Hetty "Handful" Grimké, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimké household. The Grimké's daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. Over the next thirty-five years, both women strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other's destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women's rights movements.
This story follows Hetty, a young slave, and Sarah, from a wealthy family, starting on Sarah's 11th birthday, when she is given ownership of Hetty, through the next 35 years of their lives. The plot contains sexual situations and graphic violence.
Hetty "Handful" Grimké, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimké household. The Grimké's daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. Over the next thirty-five years, both women strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other's destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women's rights movements.
This story follows Hetty, a young slave, and Sarah, from a wealthy family, starting on Sarah's 11th birthday, when she is given ownership of Hetty, through the next 35 years of their lives. The plot contains sexual situations and graphic violence.
Add to your library to track progress and write reviews
Add to your library to track progress and write reviews
Find The Invention of Wings Sue Monk Kidd in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Find The Invention of Wings Sue Monk Kidd in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
2 books in catalog
Historical fiction exploring intersectional faith, racial injustice, and female self-discovery in the American South has reached millions of readers worldwide through acclaimed bestsellers. American author Sue Monk Kidd came to prominence with her debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, which spent more than one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, was translated into thirty-six languages, and was adapted into both a feature film and a stage musical. Her expansive body of work blends rich historical detail with intimate spiritual and narrative depth.
Born in Albany, Georgia, on August 12, 1948, and raised in the town of Sylvester in Worth County, Sue Monk Kidd grew up listening to stories told by her father and the African American women who worked in her family's home, while also drawing inspiration from writers like Henry David Thoreau and Kate Chopin. After graduating from Texas Christian University in 1970 with a degree in nursing, she spent her twenties working as a pediatric nurse and nursing instructor at the Medical College of Georgia. She married Sanford Kidd, with whom she had two children, Bob and Ann. In her forties, she shifted her focus toward creative writing, taking courses at Emory University and Anderson College and attending writers' conferences at Sewanee and Bread Loaf. She initially published spiritual memoirs, including The Dance of the Dissident Daughter and Traveling with Pomegranates, before turning to fiction. Over her career, she received the South Carolina Fellowship in Literature, was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2011, received an honorary doctor of letters from Texas Christian University in 2016, and was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2022.
Kidd's historical novels frequently deal with central themes of race, feminism, and religion, examining how women navigate societal constraints, personal grief, and spiritual awakenings. Set against deeply rendered Southern landscapes or key historical moments, her narrative style combines rigorous research with an emphasis on human connection, belonging, and moral courage. Whether probing early nineteenth-century abolitionist movements or mid-twentieth-century racial tension, her writing highlights women seeking agency and purpose within traditional social structures.
2 books in catalog
Historical fiction exploring intersectional faith, racial injustice, and female self-discovery in the American South has reached millions of readers worldwide through acclaimed bestsellers. American author Sue Monk Kidd came to prominence with her debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, which spent more than one hundred weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, was translated into thirty-six languages, and was adapted into both a feature film and a stage musical. Her expansive body of work blends rich historical detail with intimate spiritual and narrative depth.
Born in Albany, Georgia, on August 12, 1948, and raised in the town of Sylvester in Worth County, Sue Monk Kidd grew up listening to stories told by her father and the African American women who worked in her family's home, while also drawing inspiration from writers like Henry David Thoreau and Kate Chopin. After graduating from Texas Christian University in 1970 with a degree in nursing, she spent her twenties working as a pediatric nurse and nursing instructor at the Medical College of Georgia. She married Sanford Kidd, with whom she had two children, Bob and Ann. In her forties, she shifted her focus toward creative writing, taking courses at Emory University and Anderson College and attending writers' conferences at Sewanee and Bread Loaf. She initially published spiritual memoirs, including The Dance of the Dissident Daughter and Traveling with Pomegranates, before turning to fiction. Over her career, she received the South Carolina Fellowship in Literature, was inducted into the South Carolina Academy of Authors in 2011, received an honorary doctor of letters from Texas Christian University in 2016, and was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame in 2022.
Kidd's historical novels frequently deal with central themes of race, feminism, and religion, examining how women navigate societal constraints, personal grief, and spiritual awakenings. Set against deeply rendered Southern landscapes or key historical moments, her narrative style combines rigorous research with an emphasis on human connection, belonging, and moral courage. Whether probing early nineteenth-century abolitionist movements or mid-twentieth-century racial tension, her writing highlights women seeking agency and purpose within traditional social structures.
