time The black servants become her family Belle one of the black slaves is the secondary narrator who becomes a mother figure to Lavinia and her story is typical as to what mulatto half white half black women had to deal with in that era as white owners took advantage of black women who sired children as a result Marshall the white son of the owners is a major character in this saga as well and as a reader you will struggle with your feelings of heartbreak pity and hatred for him as his character is formed throughout the novel His story alone will keep you up nights reading long after you intended to All of the characters are developed very well you will not easily forget them The historical background in Virginia of that era is depicted accurately I found it interesting that laudanum was generally an accepted and casual source of calming the nerves with the drops as they were called and opium addiction not un common even with the elite Certainly hoping for a seuel from Ms Grissom I will be first in line Do not miss this amazing work Highly recommended PS Update OctoberAuthor Grissom has advised me she is working on a seuel to this yay I had sorted this book as literature on my shelf well it is definitely not literature but cheap sensational stuff based on stereotypesWhile reading this book this is what I wroteI am not liking this book It feels like the books I read when I was a teen and had nothing good to read It is too much Too much sorrow and everything goes wrong Now she is going to make life changing decisions because of lack of communication If there is something I dislike it is that in booksI meant by that that you know a woman could have had a great live if not for a stupid misunderstanding Like in the cheap harleuinromance books here in The Netherlands they were are called bouuet reeks I now discover that indeed the publisher is harleuin where they never understand each other and because of that make dumb decisions and when they finally get together they tell each other they loved each other from the start After a whileI decided to uit reading which is something I hardly ever do I knew what was going to happen and I could not care less So disappointing Had this book on my wish list for ages Well I never throw books away and i can't bookcross it because it is an ebook So I will hit the delete book from device button From the Authors notes The only time the work came to a standstill was when the characters took me to an event or a place where I had not yet done my research I tried on a number of occasions to change some of the events those that I found profoundly disturbing but the story would stop when I did that so I forged ahead to write what was revealedAntebellum history has been covered numerous times and from numerous angles just like WWI and WWII history And yet no matter how many times we hear these stories there are always new ones to listen to and allow room for in
our minds and hearts Stories that people have passed on in their families for years and stories that are documented in museums and librariesThe Kitchen House is one of those stories and I discovered many things I did not know within these pages even though I have read many books on the time period over decades of reading That is one facet where this book shinesAnother bright facet is the writing itself I could feel the heartbeat of this story through the writing and that is a rare gift for this reader The pace was crisp throughout there were no lags and not one moment where I did not feel I was breathing the same air and feeling the same hot sun as the characters in this bookThe characters are very real and even when they made some bad choices I could see why and understand even as I felt their pain and wished they could have foreseen what was ahead The plot and story line were absorbing and it was hard to put this book downThe synopsis of this book is accurate so if it appeals to you you will love this book There is far in the book than the synopsis covers of course including some terrible tragedies but also some triumphant joys This book takes place between the years oftoin Virginia on a tobacco plantation near Williamsburg No matter how we look at it this was not an easy time for either people of color or for women Even children did not have an easy time of it regardless of their station in lifeParental responsibility for children was often handed off to tutors or to house servants If one was fortunate this worked out well If not the children suffered usually silently for fear of worse conseuences Similarly if field slaves had a good overseer their lives were happier and productive whereas a cruel andor conniving overseer created misery and suffering Abdication of the owners responsibility in favor of the overseer was common and again complaints were dealt with harshly or ignored In this story we read about many of those possible scenarios and others that made me feel pure gratitude for the life I have now in this time we live in despite our own difficultiesI recommend this book to anyone who enjoys very well written and extensively well researched historical fiction particularly covering antebellum history and the lives and lifestyles of that time.