A review by kendranicole28
The Kitchen Madonna by Rumer Godden, Carol Barker

3.5

Introverted nine-year-old Gregory and his precocious younger sister have not had much consistency in their lives. Nannies and housekeepers have come and gone, and their parents are too busy with their careers to pay them much attention. So Marta, with her steady ways and comforting Ukranian accent, provides welcome stability to their home. But when they realize Marta is unhappy and homesick for the icon that made her Ukranian kitchen feel like home, Gregory grows determined to provide her with a “good place” in their own London kitchen. Unfortunately such an icon is difficult to come by, and after scouting out numerous options, Gregory realizes it is up to him to create an icon for Marta. Thus begins a crafting mission that is as much adventure as creative outlet—an adventure that leads him to form new friendships, break out of his shell, and find new purpose and meaning for himself and his family.

This book was a really slow start and we had a hard time getting into the story. It picks up towards the end, and there are wonderful lessons about sacrifice, persistence, and ingenuity. The portrayal of Marta is a little dated (the was written in 1956, and this non-English speaking character from a very different background would be less of a prototype in a contemporary novel). But I enjoyed seeing Gregory’s character development, and the art aspects brought some interesting cultural discussions to our read-aloud experience.

This was not my favorite read-aloud of the year, but Charleston loved it and I did appreciate that it was something a little different from a lot of the books we have read this year.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars (Rounded down to 3 stars on Goodreads) // Charleston’s Rating: 5 Stars // Book Format: Print