Lucky me! I just finished reading a book that goes into my "Top 20 Favorite Books" list. I'm sad to leave the characters of Sarah Grimke, Hettie, Nina Grimke and Charlotte who inhabit the pages of The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. Sarah and Hettie are the two main characters and both are based on actual women who lived in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1800's. This historical fiction is told by Sarah and Hettie as they take turns telling their sides of the story over a 30 year period of time. They become close after Sarah's 11th birthday when she is given Hettie as her personal slave. Sarah doesn't want a slave. She doesn't believe in slavery. Hettie may be the slave of the story but Sarah is also trapped into a situation she can't seem to escape. Both Sarah and Hettie struggle to escape their bonds. The author bases the story on historical research. And this fiction gives me a better picture of the civil war and the rip that slavery tore into the social fabric of the time. The description of some of the slave punishments made me very sad when I read them. ِAnd the descriptions of the human spirit and passions was inspiring. I enjoyed every minute of this book.
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