Nicole Z. (nic03red) reviewed on 7/4/2013 + 38 more book reviews

Lavinia is a young, orphaned white girl who becomes an indentured servant to a rich white family on a plantation in Virginia. She is sent to work in the kitchen house with the slaves, who care for her like family, although her skin color sets her apart. As she grows, she struggles to find her place in the world of black and white.

A very good book. I could not put this book down. I loved the familial relationships between the slaves in the big house and kitchen house. I loved how they took in Lavinia and treated her as their own. I also liked how the book switched off narrative between Lavinia (the white indentured servant) and Belle (the black slave). It was interesting to get the two different perspectives. I read some reviews that said they hated the book because it lacked character development. I don't really agree with that statement. I fell in love with some of the characters. Could the author have had more character development? Yes, but i don't think it was lacking in that it made the book awful to read. I also liked that there was a little bit of romance to the book, but it wasn't too mushy or overwhelming. This is Grissom's first novel; I would definitely read more of her work and would recommend this book.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details