The Invention of Wings

A really great novel. Easy to read yet very thought provoking. It's set in early 1800's USA and is based on the true story of the Grimké sisters who were abolitionists from a slave owning family. The characters are well portrayed with a white and a black protagonist each having a voice enabling us to see events from both sides. The story is well told: it hooked me in straight away and kept me turning the pages right the way through - it made me care what happened to each of the characters and I found myself cheering them on, willing their plans to succeed. Can't say whether they do or not, obviously. Highly recommended.

It was an awesome book and I would recommend it for anyone who has a book club or who just loves to read.

Thought-provoking, informative and with exquisite descriptions. An insight into the Deep South of America in the 1800s and the oppression of women. A beautiful novel with interesting characters colourfully brought to life.

I found the character of Sarah, based on the real-life abolitionist, to be very shallow- she eventually rises above her family and makes a 'real difference' but for the first 3/4 of the book she comes across as fickle, running from one place to another chasing a vocation that she may have found if she had stayed at home and borne witness to the horrors of her father's plantation. Helpful puts it best when she says something like 'white people want to tell you about everything'- Sarah seemed desperate for approval, thwarting herself rather than following through on what previously seemed to be her life's ambition. I enjoyed the relationship between Denmark and Charlotte, who drew strength from each other, and I cared much more for Sky than Nina. The ending is a bit unrealistic (spoilers- the journey north took about 5 days on a fast boat, how are Sky and Helpful going to stay unnoticed??) but I felt that it tied into the title and the folklore thread running through Charlotte's story with her quilts and the spirit tree.