The Kitchen House in Crazy Challenge Connection

May 02, 2016 Book Concierge rated it liked it

Shelves: 19th-century, historical-fiction, audio, concierge, library, southern-lit, virginia

Audiobook narrated by Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin

Lavinia, her brother and parents emigrated from Ireland with hopes of a better life in America. But her parents die aboard ship, still owing the captain for their passage. As per the current law in 1791, Captain Pyke can indenture the children to pay off that debt. He sells the boy but brings Lavinia to his Virginia estate, where he turns the six-year-old over to Belle, his illegitimate black daughter, who runs the kitchen house. Slowly the fr Audiobook narrated by Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin

Lavinia, her brother and parents emigrated from Ireland with hopes of a better life in America. But her parents die aboard ship, still owing the captain for their passage. As per the current law in 1791, Captain Pyke can indenture the children to pay off that debt. He sells the boy but brings Lavinia to his Virginia estate, where he turns the six-year-old over to Belle, his illegitimate black daughter, who runs the kitchen house. Slowly the frightened child warms to her new family, as she learns to cook, clean, and serve food. Eventually she comes to be the main comfort of the Captain’s wife, who is addicted to laudanum, and spends much of her time in the “big house.”

I can certainly see why this has become so popular with book clubs. It has an interesting basic story line, some tension-filled scenes, and complex relationships between characters. However, it’s not the best-written book. Grissom tends to repeat herself in scene after scene, making me wonder when she’d finally get to the crucial scene she foreshadowed in the prologue. I felt the ending was rushed, wrapping up a complicated scenario a bit too neatly. Still, it held my attention and was a fairly quick read.

The story is told in alternating voices – Lavinia and Belle. Lavinia seems pretty slow to catch on to the realities of her situation, and more importantly the realities of her slave family’s lives. While the chapters narrated by Belle leave no doubt as to what is really happening. About half-way through I realized that Lavinia’s chapters are considerably longer than Belle’s, and when I looked at the text this became even more apparent.

Grissom based the novel on a small discovery she made when renovating an old Virginia plantation tavern. Many poor whites were so indentured, living and working among the slaves on the plantation until their debts were paid off. Some of them never gained their freedom.

Orlagh Cassidy (voicing Lavinia’s chapters) and Bahni Turpin (performing Belle’s) do a fine job on the audio book. They are both accomplished voice artists, with good pacing and an ability to differentiate the various characters.
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Aug 01, 2017 Carrie rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, 4-and-a-half-to-5-stars, slavery, multiple-points-of-view

4.5 stars!

Omg god this book made me feel so many emotions.

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Nov 14, 2010 Marla rated it liked it

Shelves: adult, historical-fiction, book-club, recommended-to-me, teleconference, book-about-books, zz-2014

3.5 stars (would've been 4 stars, if I liked the ending better) Book about an Irish girl, Lavinia, who becomes an indentured servant for a Virginia plantation after her parents died during the passage from Ireland. She works with the black slaves and they become her family.

Likes:
* Speaking to author was Kathleen Grissom
* Unique movie-like inspiration for story and characters
* Mama Mae and Papa George taking care of Lavinia as their own
* Wise words of Mama Mae
* Will Stephens, great overseer, good ...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Sue rated it liked it

Shelves: southern, audio-books, early-america

I thought the historical setting of the book was very good and it seemed true to the period. There were many period details that were interesting and for the most part, the characters were interesting. The story centers on Lavinia, an Irish indentured servant living on a Virginia plantation in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Lavinia lives and works with the house slaves and feels she is part of their family. Because she is just a young girl when she arrives, the slaves shelter her from s ...more

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Dec 01, 2019 Sarah rated it liked it · review of another edition

While I couldn't put the book down, I had to take away a full star in my overall rating, because I was continuously frustrated by how weak Lavinia was. I almost tossed the book across the room and refused to continue somewhere around the 3/4 mark, but I pushed on hoping that she would eventually do something. I understand a woman in her situation, especially at that time, would have been limited in her options; but it just annoyed me. ...more

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