The Invention of Wings - Softcover

Monk Kidd, Sue

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1472222180 ISBN 13: 9781472222183

Publisher: Tinder Press, 2014

Synopsis

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

THE INVENTION OF WINGS by Sue Monk Kidd was selected as an Oprah Book Club 2.0 pick on December 10, 2013.

From the celebrated author of the international bestseller The Secret Life of Bees comes an extraordinary novel about two exceptional women.

Sarah Grimké is the middle daughter. The one her mother calls difficult and her father calls remarkable. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, Hetty 'Handful' Grimké is taken from the slave quarters she shares with her mother, wrapped in lavender ribbons, and presented to Sarah as a gift. Sarah knows what she does next will unleash a world of trouble. She also knows that she cannot accept. And so, indeed, the trouble begins ...

A powerful, sweeping novel, inspired by real events, and set in the American Deep South in the nineteenth century, THE INVENTION OF WINGS evokes a world of shocking contrasts, of beauty and ugliness, of righteous people living daily with cruelty they fail to recognise; and celebrates the power of friendship and sisterhood against all the odds.

About this title

Review:

Praise for "The Invention of Wings"

"A remarkable novel that heightened my sense of what it meant to be a woman - slave or free. . .will resonate with anyone who has ever struggled to find her power and her voice. . .Sue Monk Kidd has written a conversation changer. It is impossible to read this book and not come away thinking differently about our status as women and about all the unsung heroines who played a role in getting us to where we are."--Oprah Winfrey, "O The Oprah Magazine"

"A searing historical novel. . .these two women's relationship with each other grows more complex while the culture shape-shifts around them. Their bold individual requests for independence are explored by Kidd in exquisitely nuanced language that makes this book a page turner in the most resonant and satisfying of ways."--"More"

"Kidd hits her stride and avoids sentimental revisionism with this historical novel about the relationship between a slave and the daughter of slave owners in antebellum Charleston...Kidd's portrait of white slave-owning southerners is all the more harrowing for showing them as morally complicated while she gives Handful the dignity of being not simply a victim, but a strong, imperfect woman." --"Kirkus Reviews"

"A moving portrait of two women inextricably linked by the horrors of slavery...Kidd is a master storyteller, and, with smooth and graceful prose, she immerses the reader in the lives of these fascinating women as they navigate religion, family drama, slave revolts, and the abolitionist movement." --"ALA Booklist"

"Monk's compelling work of historical fiction stands out from the rest because of its layers of imaginative details in the lives of actual abolitionists...This richly imagined narrative brings both black history and women's history to life." --"Library Journal"

Praise for "The Invention of Wings"
""
A remarkable novel that heightened my sense of what it meant to be a woman slave or free . . a conversation changer. Oprah Winfrey, "O, The Oprah Magazine"
Exhilarating. . .powerful. . .By humanizing these formidable women, The Invention of Wings furthers our essential understanding of what has happened among us as Americans and why it still matters. "The" "Washington Post"
A textured masterpiece, quietly yet powerfully poking our consciences and our consciousness . . . leaves us feeling uplifted and hopeful. NPR
A searing and soaring story of two women bound together as mistress and slave. "USA Today"
Kidd has managed to avoid both condescension and cliche, creating an unforgettable character in the slave Handful, the emotional core of her utterly engaging third novel. "The Boston Globe"
If this isn t an American classic-to-be, I don t know what is. . .this book is as close to perfect as any I ve ever read. "The Dallas Morning News"
A powerful story of rebellion and heroism. . .The remarkable courage and hope found in "The" "Invention of Wings" is a reminder that we all have those wings and tells us a lot more about how we got them. "The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
Kidd has done a marvelous job of capturing two special and vibrant voices. . . I can t recall reading a book about slavery that presented in such vivid and heartbreaking detail just what the daily life and labor felt like. "The Minneapolis Star Tribune"
A total revelation. . .the book is balanced by two extraordinary women: real-life abolitionist and feminist Sarah Grimke and the imagined handmaiden Handful, who nearly leaps off every page. Patrick Bass, "Essence""

Praise for The Invention of Wings

A remarkable novel that heightened my sense of what it meant to be a woman slave or free . . a conversation changer. Oprah Winfrey, O, The Oprah Magazine
Exhilarating. . .powerful. . .By humanizing these formidable women, The Invention of Wings furthers our essential understanding of what has happened among us as Americans and why it still matters. The Washington Post
A textured masterpiece, quietly yet powerfully poking our consciences and our consciousness . . . leaves us feeling uplifted and hopeful. NPR
A searing and soaring story of two women bound together as mistress and slave. USA Today
Kidd has managed to avoid both condescension and cliche, creating an unforgettable character in the slave Handful, the emotional core of her utterly engaging third novel. The Boston Globe
If this isn t an American classic-to-be, I don t know what is. . .this book is as close to perfect as any I ve ever read. The Dallas Morning News
A powerful story of rebellion and heroism. . .The remarkable courage and hope found in The Invention of Wings is a reminder that we all have those wings and tells us a lot more about how we got them. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Kidd has done a marvelous job of capturing two special and vibrant voices. . . I can t recall reading a book about slavery that presented in such vivid and heartbreaking detail just what the daily life and labor felt like. The Minneapolis Star Tribune
A total revelation. . .the book is balanced by two extraordinary women: real-life abolitionist and feminist Sarah Grimke and the imagined handmaiden Handful, who nearly leaps off every page. Patrick Bass, Essence"

Book Description:

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller from the author of THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES

About this edition

• Publisher: Tinder Press
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1472222180
• ISBN 13: 9781472222183
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 448