The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom - Reviewed by Edee

I always think one of the signs of a great book is when you are thinking about the characters even when you aren't reading the book.  I would have read this book in one setting, if given the chance.  I found myself waking up at night wondering what was going to happen to all the interesting characters in The Kitchen House.  The story is told from alternating viewpoints of Lavinia, a 6 or 7 year old white indentured servant who is brought to Tall Oaks from Ireland and Belle, who runs the kitchen house for Tall Oaks.  Lavinia is given to Belle to assist in the kitchen house and Lavinia quickly is taken in by the other house servants Mama Mae, Papa George, Dory, Ben and six year old twins Fanny and Beattie.  The characters in this book are richly developed and their voices are very authentic.  While the storyline isn't always pleasant to read, it brings continued awareness to the plight of slaves and all that they endured.  I would recommend this book for anyone that enjoys historical fiction.