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Summary
Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of the highly anticipated Glory Over Everything, established herself as a remarkable new talent with The Kitchen House, now a contemporary classic. In this gripping novel, a dark secret threatens to expose the best and worst in everyone tied to the estate at a thriving plantation in Virginia in the decades before the Civil War.
I really enjoyed the story of "The Kitchen House: A Novel." It made me reflect on the complicated dynamics between slaves and their masters during that time period. The brother's despicable actions towards a slave, even his own sister, and eventually killing someone, were truly shocking. It's important to remember that they still share a parent, despite the slave's status. However, I do wish the book delved deeper into the reasons behind his cruel behavior and explained why the captain was frequently absent. Despite these minor shortcomings, I found the book to be insightful and appreciated the detailed descriptions. The narrators did a fantastic job and truly brought the story to life. Overall, I found it to be a captivating and enjoyable book.
I really enjoyed reading 'The Kitchen House: A Novel'. The writing was top-notch, with beautiful descriptions that were vivid but not too excessively ornate. The book stayed true to its subject matter, which I appreciated.
The narrator did a fantastic job, and while the accent wasn't as "twangy" as I was anticipating, it was still fairly well executed. Being from that specific region myself, I might have expected a bit more twang. Nevertheless, it was an outstanding audiobook to listen to!
The white guys who were evil and constantly intoxicated were a major negative aspect of the story. It was a difficult period in history, but unfortunately, the plot lacked a fresh and unique twist. As a result, I couldn't bring myself to complete reading this novel.
I really regret not attempting to return it a mere 48 hours prior, but unfortunately, the one-year mark had already passed. Oh well, what can you do?
After seeing so many rave reviews on a historical fiction Facebook page, I was genuinely excited to dive into this book. However, my experience turned out to be quite disappointing. I dedicated around 3-4 hours listening to it.
On the positive side, the narration was top-notch. However, I simply couldn't immerse myself in the story or connect with the characters. It failed to captivate me in any way. Eventually, I threw in the towel and skipped to the final chapter just to find out how things wrapped up. All in all, this is not a book I would recommend.
I kinda wish the author had dialed back a bit on all the tragic stuff she included. It felt like every single chapter was just packed with sadness and pain. I mean, I get that people go through tough times, but this was like overload. There were nights where I couldn't even sleep after finishing a chapter because it hit me so hard.
I absolutely adored the dual perspective and the way the characters, particularly the slaves, were developed in the novel. It truly immersed me in their lives and relationships. However, I did find myself growing frustrated with Levinia, the main character. She was depicted as incredibly naive, helpless, impulsive, and clueless amidst all the events unfolding around her. I simply wished she had been a more cunning and resilient woman to counterbalance the harrowing events depicted. It was disheartening to see her continuously making poor choices without seemingly learning from them, which didn't quite align with her character. Additionally, Marshall and Rankin felt somewhat one-dimensional, which became tiresome, especially as their motivations were not adequately explored, leaving me wondering why Marshall transformed into such a monstrous figure. While the continuous depiction of horrifying events was likely true to the era, it did contribute to the overall melancholic tone of the book, despite the tender acts of kindness displayed by the characters towards each other.
On the bright side, the performance of the audiobook was excellent, despite occasional inconsistencies in the Irish accent. I particularly appreciated the author's ability to convey the spirits of the characters, as if they were directly sharing their story with her, capturing both its tenderness and violence. In fact, I believe this story would make for a captivating movie adaptation.
I can't decide on my star rating. Did I enjoy it? Well, kinda. The way the story is told and the way the characters are developed in that time period and setting is amazing and really appealed to me because I'm a history buff who loves historical fiction, Colonial Williamsburg, and learning about my own family history. Some parts of the story felt so real that I wondered if they were based on actual events, but at the same time, it also felt like watching a soap opera with all these complicated and unlikely relationships and heaps of drama.
Just when I thought things would finally start looking up for the characters, life would smack them down even harder. Plus, the author didn't really spend much time comforting the reader with glimpses of a happier life after the tragic ending.
There were just way too many negative aspects that persisted for an extended period of time. The level of boredom was off the charts. We're all familiar with the historical context, and yes, it was indeed a sorrowful tale. However, there was a noticeable absence of any glimmer of hope to keep one engaged. I reached a point where I couldn't bear to continue listening and ended up quickly going through the final two chapters, just to confirm if anything significant had been overlooked. It hadn't. On a positive note, the narration was top-notch! Hopefully, these talented performers will have the opportunity to lend their voices to more uplifting material in the future.
I can totally picture a movie that's even more epic than our all-time favorite Gone With The Wind. This tale had me completely hooked and eager to find out what would happen next.
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