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The Invention of Wings

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The Invention of Wings

By: Sue Monk Kidd
Narrated by: Adepero Oduye, Jenna Lamia
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About this listen

 Don't miss the extraordinary new novel from Sue Monk Kidd, The Book of Longings - published on 21st April 2020, and available to pre-order now.

The No. 1 New York Times bestseller.

From the celebrated author of the international bestseller The Secret Life of Bees comes an extraordinary novel about two exceptional women.

Sarah Grimké is the middle daughter. The one her mother calls difficult and her father calls remarkable. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, Hetty 'Handful' Grimke 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 ...

A powerful, sweeping novel, 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.

(P)2014 Headline Digital©2014 Sue Monk Kidd African American Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction United States World Literature Heartfelt Inspiring Thought-Provoking Technology
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I haven't read a lot of slavery, so perhaps am not the most informed reader - I do more movies - but this really gripped me. And it's very interesting that it's also based on true life. The feminism aspect of it - of women wanted to break away from social convention - was plus too.

I could have listened to this all day

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I loved this book, I was hooked from the start, in a seamless fusion of fact & fiction. I found it impossible to determine one from the other all the way through. I had seen the Film version of A Life of Bees & loved it, so this is what drew me to the Author. I will now seek out more, in hope of more captivating stories. Thank You.

Just the best

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Loved the dual narrative and how the characters developed throughout the novel until they finally achieved their freedom. The distinction between the literal slavery which the black people endured and the slavery of the mind which entrapped Sara is a clever one.

Wonderful

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Sue Monk Kidd is an exceptional author. This story, a lot of which based on real events and real people, is brilliantly told yet at the same time harrowing. The voice talent used to tell the story is incredible. Stunning book. Highly recommend!

Brilliant

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Loved Secret Life of Bees so thought I'd also enjoy this but didn't expect to be so swept away. Amazing tale of love, courage, and the best and worst of humanity. The readers really made this book come to life and I was so sad to lose them when I came to the end. Discovering it was based on real people, albeit with artistic license, had quite an impact and made me do my own little post listen research. Brilliant.

Beautifully written wonderfully read.

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