The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

Summary:Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.

Condition: Pre-owned, good condition

My Personal Review: My book club enjoyed this book as a whole. We liked the historical background and how well the author researched. Handful and her mother story was hard to read and you really felt the pain. We had a few issues with Sarah’s character and plot line. I would recommend this book to a friend.