The Kitchen House

by Kathleen Grissom

Book Overview

Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of the highly anticipated Glory Over Everything, established herself as a remarkable new talent with The Kitchen House, now a contemporary classic. In this gripping novel, a dark

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1439153663
• ISBN13: 9781439153666
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Atria Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Great story

Great story about a sad time in the United States. I really enjoyed the book.

Didn’t think I would like it

When I saw what the book was about I didn’t think I would like it however I did. It was a heart warming story. The ending was a little unbelievable but all in all I enjoyed the book.

an unexpected favorite!

Picked the book up on a wim since it was recommended for me and I couldn't put it down! You will fall in love with the characters and will never be bored as its plot is fast moving and never dull. A warm feeling book whilst also being a devastating one. An absolute must read.

Wonderful Historical Fiction

Couldn’t put it down. Sad at times but showed how people of different races can love each other with all their hearts and souls.

The Kitchen House

I never received this order.

Page turner for sure!

I couldn't stop reading this book. It was brilliant. It takes us back in time to an unfair world that is heartbreaking. You will not be able to put it down.

Wonderful story

All I’m going to say Is I loved this story. 5 stars!!!

Really good intense story

Lots of characters and suspense in this book. I enjoy historical fiction and this book delivered. Moving events and strong characters throughout. Very good selection

Humbled

I couldn't put this book down! I am humbled by the character's struggles and their strength!

If you loved this book you should read, "Glory Over Everything". It was worth the wait.....loved both of them.

A review.

At 17, I realize that I'm not the greatest authority on literary merit. My life has been short, relatively unlived, inexperienced. I spend most of my time living through the lives of fictional people on someone else's pages and I feel the uneven weight of the book in my hands. I read The Kitchen House and couldn't feel a thing that wasn't being felt by Belle and Lavinia. I saw only them, their world. And when it was all over, I felt that I might cry because the last page had turned but suddenly, it seemed like the room wasn't empty. As I read, all of them- Belle, Ben, Marshall even- had peeled their backs off the words to hover around me. And they haunted me for days, followed me everywhere. This novel is the kind that pulls in one as one person before spitting you back out wholly other. Maybe it's the raw, unabashed emotion, the unhindered heartache that claws into you, snags on that darkest part of you and intensifies it. Makes you regret your sins and rejoice in your loves. Either way, I felt what I've rarely felt- that my short life may have been slightly changed by The Kitchen House- or, really, the lives of those inside of it. That I had moved one inch, however miniscule, closer to that part of my bloodline, my heritage, which had remained so almost dreamlike in its distance, untouchable. Belle could be anyone's ancestor, Lavinia could be anyone's history. Yeah, that's it. I felt, I think, for the first time, really connected to a past I had only ever read about in text books. In 2 days, this novel revealed more than 12 years of U.S. History. And made it real, true, beautifully horrible in every ghostly- or ghastly- way. There really aren't words, though I've used a considerable amount, to describe the swell of emotions you feel while reading this. But I suppose that's where the beauty lies. In the ability of words on white pages to create from their inhumanity that rawest spectrum of feelings which mark us as truly human. The "O" of OSG, Olivia

Absolute charm!!!!!

I choose this book as it was a new release for the Kindle. The review sounded good and I always like to give debut authors a try. Loving my new Kindle and this book made it easy to read. I simply could not put it down. I was so deeply drawn to the characters that I felt myself feeling so much emotion. You can't help but feel happiness, sadness, revenge and yes cry with some of the characters. It really shows the amount of extensive reseach Ms.Grissom has done and transposed it into a beautiful story. Give yourself a treat and welcome Ms.Grissom by reading this delight. Can't wait to see what she brings us next.

Difficult to put down

Author Kathleen Grissom brings us a gripping tale of the South during the days of slavery. The story is told from two different perspectives: Belle, the mulatto daughter of plantation owner Captain Pyke, and Lavinia, a white girl from Ireland who is sent to work in the "kitchen house" with Belle and other "nigras." Belle, whose mother was a slave, was born on the plantation. Lavinia is an indentured servant whose parents came from Ireland on a boat owned by Captain Pyke. Both her parents die on the voyage, but she and her brother, Campbell, survive. While Campbell is sent to be a servant in another city, Lavinia goes to live on Pyke's plantation. Lavinia is only seven years old when her parents pass away. The experience is so traumatic that, for several months, she has no memory of the event. She is cared for partly by Belle and partly by Mama Mae, a black slave who is in charge of the female slaves. Even though Lavinia is white skinned, she develops a deep bond with the blacks on the plantation, going so far as to call them "her family." Captain Pyke is a busy merchant and spends much of his time away from home. He leaves the plantation in charge of his weak, sickly wife, Martha, and Mr. Rankin, the overseer who is hungry for power. When the Pykes' youngest daughter, Sally, dies, Martha is overcome with grief and turns to laudanum for comfort. Mr. Rankin sees this as an opportunity to run the place the way he sees fit, which is to say that he makes life miserable for everybody. Add in Mr. Waters, the male tutor who abuses the plantation owner's son, Marshall, and you have a recipe for disaster. Lavinia is only 11 years old when she meets Will Stephens, who is employed by the Captain. Although they are many years apart in age, Lavinia has a major crush on this much older man, and as she grows older, she realizes she loves him. Will falls in love with her, too, though she doesn't know it. Through a chain of miscommunications, they never have the chance to declare their love for each other until it is too late. Just before her 13th birthday, Captain Pyke dies. Lavinia is sent away from the plantation to live with Martha's sister, Sarah, and her husband in Williamsburg. For the most part, she is happy there, but she longs to go "back home" to Tall Oaks. She achieves her desires when she marries Marshall Pyke and becomes the mistress of the plantation. Unfortunately, her dreams for a peaceful life in her childhood "home" are shattered when the truth of her husband's drunkenness and marital infidelities are revealed. She is also faced with the reality of the clearly drawn line on the plantation between the whites and the blacks. As the new mistress, she is no longer permitted to call the slaves her family; they are simply her slaves now. Kathleen Grissom's first novel explores the well-known side of the dark world of slavery as well as the not-so-well-known world of white slavery, or indentured servitude. The book is written in a manner that is