Reviews

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

katieproctorbooks's review against another edition

5.0

This book was a hard one to read because of the violence and abuse towards not only slaves on the plantation but also the women. That said, I think it was beautifully written and such an important read.

liziev's review against another edition

3.0

I wish GR let me do half stars - 3.5.

I often struggle with books that either have two timelines, or told from two characters, and this book is a good example of why.
Why not tell the entire story from Lavinia’s POV? Belle was almost an after thought. Pages and pages of Lavinia, barely one page of Belle, stating the obvious. Why not tell the story fully from one of their POV? Anyway, this is a pet peeve of mine, and would have given one extra star had this been executed better.
Well worth the read though, heartbreaking at every turn.

sharppointysticks's review against another edition

4.0

Work book club selection

Wow, if ever people needed to be honest with each other and stop assuming things!

camille_jmu's review against another edition

4.0

I wish I could give this book 4.5 starts instead of 4. I think the book was well written.... Great character development and world building. Since I live in Virginia, it's easy to visualize the places she mentions, like the plantations and the buildings in Williamsburg. I didn't like the end of the book that much. I was often sad or frustrated as some scenes did not seem realistic to me. Seems that everything that could possibly go wrong, did. However, you don't have to agree with every part of the story being told to enjoy the book. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, as this was one of my favorites. It is certainly my most enjoyable read this year.

eehenry4's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

elysahenegar's review against another edition

4.0

This book is so captivating! I felt so much affection for Grissom's characters and felt so much investment in their lives that I didn't want to put this down! Some of the things that happen in this book are hard to read, but the novel offers a fair glance at a time in our history when enslaved people were brutally treated. The Kitchen House is such a great story! It's full of tragedy and heartache, but also warm with love and hope.

manicknitter's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring relaxing sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

readingontheprairie's review against another edition

4.0

While working my way through this book from both the POVs of Lavinia, a seven year old white orphan, and Belle, an enslaved woman that is the illegitimate daughter of the plantation owner, I felt the immense sadness, fear, hatred and heartbreak that radiated from within the pages. The horrors in this story are weaved together harmoniously with a strong and beautiful found family and because of that, my heart also felt a profound sense of love and hope.

This story is a nice balance of plot and character driven and by the end of the book I found myself extremely attached to the story and the characters-the character development was phenomenally done. As the story was concluding and loyalties were being put to the test while truths were being brought to light, I was on the edge of my seat, my stomach full of knots and my heart was feeling so many intense emotions. What a powerful and moving book!

As I said at the end of my review for Yellow Wife, stories like this are devastating, and it is hard to believe that this is a very real part of history. The author was inspired to write this story after finding an old map during the renovation of her own plantation tavern!

This story gives us a peak into a beautiful little found family within the confines of plantation life and the horrors that they endured, the dark secrets they kept, and the powerful love they shared. Although I will never even come close to understanding the fear and terror that comes along with living this way-if you could even call it “living”-I will continually educate myself on this time in history.

knitwgrace's review against another edition

4.0

Great historical fiction. Close to giving it five stars but it ended a bit abruptly for me.

dlbircher's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0