The Kitchen House: A Novel
Written by Kathleen Grissom
Narrated by Orlagh Cassidy and Bahni Turpin
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
Orphaned during her passage from Ireland, young, white Lavinia arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed, as an indentured servant, under the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate slave daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, and serve food, while guided by the quiet strength and love of her new family.
In time, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, caring for the master’s opium-addicted wife and befriending his dangerous yet protective son. She attempts to straddle the worlds of the kitchen and big house, but her skin color will forever set her apart from Belle and the other slaves.
Through the unique eyes of Lavinia and Belle, Grissom’s debut novel unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds.
Editor's Note
An emotional journey…
Grissom does a masterful job portraying the boundaries between slaves and those they served as seen through the eyes of a vulnerable child. An emotional journey spanning two decades of love, loss, injustice, and perseverance.
Kathleen Grissom
Born and raised in Saskatchewan, Kathleen Grissom is now happily rooted in south-side Virginia. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Kitchen House, Glory Over Everything, and Crow Mary. Find out more at KathleenGrissom.com.
Related to The Kitchen House
Related audiobooks
The Girls with No Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Necessary Lies: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ahab's Wife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glory over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Yellow Crocus Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mustard Seed Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Call Your Daughter Home Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Paper Wife: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Golden Poppies: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glovemaker's Daughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Orphan Collector Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Piece of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Undertaker's Assistant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forest of Vanishing Stars: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What She Left Behind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sister of Mine: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Lost Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5My Notorious Life: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Forgotten Home Child Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Moonshiner's Daughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Girl They Left Behind: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Winemaker's Wife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Edge of Lost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Second Life of Mirielle West Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dear Mrs. Bird Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girl In His Shadow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Life She Was Given Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Beekeeper's Promise Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Historical Fiction For You
All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reformatory: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tom Lake: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rose Code: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Lost Apothecary: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Outlander Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Perfume: The Story of a Murderer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Song of Achilles: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tattooist of Auschwitz: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Alice Network: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Lost Names Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5That Bonesetter Woman: the new feelgood novel from the author of The Smallest Man Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Weyward: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Huntress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House of Eve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5West with Giraffes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5News of the World: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Murder on the Orient Express: A Hercule Poirot Mystery: The Official Authorized Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neon Gods Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The River We Remember: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House Is on Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dragon Teeth: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All Quiet on the Western Front Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related categories
Reviews for The Kitchen House
591 ratings49 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Engaging from start to finish. An accurate and ugly story that portrays our darkest time in US history but, instead of leaving the reader empty and drained, leaves a sense of hope to the goodness and kindness of people of every color.
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I could hardly stop listening once I started! The story is at once haunting, devastating, and beautiful. Of all the historical fiction I have read and/or listened to, this sits among the top few!
2 people found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Very engaging. It starts off as a typical story of slavery, but it traces the life of an indentured white girl and her relationships with the black slaves. Not typical.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book. Gets you from the first page. Well drawn character and events. Loved it!
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exceptional narration. The first portion of the book was by far my favorite and the most detailed and heartfelt. The intimacy of the family life and life in the kitchen house had me riveted. As Lavinia matured the shorty wandered a bit and lost some of its power and less and less time was spent from Belle’s perspective. The story lost a lot of its focus and became a bit overly dramatic and cliche in many ways, but it’s still worth a listen. The ending itself felt rushed and as though the author wasn’t quite sure how to conclude things. I believe there’s a follow up novel.. which makes the last few sentences of this book seem a bit odd.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Excellent book!! I'm going to immediately start book two. Loved it.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything makes this story great! The story itself keeps the reader captivated. The two narrators are phenomenal and really help the reader visualize the characters and scenes. Truly an amazing story of love and tragedy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5One of the best books I have read in a long time
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great book with rich characters. I want a sequel, as there is so much left to tell!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book absolutely drew me in and captivated me. So well written!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beautifully written. The cruelty was real. The strength and love of a family (regardless of bloodline), binds.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A story that needed to be told!
Remarkable Awakening details - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I was captivated by this story, and found myself thinking about the characters even when not listening to the audiobook. Well written and well read. 5 stars indeed!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This book literally brought out every emotion I have as a human being. Both beautiful and painfully raw, it will definitely go down as one of my most favorites.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This story grabbed me from the first sentence. Touched my heart and soul
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Although I abhor the thought of slavery and all that goes with it, this is a well written book that gives insight into the daily lives of its characters. A must read ( or listen to) for anyone who is fascinated with historical fiction.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The time period was depicted so wonderfully. Very well written
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I couldn't put this book down. I was so emotional all the way through it, and the ending left me crying.
Very heart rending to think people had to endure that... how horrible. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was a great book but very sad to read
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Couldn't put it down! Incredible story. I would highly recommend it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Review of history forgotten! Could find yourself living this! ??
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a wonderful exploration of a dark and sinister soul of the experience of slavery . It be hooves us to explore our history if we are to continue on with knowledge and insight.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5So good
Historical riveting emotional great characters
Loved every minute of it - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An amazing story. Unbelievable how evil slave owners controlled n took away any goodness or hope from slaves. These slaves took care of each other. They created a village n proved it takes one to raise a child.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Not a book I would have typically picked but I was looking for something a little different when this was suggested. The characters were very “real” to me, the author did an amazing job.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wonderful, wonderful, book. So heavy, so emotional, so much pain between races & at the end of the day we are all the same.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Everything from the story to the narration/performance are absolutely stupendous. Not an easy story to digest but beautifully written and researched and one of the best performance/readings I've come across on any audio book. HIGHLY recommend if you are open to the subject matter.
p.s. be sure to listen all the way thru to the author's note chapter for further insight into the creation of the story. A compelling piece to better understand the author's perspective. Thankful she chose to include it. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5chilling. I had to listen to the end and couldn't stop, but it was difficult.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The narrators brought this gutwrenching novel to life. The story is the heart and soul of so many long ago.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Three children die just within the first one hundred and twenty pages......I just could not continue reading this book