The Invention of Wings in Bookmarks Subscribers

Mar 15, 2014 Doreen rated it really liked it

Shelves: personal-library

Covering the 35 years from 1803 to 1838, Handful (a.k.a. Hetty), a house slave for a wealthy Charleston family, and Sarah Grimk茅, a daughter of that elite family, tell their stories in alternating first-person chapters. On her eleventh birthday, Sarah is given Hetty as a present as her own waiting maid; her immediate reaction is to reject the gift, but she is told that her 鈥溾€檊uardianship is legal and binding [and] there is nothing to be done about it鈥欌€� (16). Her attempt to set Handful free is th Covering the 35 years from 1803 to 1838, Handful (a.k.a. Hetty), a house slave for a wealthy Charleston family, and Sarah Grimk茅, a daughter of that elite family, tell their stories in alternating first-person chapters. On her eleventh birthday, Sarah is given Hetty as a present as her own waiting maid; her immediate reaction is to reject the gift, but she is told that her 鈥溾€檊uardianship is legal and binding [and] there is nothing to be done about it鈥欌€� (16). Her attempt to set Handful free is thwarted as well. Slowly a type of friendship develops between the girls, Sarah even breaking the law by teaching Handful how to read. As the years pass, Handful becomes an expert seamstress under the tutelage of her mother, and Sarah very slowly develops into a prominent abolitionist and women鈥檚 rights pioneer. (This novel is a fictional imagining of the early life of a historical figure; Sarah Grimk茅 was a pioneer in speaking not just for emancipation but for racial and gender equality. Her work inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe.)

The author must be applauded for not forcing a 鈥渂est friends forever鈥� relationship on the two girls. Considering their circumstances, that would have been unbelievable. Handful explains, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know for sure whether Miss Sarah鈥檚 feelings came from love or guilt. I don鈥檛 know whether mine came from love or a need to be safe. She loved me and pitied me. And I loved her and used her. It was never a simple thing鈥� (54). As the novel鈥檚 title clearly suggests, what the two have in common is a desire for freedom. Obviously, Handful wants to be a free woman. Sarah, on the other hand, wants to be free of the constraints imposed on her by society; she wants to have a profession and to be able to speak her mind; Sarah describes herself as being 鈥渁fflicted with the worst female curse on earth, the need to mold myself to expectations鈥� (144). Over and over again, her aspirations are 鈥渓aid to rest in the Graveyard of Failed Hopes, an all-female establishment鈥� (88). Handful describes the role of a slave: 鈥淎 slave was supposed to be like the Holy Ghost 鈥� don鈥檛 see it, don鈥檛 hear it, but it鈥檚 always hovering round on ready鈥� (6). In many ways that is the way Sarah and all women of her class are expected to behave: to be quiet and subservient, hovering in the background until summoned by the men. Handful realizes that Sarah is as trapped as she is: 鈥淪he was trapped same as me, but she was trapped by her mind, by the minds of people around her, not by the law. . . . I tried to tell her that. I said, 鈥楳y body might be a slave, but not my mind. For you, it鈥檚 the other way round鈥欌€� (200 鈥� 201).

Handful and Sarah are also similar in their character traits. Sarah describes her sister as having 鈥渁 lively intellect and [showing] signs of being quite fearless鈥� (88), but the same description could be given to both her and Handful. Perhaps the trait that most stands out is their determination. Handful risks severe punishment by engaging in acts of rebellion. When faced with such punishment, she responds by telling her 鈥渂ackside to brace up鈥� (7). For Handful, blackbird wings, which she adopts from her mother鈥檚 stories and incorporates into her quilts, serve as a symbol for her desire for freedom. Her mantra becomes 鈥溾€橶e gonna leave here or die trying鈥欌€� (337). Sarah is equally defiant, rebelling against her parents and society even in the face of widespread approbation. Her speech impediment, a fitting symbol of her being silenced, does not stop her from expressing her beliefs: 鈥淚 told myself the affliction in my voice wouldn鈥檛 stop me, it would compel me. It would make me strong, for I would have to be strong鈥� (20). Sarah uses a sterling button, which she begins to wear prominently, to remind her of all her hopes and dreams. Her mantra is 鈥�If you must err, do so on the side of audacity鈥� (8).

Of the two stories, it is Handful鈥檚 that is stronger, and it is for perhaps this reason that she has the first and last chapters. Perhaps Sarah鈥檚 story is less compelling because she is not usually in physical danger whereas Handful鈥檚 life is in imminent danger several times. Sarah says that, 鈥淏eing an abolitionist could get you attacked right on the streets 鈥� heckled, flogged, stoned, killed鈥� (305 鈥� 306), but her safety doesn鈥檛 seem to be seriously threatened. She faces expulsion from a church and a city, and has a lot to lose in terms of social status, but she has money. At one point, Sarah realizes that her broken heart after a rejection is 鈥渕erely unfortunate鈥� when compared to a slave鈥檚 being apprehended by guards, a truly 鈥渢ragic鈥� event (141). That is perhaps the situation throughout; Sarah鈥檚 situation is much less dire than Handful鈥檚. Handful endures loss and sorrow on several levels whereas Sarah experiences, according to the flyleaf, 鈥渃rushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism.鈥� Of course, I do not mean to dismiss emotional suffering or to diminish what Sarah Grimk茅 accomplished; I can only admire what she achieved and stand in awe of her courage in standing up to men: 鈥溾€橬ow, sirs, kindly take your feet off our necks鈥� (334).

Despite her stronger story, it is not Handful who is the most memorable character but Charlotte, Handful鈥檚 mother. Handful learns to be shrewd, tough, and defiant from her mother whose understanding of the world 鈥渃ame from living on the scarce side of mercy鈥� (3). It is Charlotte who instills the desire for freedom in her daughter by telling her that her shoulder blades are the remnants of wings which will one day grow back. Sarah recognizes Charlotte鈥檚 keen intellect: 鈥淥f all the slaves Father owned, she struck me as the most intelligent, and perhaps the most dangerous鈥� (30). She is dangerous because she instills a pride in her daughter, telling her, 鈥溾€橧 is a 鈥榤arkable woman, and you is a 鈥榤arkable girl, and we ain鈥檛 never gon bow and scrape鈥欌€� (76) and 鈥溾€橝in鈥檛 nobody can write down in a book what you worth鈥欌€� (112). Charlotte wants to be remembered not as a slave but as someone who belonged 鈥溾€檛o nobody but herself鈥欌€� (304).

The use of two women from totally different backgrounds emphasizes that the lives of both slaves and wealthy white women were affected by 鈥渢he peculiar institution鈥� (144). Both the story based on a real person and that based on a fictional character can remind us that we all need to take wing.

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Apr 29, 2014 Michelle rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014-audio-books

I really wanted to love The Invention of Wings. I loved the idea of a book that described the infancy of the women's suffrage movement coupled with anti-slavery. The book is told from two points of view. Sarah Grimky, the daughter of a South Carolina plantation/slave owner and Handful a slave on the plantation.

The story itself garnered a 3 star rating from me. The book had a little too much "girly longing and pining away about a man" for my taste. That said, this portion of the book was minimal ...more

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May 07, 2014 Elle rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction

In the early 1800's, a rich white girl is given her own slave. The rich white girl doesn't want the slave and so the story begins with each chapter being told in turn by either the white girl, Sarah Grimke, or the Slave, Hetty (Handful). This was a book that I couldn't wait to pick up again.

If you enjoyed The Secret Life of Bees or The Help, I think you will enjoy this book. I also think it would make a wonderful book club discussion. I will be picking this for my book club ...more

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Dec 10, 2013 Kara Fitzjarrald rated it really liked it

I feel like this was a great rebound to the disappointment of The Mermaid Chair for me. Not as great as The Secret Life of Bees, which is a pretty high standard, but a good read none the less.

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Apr 24, 2015 Kathrina rated it really liked it

Shelves: american-fiction, ic-book-group

Better than I expected.

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Mar 10, 2014 Terri Fish rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favs

Loved it, loved it, loved it!! I have not enjoyed a book quite so much as this one for many months. Not only was the story engaging and well-told but the added bonus of the underlying true life stories made it even more impactful for me. When I turned the last page I did not want it to end! I will remember Sarah and Handful, Nina and the rest for a very long time.

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Mar 02, 2014 Mary Chambers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was so good that I couldn't put it down. I love books that switch back and forth between characters as this one does. I read it for my book club at the Bookery. ...more

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