Historical fiction book · Curated
The Kitchen House
Kathleen Grissom · historical fiction
In the spring of 1791, seven-year-old Lavinia, an Irish orphan who cannot remember the voyage that killed her parents, is indentured to the kitchen house at Tall Oaks, Captain James Pyke’s tobacco plantation in Tidewater Virginia. Kathleen Grissom’s 2010 novel is Regency saga historical fiction of the years she is raised by Belle and the kitchen family, then drawn up into the big house, where the captain is away and the mistress is lost to opium.
Why read it: A widely searched plantation novel—the Grissom title readers look up by name (New York Times bestseller), and a 1791 Tidewater counterpart to The Confessions of Nat Turner already on the shelf (not Glory Over Everything).
About this historical novel
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom is historical fiction set around 1791–1811 in the Regency / Napoleonic period with key settings including Tall Oaks, Tidewater, Virginia. In the spring of 1791, seven-year-old Lavinia, an Irish orphan who cannot remember the voyage that killed her parents, is indentured to the kitchen house at Tall Oaks, Captain James Pyke’s tobacco plantation in Tidewater Virginia. Kathleen Grissom’s 2010 novel is Regency saga historical fiction of the years she is raised by Belle and the kitchen family, then drawn up into the big house, where the captain is away and the mistress is lost to opium.
On HisFic we tag it under 7. Family saga so you can pair it with similar story types. Recurring themes include slavery, family, indenture, loyalty, and plantation. A widely searched plantation novel—the Grissom title readers look up by name (New York Times bestseller), and a 1791 Tidewater counterpart to The Confessions of Nat Turner already on the shelf (not Glory Over Everything).
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Plot summary
In the spring of 1791, seven-year-old Lavinia, an Irish orphan who cannot remember the voyage that killed her parents, is indentured to the kitchen house at Tall Oaks, Captain James Pyke’s tobacco plantation in Tidewater Virginia. Kathleen Grissom’s 2010 novel is Regency saga historical fiction of the years she is raised by Belle and the kitchen family, then drawn up into the big house, where the captain is away and the mistress is lost to opium. A widely searched plantation novel—the Grissom title readers look up by name (New York Times bestseller), and a 1791 Tidewater counterpart to The Confessions of Nat Turner already on the shelf (not Glory Over Everything).
Subgenres
Eras
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Regions & places
North America
Tall Oaks · Tidewater · Virginia
Themes
- slavery
- family
- indenture
- loyalty
- plantation
Tags
saga · bestseller