From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees and the forthcoming novel The Book of Longings, a novel about two unforgettable American women.Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world.Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century … 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.
As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements.
Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better.
This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved.
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I truly enjoyed the book and did not want it to end but was very happy with the ending
Sue Monk Kid is a gifted wordsmith who creates compelling characters. This book, based upon history is enlightening.
Good background information about slave conditions and about anti-slavery movements before Emancipation, with characters from various situations.
It really is a well written book….but it kind of slogs along in places. The storyline is somewhat predictable.
Great book. Loved the characters and history of early attempts to abolish slavery in the U.S.
This book should be on everyone’s must read list. Enjoyed every page.
Was good.
An interesting read of the lives of two strong women whose lives intersected in childhood.
A very exciting book. Could not put it down. Sue Monk Kidd is an exceptional writer!
Awesome read.
Excellent!
Excellent!
Such a wonderful historical fiction. So much courage shown by the women in this story.
Good read
It was a good book. Could of had more information on the history of slavery in America. The story line was interesting. A life connected.
Excellent!
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Hard to put down.
Well written and well researched. It falls in the realm of fiction, but is based on some real people. Alive before the Civil War, the Grimke’ sisters were powerful voices against slavery, as well as advocates for women’s rights. The city of Charleston comes alive, as well as the heartbreak and longing for freedom of the enslaved in that time period.
IThe characters were wonderfully developed and engaging. Sue Monk Kidd is one of my favorite authors. the historical backdrop and sense of the Times was griping.
Wonderful book and so beautifully read!