Review - The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

When I was doing my IRISH WEEK recently, I ran across the book, "The Kitchen House" by Kathleen Grissom, and while not set in Ireland, the main character is Irish.  I was fascinated by this historical fiction and wanted to share it with you!

About the Book: (from GoodReads.com)

When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.
 
Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.
 
Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.

My Thoughts:

This is a powerful story that shows a side of slavery that is rarely mentioned - that there were white slaves as well as blacks before the Civil War. Lavinia is a courageous character, enduring unimaginable hardships, but she remains strong to the very end of the story. I highly recommend this book.


About The Author:

Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Kathleen Grissom is now happily rooted in south-side Virginia, where she and her husband live in the plantation tavern they renovated. The Kitchen House is her first novel. You can visit her website at http://www.kathleengrissom.com/.



This book is from my personal library.


CHALLENGE FULFILLMENT: 100+ Books; Where Are You Reading?; Southern Lit