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The Kitchen House

Kathleen Grissom

Discussion: North America

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North America

United States - Maude recommends Doc
By Maude · 4 posts · 8 views

last updated Jan 15, 2012 11:04PM

United States - Chel recommends Portnoy's Complaint
By Chel · 3 posts · 20 views

last updated Jan 11, 2012 08:29PM

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What Members Thought

Sep 20, 2011 Melissa Eisenmeier rated it liked it

Shelves: wishlist, historical-fiction

The Kitchen House is set in antebellum Virginia, and spans approximately a decade and a half to two decades. It’s about Lavinia, an Irish national who was brought to America as an indentured servant at 7 years old and served in the kitchen of a big plantation, and Belle, a slave at the plantation and the captain’s daughter.
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Mar 27, 2015 Sue Kozlowski rated it it was amazing

Shelves: made-into-movie, slavery, african-americans

I loved this book - I definitely lost some late night hours of sleep! It reminded me of Uncle Tom's Cabin. It really lets you into the lives of the slaves who lived and worked in the US. The way the personal lives of slaves were often torn apart was often very cruel - families or lovers were often split up at the whim of their owners. I was surprised by the amount of physical and emotional relationships between those of the main house and the 'kitchen house'. The 'kitchen house' was where the sl ...more

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Apr 02, 2012 Kiessa rated it it was amazing

The flawlessly written characters; realistic portrayal of dynamics of power, race and class; and vivid setting make this book one of the most memorable selections of this year's reading list. This page-turner inspires the range of emotions that every good book should - adoration, excitement, horror, grief and everything in between. In the end, the story was made even more special by learning about the author's own research. Those who enjoyed this book may also like another of my favorite recent ...more

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Sep 04, 2011 Ann rated it really liked it

This was a very good work of historical fiction. Set in the late 1700s and early 1800s, the story examines the life of a white Irish immigrant child whose parents died during the voyage to America and who was sold into endentured service on a tobacco plantation of the south. She grows up living among the black slaves, working in the kitchen house, learning that it takes more than the color of our skin to seperate us.

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