S
Sue Monk Kidd
Sue Monk Kidd is the author of the bestselling novel The Secret Life of Bees. Her books often explore themes of spiritual growth and female empowerment.
The Invention of Wings
Synopsis
In early nineteenth-century Charleston, Hetty "Handful" Grimke, an urban slave, yearns for a life beyond the confines of the wealthy Grimke household. Sarah Grimke, the family's daughter, chafes against the limits imposed on women, knowing she is meant for more. Their destinies intertwine when Sarah receives ten-year-old Handful as a handmaid on her eleventh birthday. This novel traces their remarkable thirty-five-year journey as they both strive for freedom and a voice, navigating a complex relationship marked by defiance and an uneasy love.
Loosely inspired by the real-life abolitionist Sarah Grimke, the novel moves between Hetty's and Sarah's alternating perspectives across three decades, tracing the growth of the American abolitionist and women's rights movements alongside the two women's parallel, unequal fights for autonomy.
Genres
Characters
Hetty "Handful" GrimkeProtagonist
An enslaved girl in the Grimke household who yearns for freedom.
Sarah GrimkeProtagonist
The Grimke family's daughter, constrained by the limits placed on women of her era.
Frequently asked questions
How much of the story is based on actual historical events?
The narrative is inspired by the lives of the real-life abolitionist sisters Sarah and Angelina Grimké, but the character of Hetty Handful is a fictional creation designed to provide a parallel perspective on the era. The author includes an afterword that explicitly distinguishes between the documented historical facts of the Grimké family and the imaginative elements added to the plot.
Does the author provide resources for further historical research?
The book concludes with an afterword from the author that includes a bibliography for readers who wish to explore the historical context of the abolitionist and feminist movements further.