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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.
morganelizzz's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
katykelly's review against another edition
5.0
Split story of slave and slave owner, this is based on the true story of a pioneer in emancipation and suffrage - Sarah Grimke. Raised in a Southern home, gifted a slave (complete with blue ribbon) on her 11th birthday, Sarah is never comfortable with the concept of slavery and rails against it every way she can, including teaching Handful to read.
Handful, also called Hetty, a fictionalised character, shows us the horrors of the slave trade, the inhumanity, hypocrisy, cruelty. Her mother Charlotte demonstrates what happens when a slave fights back.
The girls grow up together, and their different accounts of life mesh together to form a coherent picture of the period.
I found myself riveted each time the story changed hands - I didn't want to return to Handful when reading about Sarah and her struggles for freedom, then I wanted to stay with Handful when learning about the slave rebellion.
Only partway did I discover that Sarah Grimke was a real person, making this all the more fascinating. It's an incredible story.
I don't think this needs much more description - if you enjoy reading historical accounts of slavery (this can be violent, but not graphically so), this may be for you. It's uplifting as much as it can be upsetting, and the strong female characters will stay with you.
Handful, also called Hetty, a fictionalised character, shows us the horrors of the slave trade, the inhumanity, hypocrisy, cruelty. Her mother Charlotte demonstrates what happens when a slave fights back.
The girls grow up together, and their different accounts of life mesh together to form a coherent picture of the period.
I found myself riveted each time the story changed hands - I didn't want to return to Handful when reading about Sarah and her struggles for freedom, then I wanted to stay with Handful when learning about the slave rebellion.
Only partway did I discover that Sarah Grimke was a real person, making this all the more fascinating. It's an incredible story.
I don't think this needs much more description - if you enjoy reading historical accounts of slavery (this can be violent, but not graphically so), this may be for you. It's uplifting as much as it can be upsetting, and the strong female characters will stay with you.
kfajack27's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
jenny_hedberg's review against another edition
3.0
I'll just skip the part where I talk about what the book is about and why I chose to read it, firstly because any of the other reviews will be able to give you a good resumé of the book, and secondly because there are more important things at hand. That is, explaining why I was suprised to find that I actually liked and enjoyed reading this book.
I have to admit I was fairly sceptical when I started reading the novel. I wasn't that sure of what to expect - mainly because I was too lazy to flip the book over and read the dust cover again to see what the book was about. But it wasn't all laziness. I wanted to be unprejudiced and perhaps suprised when I finally figured out what the story was going to develop into. In the end, I certainly was. Reading about the stammering Sarah and her own personal slave I imagined a rosy tale of these two young girls growing up together and how they would break the shackles they were in. I am glad I was wrong, for the novel turned out to be a nuanced, and what I perceived to be a realistic, portrayal of Southern America, slavery, and the abolitionist movement.
Authors writing about historical events tend to get a bit engrossed in their research and get lost in the world of facts and real accounts. Therefore, I enjoyed reading about Monk Kidd's methods of using her research to inspire her writing and not dictate it (included in the back of book). The entries of Sarah Grimké's diary had been sewn into the prose and gave the novel authenticity without drawing away from the emotional anchor that a novel needs to have in its reader, something that can often happen when real events, writings, and accounts are used. Monk Kidd managed to avoid the dryness of non-fiction (being a bit harsh here on non-fiction but you have to admit that there's nothing to draw you into a book than a well-told story) by realising that a good historical novel should only aim to capture the emotions and the essence of the time. Having said that, I recommend reading this book, if not for the beautiful storytelling then for the confidence Monk Kidd shows in her interpretation of the Grimké sisters' lives.
I have to admit I was fairly sceptical when I started reading the novel. I wasn't that sure of what to expect - mainly because I was too lazy to flip the book over and read the dust cover again to see what the book was about. But it wasn't all laziness. I wanted to be unprejudiced and perhaps suprised when I finally figured out what the story was going to develop into. In the end, I certainly was. Reading about the stammering Sarah and her own personal slave I imagined a rosy tale of these two young girls growing up together and how they would break the shackles they were in. I am glad I was wrong, for the novel turned out to be a nuanced, and what I perceived to be a realistic, portrayal of Southern America, slavery, and the abolitionist movement.
Authors writing about historical events tend to get a bit engrossed in their research and get lost in the world of facts and real accounts. Therefore, I enjoyed reading about Monk Kidd's methods of using her research to inspire her writing and not dictate it (included in the back of book). The entries of Sarah Grimké's diary had been sewn into the prose and gave the novel authenticity without drawing away from the emotional anchor that a novel needs to have in its reader, something that can often happen when real events, writings, and accounts are used. Monk Kidd managed to avoid the dryness of non-fiction (being a bit harsh here on non-fiction but you have to admit that there's nothing to draw you into a book than a well-told story) by realising that a good historical novel should only aim to capture the emotions and the essence of the time. Having said that, I recommend reading this book, if not for the beautiful storytelling then for the confidence Monk Kidd shows in her interpretation of the Grimké sisters' lives.
katlizlove's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was a really good historical fiction. I love all of sue monk kidds books and am excited to read more in the future