Having no talent whatsoever in writing, for some reason, I am frequently attracted to first-time authors. I am always amazed at how they come up with ideas and the ability to express them. In my opinion, The Kitchen House is one of the best debut novels I have read in recent years. This was a page-turner for me from the beginning. It doesn’t quite reach a 5, but it gets a strong 4.

The setting and theme of the South in this period, and the lives of slaves and an indentured servant were well-developed and gave me a small taste of what it may have been like. (I don't think anyone can really know this without having walked in their shoes!) I especially appreciated being a mouse in the corner of their kitchen house to observe them as a loving family, as opposed to many novels depicting only the harshness they had to face; although, there was plenty of that, too!

I had a terrible time in the beginning following the relationship of so many characters, but once I got used to this, I was fascinated by each one - the good and the bad. I admit that I favor "happy ending" stories, but there was no way this one could not have had tragedies in it and still be true-to-life. Some reviewers have complained about not enough closure to the lives of some of the main characters, but to me, it has “sequel” written all over it, and even if not, I felt it ended with some hope. I will be looking for more books from Kathleen Grissom!