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The Kitchen House: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Kathleen Grissom (Author), Orlagh Cassidy (Narrator), Bahni Turpin (Narrator),

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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.

Listening Length

12 hours and 57 minutes
Author

Kathleen Grissom
Narrator

Orlagh Cassidy, see all
Audible release date

Sept. 26 2017
Language

English
Publisher

Simon & Schuster Audio
ASIN

B075TJBXB8
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	12 hours and 57 minutes
Author	Kathleen Grissom
Narrator	Orlagh Cassidy, Bahni Turpin
Audible.ca Release Date	September 26 2017
Publisher	Simon & Schuster Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B075TJBXB8
Best Sellers Rank	#14,284 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #131 in Coming of Age Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #805 in Literary Fiction (Audible Books & Originals) #874 in Historical Fiction (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

5 star		70%
4 star		20%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Woodbend

I really enjoyed this book.

Reviewed in Canada on August 8, 2020

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A riveting saga of life on a plantation, good and bad, told from both sides of the people involved. It features the cruelty of slavery , but the courage and indomitability of those very slaves; the caring and consideration of many who owned them, and the ignorance and brutality of others.
I thought the ending somewhat rushed, compared to the length of time for the story to conclude. Non the less, it was a very good read, and makes me want to read more by this author.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

I'm originally from Saskatchewan as well and like to support local authors

Reviewed in Canada on March 12, 2016

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I bought this one because a friend of mine in Saskatchewan told me I should try it. I'm originally from Saskatchewan as well and like to support local authors. I tore through it very quickly because it's so well written. Very compelling. I genuinely liked almost all the characters, and even the ones I didn't like were interesting and well developed. I knew from the opening scene that I had to read it, and when the finale of the book came about and I found myself back at that opening scene, I was firmly in the grip of this book. Well done. Based on this book, I will check out the author's next work.

2 people found this helpful

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Laura Van Roekel

Current themes of race, power and sex run through this novel.

Reviewed in Canada on September 16, 2020

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This was an interesting novel. Set during slavery, it is told from the point of view from a white young girl who is orphaned and endentured to work on a farm and the half black slave girl who works in the kitchen. A story about power and race with all
The injustice then is truly horrific (and still continues). This book took a while to get into but was a worthwhile read.

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Liz

An Excellent Read

Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2014

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A very heatfelt story of unconditional love, human strength, treachery and betrayal.
The characters were very believable, some admirable, some despicable .
The author's ability to take you right into the time period, fears and hopes of each character,
pretty much started on the first few pages and continued throughout the book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in a story
of love and family although not related, of different colour and background yet bound by the
simplicity of right & wrong and God's love.

One person found this helpful

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Can't put down summer reading!

Reviewed in Canada on August 5, 2020

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Absolutely rapturing book. At times incredibly hard to read due to the horrors of history. The book is exceptionally researched and a quick read.

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Roxie

Pulled me in immediately-wonderful characters and story.

Reviewed in Canada on May 17, 2012

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I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed reading Roots, way back when! It reads seamlessly, alternating from one narrative to the other ( from the eyes of two main characters) and the love and strength of family through tremendous suffering will keep you wanting to read late into the night. To think of how life was for blacks back in the 1700's and how their lives were at the mercy of landlords will make your blood boil, yet somehow through such adversity, love and being true to one another prevails. Definitely one of my "favs" which I highly recommend.

2 people found this helpful

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suzy7

CAN'T PUT IT DOWN....DON'T WANT IT TO END!!!

Reviewed in Canada on April 2, 2013

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I love every second of this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please buy it. Just do yourself a favor and buy it. Who ever heard of slaves who actually get along with their masters?? And the Kitchen House matriarch Mama Mae is so uplifting, inspiring and positive.......i love her to no end and want to live there with her and just cook soup and raise the children. I honestly do not have a bad thing to say about this book. It is SUPER FAST PACED....you will not be able to put it down, you will care about the characters, you will in fact love them. It is the kind of book that even when you are on page 63 you start calling your sister and your mother and your pastors wife and your friends and screech at them that they have got to buy this book!!!!! You want to be filled with joy and happiness and HOPE????? GEt this book!!! Thanks Miss. Grissom for making my week fly by with it!!!! xoxoxoxoxox

One person found this helpful

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LemonAde

Great Historical Novel about Slavery in the U.S. South

Reviewed in Canada on December 31, 2013

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This is an extremely well written novel that explores the plantation society of the American south during the end of the 1700's and the beginning of the 1800's through the eyes of two main characters, Lavinia, a white indentured servant, and Belle, a black slave who is the daughter of a slave owner and a slave. It contrasts the life in the main house to the life in the kitchen house. It shows the stratification of the slave society, the field workers being on the bottom rung. It demonstrates the complicated liaisons between the white and black societies and puts the nature of mankind on display, showing the most terrible traits that a person can possess as well as the most courageous acts under difficult circumstances. It is a memorable book with unforgettable characters that is impossible to put down.

One person found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Kee Lady

A Good Read 3.5*

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 27, 2016

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Although I enjoyed reading The Kitchen House, it did not quite have the impact I think the author intended or I expected.

It covers a wide range of sensitive topics including domestic abuse, rape, mental illness, drug dependency and of course racism as evidenced in the slave trade. These issues provoke fierce debate and evoke even greater emotions. Unfortunately I did not feel the emotion I believe the author intended to evoke in her reader. Rather than tackling these issues directly, Grissom skirts around them, maintaining a distance. The heinous acts committed by various characters are only ever implied. Although I do not expect explicit descriptions, I feel that had the author been more descriptive, the emotional impact would have been much greater.

For me author's writing lacked sophistication and as a result I did not connect with the characters or the story as I would have liked to. I do not mean this in a derogatory way but this book very much had the feel of a young adult book and I do think this would be very popular with the young adult audience.

However I would not discourage others from reading it! It is an interesting premise and shines a light once again on the horrors of the slave trade.

10 people found this helpful

AER

One to read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 4, 2017

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Having read a few books similar to this, and having a strong passion for American history, especially the brutal times of slavery, not since The Colour Purple has a novel left me as touched as this book. Through tears, laughter and heartbreak following their stories has been a hard task, at times a moment will leave you wanting to throw the book across the room in anger and others will have you clinging to it in hope. This is the type of story that will stay with you and though times are still tough for some, thankful that we do not live in a world where slavery is allowed and women are impotent.

2 people found this helpful

Laura Besley

A real page-turner!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 15, 2015

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Set between the years of 1791 and 1810 The Kitchen House tells the story of Lavinia, a young white orphan who is intentured to a wealthy landowner in Virginia. It's the story of 'what ifs'. What if her parents hadn't died on the passage from Ireland to America. What if she and her brother Cardigan hadn't been separated. What if she'd known the truth... This novel weaves layers and layers of secrets, some which Lavinia is too young to understand and and some which she makes up her own truth for. This, ultimately, is her downfall.

Lavinia is but one of a large cast of characters in this novel. She is naive, but likable, however not my favourite. Out of all of them Mama Mae is my favourite character. 'I work for Mrs. Pyke like I don't know what tired mean. Nothing' that I won't do. "Yes, Mrs. Pyke, you right, Mrs. Pyke," that all I say. You girls watch me close. I act like I don't have no mind of my own, except how to make every body in the big house happy. That because I mean to stay up there, and I tryin' hard to keep you girls with me.'

I found this to be a real page-turner; I really couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold. It was exciting up until the very end.

One person found this helpful

lolly rugs

Fantastic read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2020

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Not my usual kind of read by any means! but I absolutely loved this book. The Kitchen House was a very well researched and a thought provoking book. At times it was painfully sad, and troubling. The authors style of writing was beautiful I found myself completely immersed in the story and it’s characters.

Kym Hamer

Absorbing and provocative

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2017

Verified Purchase

This has been on my Kindle for quite some time and I'm pleased to report it was worth the wait. The novel centres on the stories of Lavinia, a 7-year-old Irish orphan, and Belle, the woman who cares for her when she arrives on the tobacco plantation where Belle makes her home. Despite the story's context of slavery in the early 1800s, it appears that the segregation of whites and blacks was not a simple matter and it is this which makes this novel both absorbing and provocative. The author's note at the end provided an interesting insight into Grissom's inspiration for writing The Kitchen House - reading this is worth the couple of extra minutes.

One person found this helpful

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The Kitchen House: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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Top reviews from Canada

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Top reviews from other countries

Free with an Audible trial

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Buy with 1-Click

$26.66