On starting this book I believed I was really going to enjoy it. The theme of the slave trade and the effects that trade had on the lives of both masters and victims has always fascinated me. I also love historical fiction with a wide scope. So I began reading with high hopes of a new 'Gone with the Wind'.
Lavinia's arrival at the big House, her loss of family, her terror at her new surroundings, her lack of coping mechanisms at age 7 were all too credible. I thought I was hooked...... then the story began to descend into melodrama, and ended up as a soap opera to rival any episode of 'The Bold and the Beautiful'!
We had child and female abuse, rape, incest, paedophilia, homosexuality, drug dependence, sickness and madness; then murder by knifing, whipping, shooting and hanging. The illegitimate children became so numerous that by the end of the story I was losing track of which child belonged to which mother and could not recall those that had died (several had).... all this packaged into one story. In addition, all the white women in the story were spineless, and all the coloured slaves courageous and loyal to a fault.
What a pity such a promising idea deteriorated into chaos. I was not even moved emotionally by all the sorrowful happenings, I was just in overload wondering what horrific events were waiting in the wings for both the characters in the novel.... and the readers.
A disappointing read after all the hype!

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I have read many historical fiction novels of plantation life and "Master" / "Slave" relationships, however this is the first that I have read where one of the slaves (indentured servants) was not a descendent of Africa, andI found this component intriguing.

This story is told in alternating voices of House Slave, Belle in even numbered chapters and Indentured Servant, Lavina in odd numbered chapters. Lavina is brought to the plantation after the death of her parents on a ship, by the Ship's Captain who owns a tobacco plantation. There is mystery and mayhem at every turn and many surprises (I'm no spoiler)

Even though it is a well-known and often relayed part of "OUR" history; as an African-American, it is still difficult for me to read about the slave brutality and abuse, when written by an Anglo Author.

The overall story is good for the historical fiction lover.

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This is an astoundingly accomplished first novel, and one in which the institution of slavery in the U.S. during the 19th century figures prominently. When I started to read the book, I thought that there might be a problem with the download, as the book started in the midst of a sentence, the first part of wnich was entirely absent. This, however, was not a mistake, but an element of style, and one that works extremely well as the narration's point of view shifts among various characters. Their reminiscing and descriptions combine to tell the story of Lavinia, an Irish girl orphaned, at age six, on the Atlantic passage and indentured to compensate for her passage and care.

Naive to the politics of color in 19th century Virginia, Lavinia is raised in a black family as she is taught to be part of the house staff on Tall Oaks plantation. As she grows up, the hard lessons of racial discrimination are taught and learned -- never easily. Author Kathleen Grissom does an outstanding job of writing Lavinia's conflict without moralizing, though it's also abundantly clear through the tale told that slavery and discrimination are abhorrent.

This is one of the best books I have read in quite some time. Although it is a novel and purposed as entertainment, it is meticulously researched and factually accurate for the historical time period. While not history, this giction makes hitory come alive, and to that extent it serves an incredibly valuable role. Grissom gives brutally accurate portrayls of the role of women; the paucity of mefical knowledge; the appalling treatment of the mentally ill; the problems of opiate addiction; the abuses of slavery (especially its destruction of families); etc.

This is a book worth reading at least once, probably twice, and maybe even a third time. There is a lot here.

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The Kitchen House is an extraordinary, compelling book about a tobacco plantation at the turn of the 19th century. This book was told with an unusual twist; the story centers around Lavinia, a young girl who is orphaned during her passage to America from Ireland, who becomes an indentured servant on the plantation. She is assigned to the kitchen house to assist Belle, a slave who is also the illegitimate daughter of the plantation's owner. Lavinia is torn between the slaves who become her family, and the owner and his family who live in the big house. Told in painstaking detail, this book is a gritty, realistic look at this sad time in history, but is ultimately a story of hope, family secrets, and the bonds that transcend race.

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Marshall, heir to the plantation, so unrealistically portrayed and so pivotal to the story, made reading it till the end a drudgery. Being asked, throughout, to believe the absurd was a challenge. How fortuitous were the characters ability to eavesdrop and distinctly overhear anything of importance, repeatedly! Of course misunderstandings and a convenient inability for the truth to be a unveiled was the foundation of the storyline. Was almost afraid to go to my book club meeting hating on this book so.

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Although I enjoyed reading The Kitchen House, it did not quite have the impact I think the author intended or I expected.

It covers a wide range of sensitive topics including domestic abuse, rape, mental illness, drug dependency and of course racism as evidenced in the slave trade. These issues provoke fierce debate and evoke even greater emotions. Unfortunately I did not feel the emotion I believe the author intended to evoke in her reader. Rather than tackling these issues directly, Grissom skirts around them, maintaining a distance. The heinous acts committed by various characters are only ever implied. Although I do not expect explicit descriptions, I feel that had the author been more descriptive, the emotional impact would have been much greater.

For me author's writing lacked sophistication and as a result I did not connect with the characters or the story as I would have liked to. I do not mean this in a derogatory way but this book very much had the feel of a young adult book and I do think this would be very popular with the young adult audience.

However I would not discourage others from reading it! It is an interesting premise and shines a light once again on the horrors of the slave trade.

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Having read a few books similar to this, and having a strong passion for American history, especially the brutal times of slavery, not since The Colour Purple has a novel left me as touched as this book. Through tears, laughter and heartbreak following their stories has been a hard task, at times a moment will leave you wanting to throw the book across the room in anger and others will have you clinging to it in hope. This is the type of story that will stay with you and though times are still tough for some, thankful that we do not live in a world where slavery is allowed and women are impotent.

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Set between the years of 1791 and 1810 The Kitchen House tells the story of Lavinia, a young white orphan who is intentured to a wealthy landowner in Virginia. It's the story of 'what ifs'. What if her parents hadn't died on the passage from Ireland to America. What if she and her brother Cardigan hadn't been separated. What if she'd known the truth... This novel weaves layers and layers of secrets, some which Lavinia is too young to understand and and some which she makes up her own truth for. This, ultimately, is her downfall.

Lavinia is but one of a large cast of characters in this novel. She is naive, but likable, however not my favourite. Out of all of them Mama Mae is my favourite character. 'I work for Mrs. Pyke like I don't know what tired mean. Nothing' that I won't do. "Yes, Mrs. Pyke, you right, Mrs. Pyke," that all I say. You girls watch me close. I act like I don't have no mind of my own, except how to make every body in the big house happy. That because I mean to stay up there, and I tryin' hard to keep you girls with me.'

I found this to be a real page-turner; I really couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold. It was exciting up until the very end.

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This has been on my Kindle for quite some time and I'm pleased to report it was worth the wait. The novel centres on the stories of Lavinia, a 7-year-old Irish orphan, and Belle, the woman who cares for her when she arrives on the tobacco plantation where Belle makes her home. Despite the story's context of slavery in the early 1800s, it appears that the segregation of whites and blacks was not a simple matter and it is this which makes this novel both absorbing and provocative. The author's note at the end provided an interesting insight into Grissom's inspiration for writing The Kitchen House - reading this is worth the couple of extra minutes.

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This was a very well researched and thought provoking book. At times painfully sad and disturbing it was so well written that it was difficult put down. It demonstrated the power of love, the bond and loyalty between the negras and white people placed in their care when each treated the other with respect. It held no bars in relating the other side of the equation where cruelty leads to more cruelty and how it can destroy. May slavery be stamped out for ever.

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A brilliant, thought-provoking book. I purchased this after loving The Help and was not disappointed. It was a compelling and often sad story that filled me with outrage at how cruel humans can be. Highly recommended.

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I must confess I was pinned to this book.
Couldn't wait to see what happened next.
A riveting tale of seven year old Irish orphan, Lavinia, as she works
amongst the black slaves on a large plantation.

The usual white man/black slaves problems ensue and you find yourself
rooting for Lavinia and the harshly treated slaves.

A compelling story that is hard to forget.

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I am going to start with the negative first. I hate it when a story starts at the end and then the reader is transported all the way back to the beginning. Having said that I just couldn't put this book down. I fell in love with many of the characters particularly belle mamma and papa George. It defies belief that people were treated like animals in this way and not only survived but thrived even when faced with the unthinkable. A twisting and turning tale of a white Irish girl put out to live with the slaves who soon become her family. Such an emotional story.

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Really enjoyed it. However, it needed to be drawn out a bit in places as characterisation fell somewhat flat when too little description was given to emotions in circumstances that called for way more. Another 30-50 pages would have given the story the robustness it needed without detracting from the drama.

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An amazing story of family bonds, love, tragedy, cruelty and loyalty, with so many twists and turns, you wouldn't want to put the book down until the end!

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I really loved the characters in this book and cared about what happened to them, however, I was less sure about some of the twists in the story. Although I'm sure all the events detailed here really happened, I felt the plot revelled in the sensational. This made it rather melodramatic when compared to someone like Andrea Levy. It is still a good read and will appeal to those who enjoy reading about strength and friendship.

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Tough reading and heart wrenching but brilliantly written. 10* from me as 5 doesn't give it the justice it deserves!

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A great read - I did not enjoy it the first time I tried it and gave up after a couple of chapters. So glad I gave it another try as once I got into the characters I was hooked and could not put it down.

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I loved this book. I was recommended it by a friend who had read it. I was a bit unsure as this is not the usual type of book I would go for but after seeing it on a number of "Top Books for 2014" etc I decided to give it a go. I must say I found it hard to put down. It kept me interested and anxious throughout wondering where these characters stories would take them.

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I loved this story. Harsh in places. It is very well written and has a complex yet moving story to it. I fell in love with the characters and believed them to be real which gave me an overwhelming sense of empathy for them. Highly recommend.