I’m a new Sue Monk Kidd reader and,
based on The Invention of Wings, I’m
impressed. Kidd has taken the story of
two sisters who fought for Abolition and women’s rights in the early 19th
century and turned it into an engaging novel.
At stake are two key issues. Can you turn non-fiction into gripping
fiction? And, can you address hot button
topics in a sensitive and engaging way?
Kidd does an excellent job at both.
Kidd takes us into the structured
society that is early 19th century Charleston and introduces us to
two strong-minded women. She then runs a
parallel story about a slave girl the same age as one of the sisters and her rebellious
mother. They all pay a brutal price for
being smart and wanting more than society dictates is their due.
Sarah, the older sister is given
Handful, as her maid on her 11th birthday. Not believing in slavery, she tries to
emancipate her only to be rebuffed.
Hoping to be a lawyer, she’s crushed when her brother is allowed to
pursue that ambition but she is denied.
Upon being caught teaching Handful to read, she is no longer allowed
access to books forward, a crushing blow to an active mind.
When her younger sister, Angelina, is
born Sarah becomes her godmother and there the story turns. The women find their voices and freedom
together, denying society’s constraints and paying a price in the process. They become famous abolitionists in the
process.
Handful finds freedom though her
mother dies broken.
Do we find ourselves alone or through
the influence of others? What keeps us
going when society denies us our voice? How can those with little voice dare to
speak out and be heard when so many forces want to keep them quiet?
I’ve been seeing this theme a lot
lately: women breaking out of their
shells. Personally, I find such stories
inspiring. And Kidd does a beautiful job
with her language, creating and embellishing a world. Yes, there are conflicts but the story
shines.
Great read.
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