Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club discussion

This is the buddy read thread for The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd. We will begin this read on May 1, 2014. Everyone is welcome to join! Please feel free to post comments before, during, or after reading the book. Please add page numbers and spoiler tags when appropriate. Happy reading!



Hetty "Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women.

Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid.We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty-five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love.
As the stories build to a riveting climax, Handful will endure loss and sorrow, finding courage and a sense of self in the process. Sarah will experience crushed hopes, betrayal, unrequited love, and ostracism before leaving Charleston to find her place alongside her fearless younger sister, Angelina, as one of the early pioneers in the abolition and women’s rights movements.

Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better.

This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved.

I have this book on my TBR for a couple of months, I will join the buddy read in hope to get more motivated to read it :).

Glad to motivate you! This will help to keep me on track with my reading too. :)

For anyone that is interested, I found an article about The Invention of Wings and some background on Sue Monk Kidd. There is a Q&A with the author that might be interesting. I haven't read it yet because I'm afraid of spoilers, but I have attached a link for anyone that would like to read it at some point. There are some discussion questions at the end that I'll post once most of us are reading (or have read depending on if there's spoilers) the book.

http://suemonkkidd.com/books/the-inve...

Up to page 11 (view spoiler)[ It is interesting that Sarah became mute after watching the beating of one of the slaves. To me it represents the innocence of even a little white child to be so traumatized by witnessing of such brutality against another human. (hide spoiler)] Just starting the book and I already think I am going to really love this book.

Excellent! Can't wait to start it.

I just finished this about a week ago - look forward to discussing it with everyone when you are finished!

Finally - I have needed a great book, not just good, to escape into and Sarah is my favorite character so far - maybe it is her name?, But she is my little hero. To about page 60 - (view spoiler)[ I loved when she was teaching the alphabet to the slave kids at Sunday school - and she had a very valid point - if God wanted them to follow him and his religion then surely he would want them to be able to read so they could read the bible for themselves. Valid point. I also liked when Mauma was telling her daughter the story of her grandmother and the old beliefs from Africa and it just goes to show how Christianity and this male white God has been shoved down the slaves throats and what was taken from them, their names, their culture and beliefs, there identities, and their humanity. (hide spoiler)]

Beth - Glad you'll be joining the discussion!

Welcome Jennifer!

this will be my first official group one too Jennifer! woohoo!

Yay! Hope you ladies enjoy the discussion. :) Welcome, Alissa!

Anima wrote: "I have this book on my TBR for a couple of months, I will join the buddy read in hope to get more motivated to read it :)."

Anima - here is motivation for you - it is better than anything else you could be reading - it is sooo good ... so far.

I did not realise the The Invention of Wings was part of the award winning choice list. Is it? In any case it is a great read.

No, Virginie. It was just published this year. It might be on next year's list though!

Kristie wrote: "No, Virginie. It was just published this year. It might be on next year's list though!"

That's a shame, that would have been one more book towards my challenge :)

If it's nominated this year, it would count towards your challenge for next year. Then, you'd be one book ahead already! Of course, I have no idea if it will be nominated or not. Lol

I am sorry I am ahead of everyone on this one, but I am gonna start sharing my favorite quotes. This book is just so good.

Page 115
"She had the look of someone who'd declared herself, and seeing it, my indignation collapsed and her mutinous bath turned into something else entirely. She'd immersed herself in forbidden privileges,yes, but mostly in the belief she was worthy of those privileges. What she'd done was not a revolt, it was a baptism."

Page 194
"To remain silent in the face of evil is itself a form of evil."

I would like to read along- I have been hesitant to read this book because although I really liked Secret life of Bees, I found The Mermaid Chair lacking.

Glad you're enjoying it Sarah! I'm looking forward to starting it.

Kelli - Welcome to the read. I hope you enjoy this one. I've heard really good things about it.

Just got this from the library yesterday. Hoping to start this weekend.

Kelli wrote: "I would like to read along- I have been hesitant to read this book because although I really liked Secret life of Bees, I found The Mermaid Chair lacking."

I think this is better than Life of Bees. I will finish the book today, but I don't want it to end.

Kristie wrote: "If it's nominated this year, it would count towards your challenge for next year. Then, you'd be one book ahead already! Of course, I have no idea if it will be nominated or not. Lol"

Oh it will be nominated, I am possitive.

Excellent! Please feel free to leave posts as you read. We'll be joining you soon! (May 1st)

For anyone that wants to read ahead - please feel free to start discussions here, but use spoiler tags and pages or some other defining mark so that we know when we can read the spoilers. Others may comment on your posts later, when we catch up, so make sure to check back often! Looking forward to the discussion!

Sarah wrote: "Kelli wrote: "I would like to read along- I have been hesitant to read this book because although I really liked Secret life of Bees, I found The Mermaid Chair lacking."

I think this is better tha..."

I liked Secret Life of Bees in a different way - the only thing that bothered me about the book was that I felt like their was too much religion in it. Invention of Wings is different.....

Well this book is historical fiction and based on the life of the Grimke sisters - these were real women in history during a time when Christianity was a big part of doctrine and their lives and a way of life in general and the Quakers were important in the story as well for they didn't support slavery. The religious aspect is a part of these women's real life story and I think essential to the book.

I was referring to Secret Life of Bees - the whole Mary thing throughout the entire book...it was too much for me.

Oh - Because there is such a religious component in this book as well - I was confused. But I loved Life of Bees too, it is just this one I treasure more because of the history of the Grimke sisters and the time period - I feel more enlightened by this book, and that is always something I yearn for from my reading. I took more away from it.

Is anyone still reading this as a buddy read? It looks like there is still a couple of us that haven't gotten to it yet. Jennifer & Kelli? Did you still want to read along? I'm a little behind and haven't started it yet, but I do have questions for discussion and plan to start it tomorrow. :)

I hope everyone that read it already will also join in and discuss some of the questions with us. I'll be posting them soon.

This one of my favorite reads so far this year! Loved it! I'm eager to read more of everyones thoughts on it. :)

Sarah - (view spoiler)[I also loved when she started teaching the slave children how to read and then later with Handful even after knowing the consequences. What a gutsy little girl! (hide spoiler)]

Yes Sarah Grimké is my new hero - both her and her sister. What amazing female pioneers. I was so glad to learn of their history.

Everyone enjoy - this book is really really good. If you like it I would also recommend

Sarah - I'm dying to read that! It's on my to read very soon list!

I can't put this book down- GAH! I'm reading way too many sad books this year!

I didn't know the Grimke's were a real family- thats so interesting!!

I'm not liking any of the men in this book. I don't know if it's because there's so many strong women in this book? But I want to smack all of the men!!

Here are some discussion questions that I found online. Please feel free to answer any that interest you (or all). Also, there is an interesting discussion with the author, Sue Monk Kidd, on the same webpage, here: http://suemonkkidd.com/books/the-inve...

Discussion Questions:

1. The title The Invention of Wings was one of the first inspirations that came to Sue Monk Kidd as she began the novel. Why is the title an apt one for Kidd’s novel? What are some of the ways that the author uses the imagery and symbolism of birds, wings, and flight?

2. What were the qualities in Handful that you most admired? As you read the novel, could you imagine yourself in her situation? How did Handful continue her relentless pursuit of self and freedom in the face of such a brutal system?

3. After laying aside her aspirations to become a lawyer, Sarah remarks that the Graveyard of Failed Hopes is “an all-female establishment.” What makes her say so? What was your experience of reading Kidd’s portrayal of women’s lives in the nineteenth century?


4. In what ways does Sarah struggle against the dictates of her family, society and religion? Can you relate to her need to break away from the life she had in order to create a new and unknown life? What sort of risk and courage does this call for?

5. The story of The Invention of Wings includes a number of physical objects that have a special significance for the characters: Sarah’s fleur de lis button, Charlotte’s story quilt, the rabbit-head cane that Handful receives from Goodis, and the spirit tree. Choose one or more of these objects and discuss their significance in the novel.

6. Were you aware of the role that Sarah and Angelina Grimke played in abolition and women’s rights? Have women’s achievements in history been lost or overlooked? What do you think it takes to be a reformer today?

7. How would you describe Sarah and Angelina’s unusual bond? Do you think either one of them could have accomplished what they did on their own? Have you known women who experienced this sort of relationship as sisters?

8. Some of the staunchest enemies of slavery believed the time had not yet come for women’s rights and pressured Sarah and Angelina to desist from the cause, fearing it would split the cause of abolition. How do you think the sisters should have responded to their demand? At the end of the novel, Sarah asks, “Is it ever right to sacrifice one’s truth for expedience?”

9. What are some of the examples of Handful’s wit and sense of irony, and how do they help her cope with the burdens of slavery?

10. Contrast Handful’s relationship with her mother with the relationship between Sarah and the elder Mary Grimké. How are the two younger women formed—and malformed—by their mothers?

11. Kidd portrays an array of male characters in the novel: Sarah’s father; Sarah’s brother Thomas; Theodore Weld; Denmark Vesey; Goodis Grimke, Israel Morris, Burke Williams. Some of them are men of their time, some are ahead of their time. Which of these male characters did you find most compelling? What positive and negative roles did they play in Sarah and Handful’s evolvement?

12. How has your understanding of slavery been changed by reading The Invention of Wings? What did you learn about it that you didn’t know before?

13. Sarah believed she could not have a vocation and a marriage, both. Do you think she made the right decision in turning down Israel’s proposal? How does her situation compare to Angelina’s marriage to Theodore? In what way are women today still asking the question of whether they can have it all?

14. How does the spirit tree function in Handful’s life? What do you think of the rituals and meanings surrounding it?

15. Had you heard of the Denmark Vesey slave plot before reading this novel? Were you aware of the extent that slaves resisted? Why do you think the myth of the happy, compliant slave endured? What were some of the more inventive or cunning ways that Charlotte, Handful and other characters rebelled and subverted the system?

16. The Invention of Wings takes the reader back to the roots of racism in America. How has slavery left its mark in American life? To what extent has the wound been healed? Do you think slavery has been a taboo topic in American life?

17. Are there ways in which Kidd’s novel can help us see our own lives differently? How is this story relevant for us today?

I am not a racist. I feel that back in the day, southerners were taught that at a young age. This book shows that as time goes by, racism is less for the whites. Also, I feel that blacks are more racist towards the whites.

this was definitely one of my favorite books of the year.