HISTORICAL FICTION DISCUSSION GROUP: THE KITCHEN HOUSE

DO YOU LIKE HISTORICAL FICTION?

THE KITCHEN HOUSE BY KATHLEEN GRISSOM

All registered participants will receive a free copy of the book. (until supplies run out)  To register, come in person to the Reference Desk and pick up your free book.  Or you can call in advance.  Refreshments provided by the library.

                        This incredibly gripping and spellbinding novel is an engrossing saga about a young, white, Irish orphan who arrives at a Southern plantation in the late 1700’s and is placed under the care and supervision of the slaves of the kitchen house.

                        The detailed and rich story follows this young girl, Lavinia, from childhood into adulthood and examines both the bonds and redefinition of “family.”  Shattering experiences of fear, despair, and unimaginable cruelty are melded with displays of inner-strength and formidable love.  The women in the novel, albeit constricted by the societal norms of the times, illustrate a tenacity that is both forthright and impressive.

                        Infidelity, brutal racism, hypocrisy, rape, alcoholism, sexual abuse of a child, murder, mental illness, and drug addiction are just some of the devastating traumas that the characters must battle and hopefully overcome. This riveting page-turner builds to a climax involving a hastily planned escape that will have you on the edge of your seat.