The Invention of Wings

2016 Longlist

Sarah Grimké is the middle daughter. The one her mother calls difficult and her father calls remarkable. On Sarah’s eleventh birthday, Hetty ‘Handful’ Grimké is taken from the slave quarters she shares with her mother, wrapped in lavender ribbons, and presented to Sarah as a gift. Sarah knows what she does next will unleash a world of trouble. She also knows that she cannot accept. And so, indeed, the trouble begins …

Inspired by real events, and set in the American Deep South in the nineteenth century, The Invention of Wings evokes a world of shocking contrasts, of beauty and ugliness, of righteous people living daily with cruelty they fail to recognise; and celebrates the power of friendship and sisterhood against all the odds.

(from publisher)

About the Author

Sue Monk Kidd is the author of the highly acclaimed bestsellers The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair. The Secret Life of Bees was her first novel. Selling over 6 million copies, it has become a modern classic and has been adapted into a feature film starring Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning and Jennifer Hudson.

Librarians’ Comments

A powerful novel about slavery, women’s rights and the brave quest for freedom. Based on historical characters and facts, Kidd creates a soulfully written story about two courageous girls who live completely different lives but have one thing in common; both Sarah and Handful bear up against social restrictions and strive for a self-determined life. The Invention of Wings portrays the journey of two unfree girls becoming liberated women.

Told with two very strong, authentic voices. Fresh and interesting, powerful and intense.