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    The House Girl: A Novel
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    The House Girl: A Novel
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    The House Girl: A Novel
    Ebook442 pages8 hours

    The House Girl: A Novel

    By Tara Conklin

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Two remarkable women, separated by more than a century, whose lives unexpectedly intertwine . . .

    2004: Lina Sparrow is an ambitious young lawyer working on a historic class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves.

    1852: Josephine is a seventeen-year-old house slave who tends to the mistress of a Virginia tobacco farm—an aspiring artist named Lu Anne Bell.

    It is through her father, renowned artist Oscar Sparrow, that Lina discovers a controversy rocking the art world: art historians now suspect that the revered paintings of Lu Anne Bell, an antebellum artist known for her humanizing portraits of the slaves who worked her Virginia tobacco farm, were actually the work of her house slave, Josephine.

    A descendant of Josephine's would be the perfect face for the lawsuit—if Lina can find one. But nothing is known about Josephine's fate following Lu Anne Bell's death in 1852. In piecing together Josephine's story, Lina embarks on a journey that will lead her to question her own life, including the full story of her mother's mysterious death twenty years before.

    Alternating between antebellum Virginia and modern-day New York, this searing tale of art and history, love and secrets explores what it means to repair a wrong, and asks whether truth can be more important than justice.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 12, 2013
    ISBN9780062207524
    Unavailable
    The House Girl: A Novel
    Author

    Tara Conklin

    Tara Conklin was born on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Last Romantics and The House Girl.  

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    Reviews for The House Girl

    4/5

    447 ratings61 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This is an interesting story combining history, art and the law. It is told in two narratives - Josephine, a 17 year-old house slave and modern day Lina, a young attorney. Gradually their stories intersect and the book becomes more interesting. However, I found Lina's story far more compelling as she searches for the 'perfect' plaintiff to be the face of a class lawsuit for slave reparations. I enjoyed the first few chapters of Josephine's story but then I found her story incomplete. She felt plastic and lacked emotion so I never really connected with her. The ending was also rather disappointing after having spent nearly a week following the lives of Lina and Josephine.
    • 4/5
      The House Girl is yet another novel that juxtaposes a contemporary story with a linked plotline from the past. It is a tricky balancing act for the author to ensure that both stories are of equal interest.Lina Sparrow is a first year litigation associate in a high-powered New York City law firm. Although 24 and attractive, she doesn’t have much of a personal life, since her law firm career demands so much of her time. She still lives with her father, Oscar, who is a well-known artist.Josephine Bell, seventeen in 1852 and serving as a house slave in Lynnhurst, Virginia, is also an artist. Her master, Missus Lu, sometimes allows her to paint with her in her studio. Now that Missus is feeling poorly, she even asks Josephine to help complete her own paintings, because her hand has become too unsteady.As the story opens, Lina’s “mentor partner” at Clifton & Harp, Daniel Oliphant III, pulls her into a big new case brought by a wealthy African American client, Ron Dresser. Dresser wants to sue for reparations on behalf of the ancestors of slaves, claiming that trillions of dollars in unpaid wages resulted in unjust enrichment for private companies benefiting from slave labor before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. Lina’s assignment is, per Dan, to “get ourselves a great lead plaintiff: "I want something stirring, a new angle, something compelling. And don’t forget photogenic – these people will be on TV, they’ll be in the papers, they’ll be giving interviews. We need some great people, Lina, some great stories.” The lawsuit provides an excuse for Lina to read about (and share with us) the history of slave exploitation of labor.Thanks to her artist dad, Lina discovers the slave Josephine as a potential source for a “colorful” angle, if only she can find a descendant. A series of very unlikely and improbable developments enable her to learn many details that not only advance her case, but also allow her to locate the perfect plaintiff. Everything gets wrapped up in the end, but not neatly, and even somewhat bizarrely. Discussion: In many ways Josephine’s story is infinitely more interesting than Lina’s, but I don’t have a sense of how historically realistic Josephine’s story may have been, nor how authentic her voice seems. On the other hand, Lina’s account of life in a top-ranked, competitive law firm rings very true. I laughed out loud at Lina’s comparison of law firm time to casino time, and at the way she thought of everything she did in six-minute intervals.But some of the coincidences and dei ex machina in the story strained credulity. And some of Lina’s actions seemed markedly inconsistent with her character portrayal. Most perplexing to me, however, was the lawsuit that formed the backbone of the story.I was surprised, maybe astounded even, that the lawsuit for reparations for unjust enrichment was defined as having an end point of 1865. In fact, prior to 1865, slavery was legal. After 1865, on the other hand, slavery continued in the South by surreptitious means, and it is then that companies truly could be culpable for unjust enrichment. [See, for example, the Pulitzer Prize winning book Slavery By Another Name by Douglas A. Blackmon who analyzes why blacks did not rise in American society after emancipation until the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Using extensive documentation, he demonstrates that long past the time of the Civil War, slavery was actually still alive and well in the South in all but name, with active support of the state and federal governments.]Evaluation: The intertwined stories of this book are definitely compelling, even if there are some plausibility issues, especially in the Lina sections of the book.
    • 4/5
      In 1852 17-year-old Josephine Bell made the decision that she would run north to escape her life as a slave at Bell Manor. Josephine’s day-to-day life was better than that of most slaves but that was only because of Missus LuAnn. Her Missus had secretly taught her to read and allowed Josephine to share LuAnn’s own love of painting. Despite all that, Josephine knew it was time to go. Master Bell was making it a little dangerous for Josephine to stay at Bell Manor. In 2004 New York City, Lina Sparrow hopes the new case she has been asked to work will be the one jump starts her law career and allows her to move away from clients whose names all end in LLC. She is to begin working on a precedent setting class action lawsuit worth millions in reparations for descendents of American slaves. As she begins her research in hopes of finding a living descendent willing to act as lead plaintiff, she stumbles upon Josephine’s story.

      I’m not sure if the writing tool has been around for a long time or if by happenstance I am just picking up more books using the method, but many authors lately are making use of the dual (sometimes triple) time line. For some it succeeds and for others, not so much. In House Girl it definitely adds to the story. I would have found either story fascinating as a stand alone whether it were Josephine’s or Lina’s, but Ms. Conklin weaves them together beautifully, allowing the reader to slowly see the parallels. I was interested enough to check out the two websites the author lists in her acknowledgements and can safely say House Girl is well researched historical fiction.
    • 4/5
      Skilled slaves were often hired out as craftsmen and women. We know this because their masters and mistresses earned money from their talents. But what about those artistic talents that didn't earn money? What about a highly talented landscape painter and portraitist? Would her work, unsigned by her of course, be attributed wrongly to the not nearly so talented but definitely white mistress of the house who liked to dabble with paint? In Tara Conklin's novel, The House Girl, this question of authorship and art coupled with the themes of family and belonging twine throughout the complex dual narrative plot. Lina Sparrow is a new lawyer. Raised by her charismatic artist father after her artist mother's death when she was small, she has worked hard to get where she is in life, juggling her own drive with taking care of her often times absent minded father. She is an up and coming star for her year at her very high powered law firm and she's just been asked to work on a slavery reparations class action lawsuit against the US government, provided she can find a suitable lead plaintiff to be the poster child for the suit. And this is the point where Lina's two lives, the controlled work life and the bohemian home life collide since she comes up with the idea for a lead plaintiff while at an exhibition with her father. She sees works by antebellum artist Lu Anne Bell who captured life on a southern plantation in her landscapes and portraits but it is the more and more generally accepted suggestion that Bell's best works were in actual fact painted by her house girl Josephine and claimed as Lu Anne's that is most interesting to Lina. And so she sets out to find out the truth about the paintings and if Josephine had any descendants who could possibly be the face of Lina's lawsuit. While Lina's search for Josephine's fate and family goes on in the modern day, the novel also tracks Josephine's life in the pre-war years. She is an accomplished artist but her talent must be sublimated to her duties to her very ill mistress. The master of the plantation is a cruel and hard man, breaking not only his slaves but also his wife. Lina resolves to flee the Lynnhurst plantation right from the opening chapter of the novel although it takes her a long time to acquire the knowledge and the resolve to follow through with her desire to be free. Her tale of slavery is not unusual but that doesn't make the telling any easier. The novel starts off exceedingly slowly and even though the reader knows that the parallel stories must converge, it took quite a while for Lina's search to line up with the goings on in Josephine's life, delaying the revelations that must come in the end. But eventually they did compliment each other better than in the beginning and worked to engage the reader. Josephine's life, although representative of so many slaves, was a fascinating one while Lina's life and work on the lawsuit was less interesting although her own search for the truth about her family as she searched for the truth about Josephine's possible descendants was an interesting parallel. The fact that Lina so easily finds what she is looking for though, where others have failed through the years, makes the ending to the novel unearned and although the trail of letters from both Dorothea and Caleb Harper concludes several plot threads quite tidily, both those instances were too deus ex machine and made for too easy and neat a conclusion. There are interesting themes in the novel, that of the personal and political connections to art, family and truth, the search for self, origins and provenance, and the complications of history to name just some and because of that the book is a good read if not a great one.
    • 5/5
      Josephine is a house girl, a slave in 1852 living with the Bells on a dying plantation with a dying mistress, and dreams of running away. In the present day, Lina Sparrow is a young litigation lawyer whose firm is representing a client suing for reparation against big name companies that profited from slavery in the 19th century.I didn't exactly know what to expect when I picked up this debut historical fiction novel for this month's book club book. I was quickly sucked into both Josephine and Lina's stories. In alternating chapters, the story investigates the nearly unimaginable long-term toll that slavery has taken on an entire nation, while illuminating the lives of these two women with their own heartaches. There is plenty for a book club to discuss, and Conklin's writing has a smooth style that makes for compelling reading. I could have used a little more development of secondary characters such as Lina's boss, her father, and the potential love interest that shows up, but overall I really enjoyed this thought-provoking, challenging read.
    • 4/5
      A well crafted novel filled with the history of Virginia. Lena, a present day lawyer seeking descendants for a reparation lawsuit, is the vehicle in which we discover Josephine a house slave in Virginia in the 1850s. Josephine story in itself is riveting. We witness the complex relationships of house slave and owner as Josephine cares for her dying mistress Lu and paints with her. Add Lena's present day stresses being in a huge law firm, her artist father and shadowed past and we have a novel filled with great character, great situations and a dynamic read.
    • 5/5
      Tara Conklin has written a wonderful book about a slave from Virginia and a lawyer in New York City, who was a kind of slave to her law firm. The book flips back and forth from 1853 to 2004. Josephine, the slave, was a house slave whose mistress taught her to read and write and allowed her access to art supplies. Her artwork survived although it was attributed to her mistress, Lu Anne Bell, who died in 1853. Carolina Sparrow (Lina) is an up-and-coming Caucasian lawyer at a large NYC firm who is assigned to work on a slave reparations lawsuit. She is the daughter of two artists although her mother died when Lina was four. Her father has painted a series of paintings featuring her mother, about whom he had refused to say much over the years. The book weaves these stories together pretty seamlessly and ends up as a spell binding read. Highly recommended! I could hardly put it down.
    • 4/5
      I'm not a fan of dual time-period novels. Many authors have to stretch to make the historical and present-day narratives mesh or add a fantasy element. Tara Conklin pulls off this trick with skill and finesse. I was fully invested in both her main characters: the artist-slave Josephine and the modern-day lawyer (salary slave?) Lina. Although, their stories parallel with missing mothers, unrealized potential, and overlap with mysteries, it's always obvious that Josephine's life is tragic and Lina deals with what we call "first-world problems." Both make life-changing choices, but Josephine's are visceral and dangerous.Conklin provides a well-paced poignant story with suspense, detailed settings, and interesting characters. My only complaint is a plot twist involving some too-convenient epistolary evidence which I can't explain without spoilers. A small complaint compared to the overall effort which brings us a wonderful tale addressing a difficult subject. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      The House Girl marks Tara Conklin's debut novel.The story is told in two narratives - that of Josephine a 17 yr old house slave in 1850's Virginia and Lina - a class action lawyer in 2004 New York.The opening chapter belonged to Josephine and I was immediately captivated. She is planning to run - and it won't be the first time. “Mister hit Josephine with the palm of his hand across her left cheek and it was then she knew she would run. She heard the whistle of the blow, felt the sting of skin against skin, her head spun and she was looking back over her right shoulder, down to the fields where the few men Mister had left were working the tobacco.” Lina's law firm is looking for the "perfect plaintiff" to be the 'face' of a lawsuit being brought, seeking reparations for descendants of American slaves. She stumbles across Josephine's name through her father's work. He is an artist and there is great controversy concerning who really painted a series of paintings attributed to Josephine's 'Missus' - Lu Anne Bell. Was it Lu Anne or was it the slave Josephine?Lina's narrative follows the search for the descendants and I found this part of the story extremely interesting. Lina is also going through her own personal difficulties - she has her own family issues that have been left untended for many years. I wanted to like Lina more than I did. Although she is a high powered lawyer, she is still a petulant child with her father. And given that she is highly intelligent and quite adept at research, I cannot believe that she never sought to confirm the details of her mother's life and death. By the middle of the book I found myself speed reading through her sections.It was Josephine's story that grabbed my heart and wouldn't let go. I know it's a fictionalization, but Conklin has based her novel on facts. Heartbreaking facts. Additional narrators are introduced through their letters - that of a slave doctor and a young woman whose home was a stop on the Underground Railroad. I enjoyed these sections very much as well. I chose to listen to The House Girl. The reader was Bahni Turpin. She was excellent - her interpretation of Josephine chillingly brought her story to life. The cadence and tone she used for Lina was completely different of course, but I found it matched what I thought of Lina - a bit whiny. The accents used for other characters - especially that of Lu Anne Bell were excellent and believable.This one is poised to be the darling of book clubs everywhere. There is a reading group guide. I did enjoy this debut effort, but there are other books dealing with slavery (and in a deeper manner) that I would recommend ahead of this title. Still, it was an entertaining listen.
    • 4/5
      The House Girl by Tara Conklin

      Challenges read for: Goodreads, EBook, Historical Fiction

      Book Cover: Simple, pretty, very much the way Josephine would be.

      This was a fabulous story, a story of a slave out of the tobacco fields in Virginia who wanted nothing more than to be free--at any cost. A brave girl who could tell us a story of plantation life as she saw it through drawing and painting. The story flows painlessly from present day to late 1840's. We meet Josephine, a house girl to Missus Lu on what had once been a large and prosperous tobacco plantation. The missus has given Josephine exposure to her own studio where Josephine can blossom into quite an accomplished artist. Tragedy occurs, both die in separate incidents and it is assumed that the paintings found were the accomplishments of the Missus. The buyers of the plantation showcase those works as those of Missus Lu. Enter present day and Lina, up and coming attorney in a large firm, slated for partner, who has a reparations suit dropped in her lap--her research brings her into Josephine's extraordinary short life and begins to reveal the truth--could those paintings truly be the work of Josephine? Beautifully woven story--although the core is Josephine, it is the story of Lina's own battles--guess you'll just have to read it for yourself!
    • 4/5
      Loved Josephine's part of the story, 1852 on a failing tobacco farm in Virgina, but Lina's in the present day, I did not find as enticing. The author did a very credible job in seamlessly weaving the past with the present, but the present day story was a bit of a cliche for me. Young lawyer, taking a case on reparations,ar times I felt a bit minupulated and preached to about this case, and the fact that the main litigant was of course an extremely good looking male. Josephine, who wanted to run away, despite knowing other slaves who had their ankles cut for attempting the same thing, was a very likable character. Lina, and her constant ruminating on billable hours, I think was meant as a reflection that she was a slave to her law firm, and only as valuable to them as the money she coud bill. Good first novel, brought up many interesting aspects of slavery and what our responsiblilty is to a past that we were not part of, will be good for discussion groups. ARC from publisher.
    • 5/5
      Great story, well written, couldn't put it down!
    • 3/5
      Alternating chapters tell the stories of two women. In 1853, Josephine Bell, a seventeen-year-old slave on a Virginian tobacco plantation, plans her escape to freedom. In New York in 2004, Lina Sparrow, a young attorney, is looking for a good lead plaintiff for a class action suit seeking reparation for the descendants of American slaves. The two stories intersect when Lina hears about a folk artist whose paintings are thought to actually be the work of her house girl Josephine. Lina sets out to do genealogical research to determine if Josephine had any descendants. Josephine’s story - her life and her fierce determination to escape from servitude as a house slave – is compelling. The reader cannot but feel sympathy for her circumstances. Unfortunately, the author’s decision to tell the last part of Josephine’s story using a witness’s letter distances the reader from her and lessens the emotional impact of the narrative. Lina’s story is much less interesting. The reparation case is really far-fetched, and her research is advanced by a series of coincidences that stretch credibility. Just as she seems to reach a dead end, a document lands in her lap which gives clues that have eluded numerous scholars. In the end a letter written by a peripheral character conveniently explains everything. Of course, this crucial document reaches her only at the last minute when an archivist has a change of heart. Lina is not a believable character. She is able to change the minds of the archivist and her candidate for lead plaintiff yet she is totally passive at work and lets her boss walk all over her? She works hard at searching for evidence of Josephine’s descendants, yet she knows virtually nothing about the death of her mother 20 years earlier. Never did she actually conduct a search into her mother though she was an aspiring artist who had received some publicity? The reader is expected to see parallels between Josephine and Lina’s determination, but Lina just comes across as flat next to the house girl. Lina is a naïve, sheltered and unfocused young woman, and her story is bland.The novel would work well as historical fiction if the focus had remained solely on Josephine and her story had been told directly without the inclusion of long missives from witnesses. Removing the Lina narrative would have eliminated most of the many coincidences and a weak character who does not inspire any emotional connection. The adding of the romance element in Lina’s chapters only added to the impression that the author was trying to write a commercial blockbuster which seems to necessitate such an element. This book has strengths but considerable weaknesses. It should have been subjected to considerable revision.
    • 4/5
      Tara Conklin intertwines the story of two women: Josephine Bell, a Virginia house slave who in 1853 is trying desperately to escape to freedom and Lina Sparrow, a New York attorney looking for a plaintiff to serve as "lead plaintiff" in a class action suit in 2004 to compel the payment of reparations for descendants of slaves. The story is hung together by the discovery of some artwork that is thought to have been painted by Josephine Bell although heretofore attributed to her owner. The slave story is by far the more compelling. We read of harsh treatment, unsuccessful escapes, and finally her "trip" on the Underground Railroad. The characters are well-drawn, believable, and the story hangs together beautifully. The reader is emotionally drawn into the life of Josephine, given insight into the extreme conditions slaves endured both in captivity in the south, and throughout the ordeal of the escapees.Lina's story on the other hand is a bit sparse. I found it difficult to relate to this young woman who seems to have no backbone in her job, whose researching skills are lacking and who seems to be on the receiving end of several fortuitous happenings. I couldn't quite figure out if the plaintiff she was pursuing was also meant to be a romantic interest, and I found the whole reparations story a wee stretch. The story of Josephine and her paintings carried the book. The platform of the reparations case was quite unsteady, and the ending really left me hanging.Overall, the book is still worth reading if for no other reason than for the clear picture of slave life and the hopelessness of their situation. Reparations may be called for. I just wish the author had made a better case for them, and found a more convincing plaintiff and built a more persuasive case.
    • 3/5
      Audiobook performed by Bahni Turpin

      In contemporary New York City, attorney Carolina Sparrow is working on an historic class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves. In 1852, Josephine is a house slave who tends to the mistress of a Virginia tobacco plantation; her mistress is the artist Lu Anne Bell. The two stories converge when Lina hears of a controversy rocking the art world: art historians now suspect that the paintings ascribed to Lu Anne Bell may really have been painted by her slave girl, Josephine. A descendant of Josephine would be the perfect “face” for the lawsuit – if Lina can find one.

      I enjoy reading historical fiction set during this period in America. I almost always learn some interesting tidbit of information, and this book was no exception. I loved the sections of the book dealing with Josephine and her struggles. But Conklin alternates chapters and keeps coming back to Lina Sparrow and her efforts to come to grips with her mother’s death and her father’s refusal to talk about her mother. I thought the present-day story weakened the impact of Josephine’s story. Added to that was the fact the despite drawing the reader into the story, it ends rather abruptly with no clear conclusion. Yes, I understand that is the reality of many such personal histories, but this is fiction and I wanted a better ending.

      Bahni Turpin does a fine job narrating the audio book. She has good pacing and I had no trouble differentiating the characters, despite the many shifts in perspective.
    • 4/5
      I loved the historical stories of Josephine and Dorothea, Lina’s story I could have done without after all her talking about time by billable hours got really boring, then after her trip to Richmond and she got the important letter that she says on the plane she had a hard time not tearing it open then she gets home goes out and gets drunk with Jasper goes to work the next day and still hasn’t opened it?? What?? You would think that would have been the first thing she did before going out. I didn’t like Lina and her story (or her mother’s story) was so predictable, well it was one of three options *no spoilers* and sure enough it was one of those that I had guessed Very early on in her story.I think this would have been a better book without the reparations story, if the modern story had just been the case of the art authentication it would have tied the story together better, I will admit to just scanning through Lina’s story in the last 100 pages or so I just wanted to get back to Josephine. Josephine’s story was great we got to know her and knew her relationship with her Missus and we as a reader knew the truth about the art because the author gave us a detailed look at Josephine’s life. I also liked Dorothea’s story through the letters to her sister but I couldn’t help wondering what if these letters had fallen into the wrong hands they were so detailed with names and dates about what was happening at the family farm for something that needed to be kept in the utmost secrecy Dorothea sure talked a lot about it and that did come back to bite her.I would read more from this author as I did enjoy the historical story in this book.Overall I did enjoy this book I would give the historical part of this book 4 stars and the present day story 3 stars so 3 ½ stars as a whole.3 ½ StarsI received this from Edelweiss and the publisher for a fair and honest review.
    • 2/5
      I like the idea of this book and what this book potentially could have been, but I wasn't a huge fan of how it was written nor some of the story line (particularly the mess about Lina's mother). I wouldn't necessarily say it was a waste of my time, I enjoyed it enough, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to others.
    • 4/5
      Lina is a corporate lawyer and is assigned to find descendants of slaves to get reparation for them. She learns of Josephine, a slave who may be the artist of paintings credited to her owner Lu Anne Bell. This book is their story of the current day research and the past of Josephine's life. Some parts of Josephine's life may be hard to read, but you like her and her spirit. I liked the book and both main characters.
    • 4/5
      THE HOUSE GIRL by Tara ConklinJosephine is a 17 year old slave in anti-bellum Virginia while Lina is a twenty something up and coming lawyer in present day NYC. The lives of these two become entwined when a wealthy Black client of Lina’s law firm starts a “slave reparations” law suit that becomes entangled with an art dealer’s contention that Josephine is the true artist and not her widely acclaimed mistress. Both life in a high powered law firm and life in the slave owning South are presented believably. Lina and Josephine are both sympathetic and well-drawn characters. The story line for both is engaging. While the sub plot involving Lina’s mother is rather thin and too neatly concluded, the artistic element is a link for the two stories.Book groups will have a variety of subjects to discuss; some very superficial and entertaining and others quite serious and profound. Race relations now and then permeate both stories. The question “Who is Caucasian and who is Black?” may form the body of the discussion. The value of a piece of art and how the artist’s name recognition determines price is another point for discussion. Motherless children and how they and their families cope could form another topic.
    • 4/5
      2004: Lina Sparrow, an artist's daughter, is an ambitious young lawyer working on a historic class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves. Lina's search to find a plaintiff for her case will introduce her to Josephine, a seventeen-year-old slave in 1852, tends to the mistress of a Virginia tobacco farm - an aspiring artist named Lu Anne Bell. Was Josephine the real talent behind her mistress's now-famous portraits?A very interesting story told in parallel time between 2004 and 1852. At first, it's a slow read, but as the two stories come closer to merging, you will cheer not only for Lina's effort to recognize and reveal Josephine's achievements, but also for her success in finally compensating families of African American slaves.
    • 5/5
      From 1852 to 2004....from one artist to another....from a farm in Virginia to the hustle and bustle of New York City.THE HOUSE GIRL flawlessly switches between these two time periods telling of the life of Josephine, a slave girl, Lina, a New York City attorney, and Lina's father, Oscar, an artist. The book leads you through the life of Josephine as she struggles with her decision to "run, it leads you through the life of Lina who is researching families who may benefit from wrong doing during the period of slavery in the United States, and it leads you through the life of Oscar trying to make amends through his artwork. The most significant question, though, along with finding descendants is that of who really did create the paintings found in Lu Anne Bell's home? Was it really Lu Anne or was it Josephine? Corresponding with this painting mystery and the mystery of Josephine's descendants is that of Lina's mother...what really did happen to her when Lina was only four? You will get caught up in both stories because of the great detail Ms. Conklin uses and because of the research. I love "digging" for historical information. As you switch between the two stories, you will ask yourself to choose which life you were more interested in....Lina's or Josephine's....it may be difficult to choose since both were appealing and drew you in, but for me Josephine's story wins hands down for interest.It took a few chapters, but you will become so involved, it becomes difficult to stop reading....you want to know what will become of the characters and the answer to the mysteries.Each character comes alive with the vivid detail Ms. Conklin uses, and she puts their feelings out in the open...you can feel the tension, the pain, the frustration, the longing, and the fleeting happiness they experience. I really enjoyed this book because of the history and the research and of course the detailed descriptions of the characters.The historical aspect and the fact-finding kept me up late. It is very interesting how the farm's kitchen records, crop records, and births and deaths of every person including the slaves was kept. I thoroughly enjoy these types of findings. I also wonder how these records were not destroyed and who would have thought to preserve them. Such foresight....something to be grateful for. Don't miss this book especially if you are a historical fiction buff. This book pulls you in and will cause you to pause and reflect on the human race and have you wondering about the reasons why we do what we do, have you wondering what the reasons are that lead us to make the choices we make, and have you wondering about the reason we turned out to be the person we are. 5/5This book was given to me without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      While this book started out a little slow for me, it really picked up steam and ended up being a really good read. I enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the parallel stories of Lina and Josephine, and was intrigued by the idea of artwork being attributed to white artists, that may have actually been done by slaves. The part of the story about Lina's mother, and her relationship with her father, was not as strong as the rest of the book, but that's a small quibble. I kept wanting to find out what happens to Josephine. As a librarian, I also enjoyed the parts dealing with research and archives!
    • 3/5
      Two stories, one of a female slave who also was a painter, and a contemporary female lawyer preparing a brief for a lawsuit about the damages of slavery due current descendants. Both women developed into stronger people during the novel. Very worthwhile read.
    • 3/5
      A great book, but the ending was missing. Great run up to what should have been a satisfying finish, and you are just left there with more questions.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely adored this book. It reads flawlessly. While I was incensed at the appalling abuse and torture visited upon African Americans in the south, the rich story of the book is ultimately hopeful. This is a story I won't soon forget.
    • 5/5
      In Tara Conklin's "The House Girl," lawyer Lina Sparrow is tasked with finding someone to be the face for a class action suit her Manhattan law firm is handling that seeks reparations for descendants of American slaves. Lina is drawn to the story of Josephine, a slave in the home of now-famous artist Lu Anne Bell. There are those in the art world who are disputing the Bell family's claim that the paintings were done by Lu Anne, but instead were the work of her house slave, Josephine.Lina convinces her boss to let her track down what happened to Josephine's possible descendants. Lina is also dealing with the death of her mother, which happened several years ago, but which she and her father never talked about. I really enjoyed author Conklin's "The House Girl," especially Josephine's story and learning what the life of a slave had been like. Conklin's chapters switched between Lina in the current day and the ways of a corporate law firm back in time to the 1850s and Josephine's story of runaway slaves. I highly recommend it.
    • 5/5
      This was a fine read, with two congruent stories in alternating chapters. That being said, I am a bit tired of that particular format, but that should not reflect badly on this book, I guess, that I grew bored with the "1850s/2010" this-then-that.The stories are of Josephine, a slave with great artistic talent, and Lina, an attorney whose father is an artist. The conceit is a reparations case for slavery itself, which I thought very novel. I must also admit that I had never considered that a slave might be a fine artist. Building furniture, yes, handling animals with great skill, sure, domestic arts, unfortunately. But the story really opened my eyes to how many slaves must have had similar abilities which were never allowed to develop. I think it's a sign of my residual racism. Not that it's a topic for my book review either but...The more I think about this book, the more highly I recommend it. Both major characters, and the minor ones, are very well drawn and the story flows beautifully.
    • 5/5
      Lina is an attorney - an associate in a large firm in NY - trying her hardest to be the best and to get ahead when her boss hands her a case that could make her career. It's a reparations case for slavery; she and another associate are to prepare a brief and find a plaintiff to be the "face" of the lawsuit so that they can sue major corporations for all of the free labor provided by slaves and use the money to fund scholarships, etc.Josephine is a slave, a "house girl" in the home of LuAnne Bell, woman dying from what I can guess to be cancer and a master who beats her and doesn't see her as anything other than property. Her only freedom in her life comes when she is allowed to draw and paint with her mistress - and she has a talent. One very bad day Josephine decides to escape the failing plantation and take her chances at true freedom.The stories of these two women intertwine when Lina, through her artist father and his connections finds that the famous paintings attributed to LuAnne Bell might actually have been painted by Josephine. The foundation that now owns the former Bell plantation does not want this to be true and is doing everything it can to prove it false. Lina feels that a descendant of Josephine's would make an excellent face for her case - if one exists.Before I begin my review of the book I must say that I love the cover. It's so very simple yet it draws you in. I know that had I been in a book store shopping this is a book I would have been drawn to - so kudos to whomever designed it. The story, though, is not simple at all. It's involved, engrossing and for me at least it was impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting. The very first paragraph pulls you into Josephine's story and doesn't let you go. I must admit that Josephine's portion of the book - it is told in a back and forth manner - was more interesting to me but Lina's search for her history was NEARLY as fascinating. I am a lover of the historical so I do prefer the "olden times." It was when Lina's personal life entered the story that I was a bit distracted. All of the hullabaloo about her mother did not lead where I expected it to and in my opinion did not add anything to the plot. That is the reason for my not giving the book a 5 rating.Overall though, I loved it - obviously as I'm keeping this one for a second read. The hubby is reading it as I type and he is as engrossed as I was so it's a book for both genders. It has fascinating characters, a thought provoking plot and it keeps you guessing. What more can you ask of a book?
    • 3/5
      Don't be fooled by the title - this book is more about a white 21st century lawyer than about a slave woman. I would definitely file this next to The Help under "nice white lady learns Valuable Life Lessons from the suffering of black people." It's decently written, but I have to wonder what purpose the author saw in it or what message the reader is intended to take away.