She is a slave of their household and lives with her mother Charlotte at their ranch in Charleston, South Carolina. However, the Grimkés usually call her Hatty.

Handful is so named because of her small size at birth. Now, Handful knows the difference between legend and reality and is pretty sure this story is not true even so, she likes something about that is truthful in a much more profound way. It tells of African people who were able to fly once in the distant past but lost their wings the minute they had been taken to America. The novel opens with Handful recounting an African legend which gives substance to the metaphor in the title. Naturally, Sarah is one of the two protagonists of the novel the other is Hetty “Handful” Grimké, a slave of Grimké’s household and a maid of Sarah ever since her early years. The Invention of Wings is a fictionalized biography of Sarah Moore Grimké, together with her sister Angelina “Nina” Moore Grimké, the only known Southern white woman who took part in the abolition movement. The Mermaid Chair won her the 2005 Quill Award for General Fiction, and The Invention of Wings (Kidd’s last novel so far) was selected for Oprah Book Club 2.0. The book – just like the film of the same name it inspired – was a tremendous success. In 2002, she published her first novel, The Secret Life of Bees. Sue Monk Kidd is a bestselling American writer.īorn in Sylvester, she worked as a Registered Nurse at the Medical College of Georgia before Thomas Merton’s works inspired her to write three spiritual memoirs: God’s Joyful Surprise, When the Heart Waits, and The Dance of the Dissident Daughter. Those who don’t want to – really should and this inspiring novel of hope and daring is an excellent place to start as any. Who Should Read “The Invention of Wings”? And Why?įeaturing a host of real-life characters (Sarah and Angelina Grimké, Denmark Vesey, Theodore Weld…) and two hauntingly original creations (the slaves Handful and Charlotte), The Invention of Wings should interest anyone who wants to learn something more about the abolitionist movement. Then you must – absolutely must – read this book.

From the author of The Secret Lives of Bees, here comes a novel chronicling the lives of two exceptional women: Sarah Moore and Angelina Emily Grimké.

The invention of wings author