WOW! Where do I even begin?! This book is so profoundly moving and at times it was hard to go on, since certain events were disturbing. But, it is a necessary read. The ending is one that will always stick with me. I discovered this book through a book club group that I am a part of. The subject of slavery has always fascinated me and when I learned this book is not only about a young slave woman named Belle, but also about an indentured, orphan Irish servant girl named Lavinia, that drew me in even more.
As the synopsis states,
"At the turn of the nineteenth century, young, white Lavinia, who was orphaned on her passage from Ireland, arrives as an indentured servant on a tobacco plantation in Virginia. Placed under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate black daughter, Lavinia learns to cook, clean, serve food, and cherish the quiet strength and love of her new family in the kitchen house.
In time, Lavinia is given work in the big house, caring for the master's opium-addicted wife and catering to his volatile son, and she finds herself perilously straddling two very different realities. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are questioned, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk."
One of the things I love most about this novel is the fact that each alternate chapter is told from the perspective of Belle and Lavinia. They each have their own distinct voice; it was almost as if I could hear them actually speaking. You can tell the author did her research on this difficult subject. She actually wrote that she got her inspiration to write this novel after fixing up a plantation tavern in southern Virginia. I was so touched by this novel that I just had to contact Kathleen via Goodreads, and to my surprise, she actually responded!
You really do get to grow with Lavinia, traveling through her years from when she first arrives on the plantation as a very shy and timid 7 year old, to when she becomes a brave adult. You also get to see how her relationship with not only Belle, but the rest of the slaves blossoms and how Lavinia really sees them as her family. After all, they are all she's ever really known. Since she was a young girl, Lavinia never understood the difference between white and black; she didn't see the division line between the two very different worlds. To her, the slaves were her family and it didn't matter what color they are. However, as she gets older, her eyes are soon opened up to just how different these worlds really are.
I love how you get the unique perspective of Belle and you really get connected to all of the characters, even the minor ones. A lot of times, other characters can become lost in the story where only the main characters stand out but in this novel, each character matters and you really become attached to all of them (well maybe not all of them.. no spoilers here!).
As hard as a read this may be at times, it is a very necessary one and it's no wonder it's a "book club favorite"! I highly recommend everyone should read this book at least once. Now, I'm off to read the sequel, Glory Over Everything.
Final rating: 5/5 stars.
Until next time bookworms,
xoxococonutlatte
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