The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom

From the Paperback:
At the turn of the nineteenth century on a tobacco plantation in Virginia, young, white Lavinia, who was orphaned  on her passage from Ireland, arrives on the steps of the kitchen house and is placed under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate, black daughter. Lavinia learns to cook, clean, serve food, and cherish 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, Kathleen Grissom's debut novel unfolds in a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of class, race, dignity, deep-buried secrets, and familial bonds.

"What the color is, who the daddy be, who the mama is don't mean nothin'. We a family, carin' for each other. Family make us strong in times of trouble. We all stick together, help each other out. That the real meanin' of family."

A friend at work has been telling me about this book for years. When she finally brought her copy I wasn't convinced that it would be as great as she claimed, I was wrong. Once again, I have felt more for a fictional character than is reasonable. I read this book in a day. Lavinia just crawls right into your heart with her naive mind, open heart, and unfailing loyalty. How could you not love this freckled girl with fire-red hair?
  This book is exactly what the back claims, "heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful." I've been reading an abundance of sad books recently, and while this had some sadness in it, the story was ultimately about family and loyalty. The author skirts around most of the more violent scenes (thank goodness) but you still know exactly what happened.
   If you like The Help by Kathryn Stockett you need to read this book. It grabbed my attention faster than The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin, I had no trouble getting into this book.

The Queen of Palmyra by Minrose Gwin

From the Paperback:

"In the turbulent southern summer of 1963, Millwood's white population steers clear of "Shake Rag," the black section of town. Young Florence Forrest is one of the few who crossed the line. The daughter of a burial insurance salesman with dark secrets and the town's "cake lady," whose backcountry bootleg runs lead further and further away from a brutal marriage, Florence attaches herself to her grandparents' longtime maid Zenie Johnson. Named for Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra, Zenie treats the unwanted girl as just another chore, while telling her stories of the legendary queen's courage and cunning.
  The more time Florence spends in Shake Rag, the more she recognizes how completely race divides her town, and her story, far from ordinary, bears witness to the truth and brutality of her times-a truth brought to a shattering conclusion when Zenie's vibrant college-student niece, Eva Greene, arrives that fateful Mississippi summer.
   Minrose Gwin's The Queen of Palmyra is an unforgettable evocation of a time and a place in America-a nuanced, gripping story of race and identity."

"The one who tells the story gets to say who's bad and who's good. Then the story rises up and puts on its clothes and goes out into the world."

It took me some time to get into The Queen of Palmyra but once I was about a third of the way in there was no turning back. It saddened me that no one seemed to really care about Florence. She clings to anyone who shows her the slightest attention even when they obviously don't want her around. She helps Zenie with chores, helps her mom make cakes, idolizes Zenie's niece Eva, and tries hardest to make her daddy proud, but no one seems to want her around at all. She's shuffled from house to house every day, all in an agitated south. As time passes she realizes more and more the world she lives in and how it affects her, and she tries to be a better person.
   If you liked The Help by Kathryn Stockett or The Sweetest Hallelujah by Elaine Hussey but want something a little more challenging, read this!