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I picked up this paperback at a Scholastic Warehouse sale last year. The only thing I knew about the book was that it was an Oprah-endorsed book club favorite a couple of years ago. I now understand the praise. I was most impressed by how the author was able to weave a realistic tale based on realistic facts about abolitionist and member of the the women's suffrage movement Sarah Grimke. It's an excellent read and book club selection.
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Historical fiction which tells the stories of Sarah Grimke, who was a real abolitionist and feminist, and her slave Handful. the story is told in alternating chapters from Sarah and Handful. I found the story interesting at the beginning when the two were kids. After they grow up and Sarah moves to Philadelphia the story lost some of its focus for me. I had never heard of Sarah and her sister Angelina before and I would like to read a nonfiction book about them. I listened to the audiobook and l
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This is a beautiful, tragic, and inspiring book. It goes back and forth between the story of Sarah Grimke, a real-life woman who was born to a wealthy judge and plantation owner and grew up to be one of the first and most famous female abolitionists and supporter of women’s rights. The other main character is Handful, a slave on the Grimke plantation. The treatment of the slaves is heartbreaking and even the squashing of Sarah’s aspirations is sad. I am grateful for women like Sarah who helped p
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This is a good book and the real-life Grimke sisters are fascinating historical women that more should be written about. However, I feel like the author tried to bite off more than she could chew with this particular tale. Too many characters over too long a timespan. It felt flat and like a Lifetime movie too often and I just wanted it to end.

Sep 10, 2014
Christy
marked it as to-read

Mar 30, 2015
Megan
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Apr 09, 2015
Karyl
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Sep 22, 2015
Felicia follum
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Feb 23, 2016
Tanya
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May 11, 2017
Sara
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May 22, 2017
Anika
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Jul 25, 2018
Brenda
marked it as to-read

Aug 28, 2018
Carolyn
marked it as to-read