The Invention of Wings

I was really excited to read this book as I had heard and read such great things about it. I would give it 3.5 stars if that were an option. The writing is beautiful, I found though that the story dragged at points. I also had a hard time with what seemed like current day values being imposed on history. It helped me to keep reading when I saw that Sarah was based on a real woman who was an abolitionist.

I didn't realize until the end of the book that it was based on real history. A compelling read that was hard for me to put down. I highly recommend this book!

Fantastic! This is Kidd's 3rd novel and her best. This is not just another book about slavery. It is the early 1800's in the Charleston and slavery is a way of life. Sarah is given her own slave, Handful, for ownership, as a birthday gift but Sarah has much different opinions on slavery than her parents and society. This is a story about Sarah & Handful over the next 35 years. They are strong, courageous women who face much hardship and sorrow. Their stories are beautifully woven together. I love how it is told in alternating point of views. It is also the story of sisters, Sarah and her younger, bold sister Nina and Handful and her sister Sky. One of my favorite quotes is from Handful to Sarah after Sarah returns from a trip to the North. "My body may be a slave, but not my mind. For you, it's the other way around." What I found really fascinating was that Sarah and her sister were real people from a family in Charleston. They were leading women in the fight against slavery and for racial equality as well. Be sure to read the author's note. :) Extremely well written and researched. I didn't like all the characters but they were well developed. Although Handful is a fictional character, she was inspiring, full of courage, determination, love and hope.

This book was fabulously written, with vivid and violent depictions of what slavery was like in Charleston prior to the Civil War. The characters and story haunted me and I couldn't put the book down. Sue Monk Kidd is a truly underrated author.

I grabbed this on a whim and honestly had no preconception of what the book was about. i really enjoyed the characters and the story. i didn't know until i reached the end that it was based on real sisters who were involved in the abolition movement. it must have been very hard coming from a prominent slave owning family in the south and standing up for the cause of not only freeing the slaves but equality.

I think i will be picking up some of the non fiction books recommended in the back of the book to learn more about the sisters.