The Kitchen House was a compelling read about a young Irish girl named Livinia who is orphaned and new to the country. Upon arriving in America she ends up as an indentured servant, living with the slaves in the kitchen house. Shifting perspective between Lavinia and Belle, a slave woman, the reader sees two sides to life on a plantation.
All of the characters in this book came to life in my mind as I read the story. They were vivid and charming, or alternately evil and hideous, yet most were complex characters. Only a few characters really stood out as two-dimensional, and they were evil. One of the villainous characters (Marshall) was a bit more complex in that, from the beginning you get to see part of why he acts the way he does. Also, there are moments in the book where he displays kindness and sensitivity, which makes his treachery all the worse.
Even though I thought the characters were fantastic, I had a few minor issues with this book. Almost all of the major happenings in the book were caused by miscommunication and misunderstandings. For the reader the reading experience is fraught with tension because you are privy to the details of what is really going on, while the fate of many hangs on the knowledge of a few important facts.
There were points where I just wanted to grab Lavinia and make her talk to a few people. If she would have just opened up and asked a few questions, or shared some of what she was going through then so much misery would have been avoided. And I think that reveals something important about this book; even if some frustrating things happen, the characters do elicit an emotional response from the reader.
Do I think her lack of communication and the misunderstandings were realistic? Maybe. Lavinia was very naive, and I could see how a teenage girl who is innocent of the ways of the world could get things confused. I think the part I had the hardest time believing was that Lavinia didn't understand what was going on culturally with the separation of the whites from the blacks.
All in all though, The Kitchen House is an entertaining read.Get more detail about The Kitchen House: A Novel.
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