“Mister hit Josephine
with the palm of his hand across her left cheek and it was then she knew she
would run. . . The blow came without warning, no reason that Josephine could
say.”
Josephine had tried to run once when she was twelve or
thirteen. As the novel opens, she’s a
seventeen-year-old house slave who tends to her mistress, an artist named Lu
Anne Bell, on a Virginia plantation in 1852. Josephine’s attempted escape and the tales of
the people who aided or thwarted her gird this section of the novel.
In the alternate story set in 2004, Lina, a first year
associate in a New York law firm, must find a face for her historic case seeking reparations for the descendants
of American slaves Lina and her artist father
have lived in their Brooklyn house her entire life; it’s her rock in an
uncertain world. Lina’s father soon
helps her discover that the famous, surviving paintings by Lu Anne Bell, portraits
of slaves on her plantation, may actually have been the work of Josephine, the
slave.
Lina is certain that one of Josephine’s descendants would be
perfect for the lawsuit so she sets off to find one. In her quest she learns about Josephine’s life
in 1852 and discovers parallels with her own complicated story including that
of her mother’s mysterious death when she was very young.
Josephine’s story is evocative of the period and Conklin’s
writing soars in her descriptions of plantation life. Her reliance on actual slave diaries is
evident and she makes the characters seem real and important. She’s less successful with Lina’s life which
seems almost an afterthought and that surprised me since Conklin herself was once
an attorney much like Lina.
The reviews of this novel are almost as divided as the issue
of slavery was in 1852. Kirkus loves it
and Kirkus is unrelentingly tough so when it gives a book a starred review, it
means it. IndieNext made it the top pick for February. But Publishers Weekly wrote one of the most scathing
condemnations I’ve read in that publication -- calling it “trite, predictable,
and insensitive at its core.” This reader
believes there’s truth in all their observations and reasons galore for many to
love this book and for others to find it wanting.
It seems to be a case of split personality, a tale of two
eras, two house girls. Lina can leave her
house but doesn't. Josephine wants to leave but can’t. Who’s free?
Who’s enslaved?
I really cared
about Josephine and her quest but I didn't feel there was enough information
or character development in Lina’s story. I wish the author had simply written
Josephine’s story and allowed her powerful words to illuminate the horrors of
slavery.
Summing it Up: Read
the excerpt. Decide for yourself. Enjoy learning about the life of Josephine,
the artist and slave, in 1852 but don’t expect as much from Lina’s world today.
Rating: 3 stars
Category: Historical Fiction, Grandma’s Pot Roast, Super
Nutrition, Book Club
Publication date:
February 12, 2013
Author Website: http://www.taraconklin.com/
Reading Group Guide: (Warning: it contains spoilers!)
http://www.harpercollins.com/author/authorExtra.aspx?authorID=39628&isbn13=9780062207395&displayType=readingGuide
Interview on NPR: http://www.npr.org/2013/02/10/171396947/house-girl-ties-past-to-present-in-tale-of-art-and-slavery?ft=1&f=1032
What Others are Saying:
Publishers Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-220739-5
Rhapsody in Books: http://rhapsodyinbooks.wordpress.com/2013/02/11/black-history-month-review-the-house-girl-by-tara-conklin/
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