historical fiction

The Invention of Wings

/ Brienna / 2 Comments

If I hadn’t read and loved The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, I don’t know that I would have picked up The Invention of Wings. In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t even know this book existed. However, I am so so glad that I do.

Set in the early 1800s, the novel follows the Grimké family, a wealthy, slave-owning family in Charleston.  For her eleventh birthday, Sarah Grimké is given ownership of Hetty “Handful” Grimké, a ten-year-old slave.  Hetty is to be Sarah’s handmaiden, whether either of them like it or not.

Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid.

The novel alternates between Sarah’s point of view and Handful’s. Often, I find this kind of writing style to be poorly done and hard to follow, but not so in this case. I don’t think I was ever unsure of who’s POV it was at any time, and I felt each had their own voice.

This book provides a rich history and view of slavery and slave-owning families of the early 1800s. Personally, I often have found it hard to imagine what it would have been like to be alive during this time of America’s history, and The Invention of Wings has really allowed me to finally see.

To remain silent in the face of evil is itself a form of evil.

Would I have been as courageous as Sarah or her sister Nina? Or would I have been more like their mother or their sister Mary? I would hope I would be more like Sarah and Nina, and stand up for both myself and women’s rights as well as the cause of the abolitionists.

I mistakenly purchased the Oprah’s Kindle version of this book, and I highly recommend that you avoid it, if possible. Oprah’s notes are intrusive, and her commentary does not add one iota of value.

Before I read the novel, I had never heard of Sarah or Nina Grimké, or the Grimké family for that matter. As it turns out, this novel is based on and inspired by the real life events of Sarah and Nina Grimké. The author has taken creative liberties, including the invention of Handful Grimké, but points out in the author’s note places where she has stayed true to history and places where she has strayed from real events.

Be careful, you can get enslaved twice, once in your body and once in your mind.

This novel truly touched me, and it’s one of those books that I want to share with everything. If you liked The Secret Life of Bees or The Help, then I strongly encourage you to read The Invention of Wings.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Moloka’i

/ Brienna / 1 Comment

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert
My rating: 4/5

Historical fiction about lepers. Not exactly a book I would have chosen on my own, but this was last month’s selection for my book club. Surprisingly, I am actually very glad that I read this. Before reading this, I knew very little of Hawaiian history (other than it’s currently a US state), Moloka’i, or leprosy.

Moloka’i is set in the late 1800s to early 1900s and tells the story of Rachel, a young girl diagnosed with leprosy and banished from Oahu to Moloka’i. While the character of Rachel is fictional, many of the characters were real people or based on real people. Moloka’i, and Kalaupapa, the quarantined leper settlement are all real.

What struck me most about this novel is the idea of compassion. The nuns and religious folk in Kalaupapa risked their lives, spent years (or decades) away from their own family and loved ones, all to help aid those there against their own will. This is in stark contrast to the general public, officials, and even the families of many of the victims, who go to great lengths to pretend Kalaupapa doesn’t exist, to shun those there, to erase them from memory.

Heartbreaking, and yet heartwarming, this was not an easy book to read. There are detailed depictions of children suffering and dying from leprosy and many other painful parts.

Is what they did right? Did these people need to be quarantined? I believe that at the time, they made the best decision available based on the best facts available to them. However, quarantine should not equal prison, and should not equal neglect, abuse, mistreatment, etc. The people of Kalaupapa seemed to suffer all of those things and more.

Today, the disease is known as Hansen’s disease, to distinguish from biblical leprosy. It is considered a treatable disease, and while contagious, a person receiving or having completed treatment is considered free from active infection.

How would you react if someone you knew had Hansen’s disease? I am not sure what I would do, but I would hope to respond with compassion and kindness.

book review: The Beggar King (The Hangman’s Daughter, #3)

/ Brienna / 1 Comment

The Beggar King: A Hangman’s Daughter Tale  by Oliver Pötzsch

My rating:  4.5 / 5

The Beggar King  is the third installment in the Hangman’s Daughter series.  The series features a hangman, or executioner, as one of the three main characters.  Set in mid-17th century Bavaria, these novels combine the mystery of a detective thriller with well researched historical fiction.

The hangman, Jacob Kuisl, is the predominant lead character in the first of the series.  As the series progresses, the hangman’s daughter, Magdalena, and Simon, the town medicus (physician) , join him at the forefront.

These novels aren’t for everyone.  If you don’t like detective or mystery novels, you probably won’t enjoy these.  Likewise if you aren’t into historical fiction.  However, if a good well-written story and interesting characters is all you need, then you just might love this series.  I found that I enjoyed each subsequent novel more than the previous, mainly because the characters become more and more developed and the mysteries seemed to get more interesting.