This week I have chosen the category 'A book written by an author over 65'.
Book written by an author over age 65.
The Invention of Wings
by Sue Monk Kidd
(born August 12th 1948)
Publisher: Tinder Press
Publication date:7th January 2014
Pages: 373
Format read: paperback
Source: own read
Sarah Grimke is the middle daughter. The one her mother calls 'difficult' and her father calls 'remarkable'. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, Hetty 'Handful' Grimke is taken from the slave quarters she shares with her mother, wrapped in lavender ribbons, and presented to Sarah as a gift.
Sarah knows that what she does next will unleash a world of trouble. She also knows that she cannot accept control over another human's life as a birthday gift. And so, indeed, the trouble begins ...
A powerful, sweeping novel, inspired by real events, and set in the American Deep South of the early nineteenth century, THE INVENTION OF WINGS evokes a world of shocking contrasts, of beauty and ugliness, and of righteous people living daily with cruelty they fail to recognise. Above all, it celebrates the power of friendship and sisterhood against all the odds.
The
Invention of Wings is a fictionalised tale of Sarah & Angelina Gimke. Sue
Monk Kidd drew inspiration from the sisters real-life exploits, grafting
fiction into truth to tell their story.
These
two women were the first female abolition agents. Sarah was the first woman in
the United States to write a comprehensive feminist manifesto, and Angelina was
the first woman to speak before a legislative body. They not only paved the way
for the abolition of slavery but also made inroads into women’s rights.
There
was quite a lot of hype when The Invention of Wings was published and I’d read
a lot of glowing reviews with words like heart-breaking, powerful and
disturbing so I was expecting an emotional read. However I was quite
underwhelmed. The emotion was missing and the significant attention to the
development of the main characters pulled away from the main topic of the story;
the harsh treatment of slaves and their right to freedom. I felt a lot of the atrocities,
the fear, hunger, diseases, cold, brutal treatment and rape, were dulled down.
The
story is told from the point of view of Sarah Gimke and Handful, a young slave
girl, given to Sarah for her 11th birthday.
I
tried to put myself in Sarah’s shoes; a female from a white aristocratic
family. What would I do?
I
can never in anyway imagine myself in Handful’s shoes – being owned and having
no rights what-so-ever.
The
Invention of Wings was a solemn tale, a major part of American history. It is a
story of standing up for what you believe and speaking out, but ultimately a
story of hope.
🌟🌟🌟
My rating 3/5#BookBingo2019
Thanks for this review, gives me something to think on regarding this book. Great that you could match it to what is one of the more tricky bingo categories!
ReplyDeleteI did find the age one quite tricky. I spent a long time googling authors. I think I may have loved this more if I didn’t read so many reviews before hand. My expectations were high.
DeleteI've read Sue Monk Kidd before and enjoyed her work. That's too bad this was a letdown, the premise sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI think my expectations were too high. That happens sometimes.
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