Sign in with Facebook
Mari Anne's Reviews > Wench
Wench
by
by
I probably shouldn't have read this so close on the heels of "The Kitchen House". While this novel explores another interesting aspect of Southern antebellum slave life, it wasn't nearly as well done as "The Kitchen House". I am waffling between 2 and 3 stars for this one.
"Wench" explores the lives of four slaves who act as mistresses to their slave owners. They meet up four summers in a row at a Northern resort and the novel explores their lives and situations.
The basic storyline is very interesting, but the book is unevenly written. The author tends to jump around a lot in time and perspective and this uneveness somewhat spoiled the book for this reader. The strongest part of the book is definitely the section where the writer tells the story of Lizzie, the main character. This section is fascinating and very well done. The other characters are not written as well and their stories are somewhat lost in the shuffle.
I also hated the ending. It is really somewhat of a non-ending and is very awkward. The book really just kind of peters out more than ends.
"Wench" explores the lives of four slaves who act as mistresses to their slave owners. They meet up four summers in a row at a Northern resort and the novel explores their lives and situations.
The basic storyline is very interesting, but the book is unevenly written. The author tends to jump around a lot in time and perspective and this uneveness somewhat spoiled the book for this reader. The strongest part of the book is definitely the section where the writer tells the story of Lizzie, the main character. This section is fascinating and very well done. The other characters are not written as well and their stories are somewhat lost in the shuffle.
I also hated the ending. It is really somewhat of a non-ending and is very awkward. The book really just kind of peters out more than ends.
Sign into Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ to see if any of your friends have read
Wench.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Started Reading
February 23, 2011
– Shelved
February 23, 2011
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-9 of 9 (9 new)
date
newest »
newest »
message 1:
by
Ann
(new)
Apr 02, 2011 01:24PM
I really liked The Kitchen House too. It was set in a different time from The Help, but still I cared about the characters and what happened to them. That's pretty much how I judge most books.
reply
|
flag
My thoughts exactly! Hope you all are doing well!
I agree with your comments, though I'm only half way through. It reminds me of The Kitchen House, though it's not written as well. The characters are not evenly developed. I do find the story line compelling. It's not at all like The Help.
I agree 100%...I gave Kitchen House 5 stars and this I was wishing there was a 1/2 button so I could have given 3 and a half, but I settled on 4
Yeah Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ! Where are our half stars! Thanks for your comments! It's nice to know that others read my reviews and especially when they like them! Happy reading!
From another friend that reads your reviews......thank you!
Oh my - exactly what I thought
Your welcome! It is entirely my pleasure. Happy reading.
I agree completely. I too had just read "The Kitchen House" so was disappointed in this. The topic was very intriguing as i had never heard of slave masters taking their slave mistresses to a resort while leaving their wives behind. I had great hopes from the beginning of who the characters would be. I expected there to be more of a storyline, especially with Mawu. She was so different and interesting, yet her character was never really developed in the way that I thought would engage the reader. When the book ended, I didn't even realize it. I thought it was the end of a chapter since there were so many pages left in the book (reserved for author interview, book club questions, etc.).
