The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk KiddMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great book based on real women, Sara's and Nina Grimke. Although Nina gains more notoriety in real life, Sarah is the older sister and the protagonist. Told in alternate voices of Sarah then a slave named Hetty, the two protagonists lives divirge in their twenties. Betty's story is mostly fictional, although she did exist. The author contrasts the two women and their caged struggles toward freedom. Sarah's are largely societal but also self imposed. Hetty or Handful is a family slave who is, at times, treated brutally. Very well written book.
2 comments:
Happy New Year!
Ruty@Reading...Dreaming
In spite of all the wonderful reviews of THE INVENTION OF WINGS, for me, it got off to a bad start. Although this is a story that involves two historical characters, the sisters you mention, the author chose to devote half of the book to the childhoods of one of the sisters and her slave. I prefer books that grab me and won't let go. This didn't.
Sue Monk Kidd wrote an interesting Afterward in which she explains what is fact and what is fiction. For example, the story of Handful, the slave, was NOT based on an actual person. A slave of that name existed, yes, but that's all.
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