A very special lady suggested I read a book named The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, whose background is extremely interesting. The book is set in two places in Virginia during the colonial period from 1791 to the early 1800’s in both rural Virginia and Williamsburg, the previous capitol. The kitchen house was exactly that, the outlying building in which the meals were prepared for the ‘big house’. The captain of an ocean-going ship and owner of Tall Pines, the Virginia plantation, arrives at home following a voyage from Ireland in 1791, bringing with him a small 7 year old Irish girl. Lavinia is the young girl and she has been orphaned on the sea trip from Ireland. The captain then places Lavinia in the care of Belle, his illegitimate half Negro daughter. Belle is in charge of the kitchen house and there Lavinia stays for several years until she is taken to the ‘big house’ to help with the care of the Mistress.
Growing up, one hears and learns of the power that the Master of the plantation had over his slaves, a life or death matter. And the death could be decided by a whim or a lie from another white person. The book brings out this power and amplifies it to its end. An extremely well written book, the author speaks of her discovery of an old map during the restoration of an old plantation tavern in rural Virginia. On it was an area labeled “Negro Hill” and the author then decided to learn what possible tragedy this meant. After much research concerning the area and the lives of the resident slaves, the book came into being.
David Baldacci’s newest The Sixth Man has an opening that is definitely different from those of the usual books he writes. The first scene shows a man seated before an enormous wall screen constantly changing with data flowing across the screen. He also has earphones attached to his head that forward more data. Pleading for the never ending attack on his intellectual capacity to stop, he is then led from the room to a waiting vehicle where he is murdered by the inhabitants. Skipping several months Baldacci returns previous characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, former Secret Service agents, to the plot when they discover the body of an attorney, Ted Bergin, on a country road in Maine. And the plot continues from there, running back and forth to the ambitious Homeland Security secretary to a Federal maximum security prison for insane criminals.
As usual, Baldacci’s plot draws you in while it drops unbelievable hints along the way, all misleading. The climax and ending will, of course, surprise.
Sharon Sala is a new writer to us of a donated book, which is listed as romantic suspense by the publisher, but there seems to be very little romance in it. Suspense, yes. Entitled Missing, a returning soldier from Iraq and Afghanistan goes to Fort Benning, Georgia, following his release from a POW camp. When an explosion levels the commissary and his wife and 6 year old son are killed, Colonel Wes Holden of Special Ops leaves for parts unknown and soon finds himself walking down a mountainous country road in Blue Creek, West Virginia. There he finds himself becoming a resident in a small house, a member of the community and a neighbor to both Granny Devon, the local “seerer”, as well as Ally Monroe, her father and two brothers. And frightening circumstances, involving both neighbors and a strange scientist develop. Easy to read book and the plot flows well.
We have a number of books, both hard cover and soft cover, available for sale at the prices of $1.00 for hardcover and $0.25 for the soft. They make excellent companions when you go on a trip and don’t want to worry about a due date from our Library. Do come and check them out! You won’t be disappointed.
“When an old person dies, a Library burns down.” -Karin Gillespie
