The House Girl: A Novel

By Tara Conklin

A stunning New York Times bestselling novel that intertwines the stories of an escaped slave in 1852 Virginia and an ambitious young lawyer in contemporary New York and asks: is it ever too late to right a wrong?

Lynnhurst, Virginia, 1852. Seventeen-year-old Josephine Bell decides to run away from the failing tobacco farm where she is a slave and nurse to her ailing mistress, the aspiring artist Lu Anne Bell.

New York City, 2004. Lina Sparrow, an ambitious first-year associate in an elite law firm, is given a difficult, highly sensitive assignment that could make her career: finding the “perfect plaintiff” to lead a historic class-action lawsuit worth trillions of dollars in reparations for descendants of American slaves.

It is through her father, the renowned artist Oscar Sparrow, that Lina discovers Josephine Bell and a controversy rocking the art world: are the iconic paintings long ascribed to Lu Anne Bell really the work of her house slave, Josephine? A descendant of Josephine’s—if Lina can locate one—would be the perfect face for the reparations lawsuit. While following the runaway house girl’s faint trail through old letters and plantation records, Lina finds herself questioning her own family history and the secrets that her father has never revealed: how did Lina’s mother die? And why will he never speak about her?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Feb 12, 2013
• ISBN: 9781443413558

Tara Conklin

Tara Conklin was born on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and raised in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers The Last Romantics and The House Girl.  

Reviews for The House Girl

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is an interesting story combining history, art and the law. It is told in two narratives - Josephine, a 17 year-old house slave and modern day Lina, a young attorney. Gradually their stories intersect and the book becomes more interesting. However, I found Lina's story far more compelling as she searches for the 'perfect' plaintiff to be the face of a class lawsuit for slave reparations. I enjoyed the first few chapters of Josephine's story but then I found her story incomplete. She felt plastic and lacked emotion so I never really connected with her. The ending was also rather disappointing after having spent nearly a week following the lives of Lina and Josephine.

[cariola_6 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one started out promising, but it didn't deliver. Lina Sparrow, a junior lawyer at an elite New York firm, is assigned an interesting case: to find a focal litigant for a class action suit demanding reparations for the descendants of slaves. Lina's father is a well-known artist whose agent is promoting an exhibition of the work of Lu Ann Bell, a Virginia plantation owner's wife who painted portraits of her slaves in the 1840s. But is Lu Ann really the artist or, as some critics suspect, is it her house girl, Josephine? Lina decides to search for a descendant of Josephine (if indeed there are any), thinking that the publicity from the exhibition will help to garner support for her case.So where did this go wrong? Mainly because the author couldn't leave well enough alone and inserted way, way too many side stories, feebly affixed to the main one. Oscar Sparrow also has an exhibition in line, a series of portraits of the wife who died 20 years ago. Lina barely remembers her mother and is confused by the intensity of the paintings. What really happened to her mother? What was her parents' marriage really like? She's also dealing with multiple conflicts--with her father and the fact that he has a new love interest, with her critical boss at the law firm and the overly competitive lawyer with whom she is working on the case, getting over a recent breakup, figuring out her own sense of self, etc., etc. etc. And--of course--she had to throw in a love interest. I would have preferred the simple focus on Josephine's sad story.This author has a new book out, but I think I will pass.

[clphotography · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this on audio. As it's told from dual pov and two different periods of time, I thought I may have difficulty following along. I did not. It was such a well written story. The only downfall I could possibly see is that the chapters are few. However, with an audio, the story went by quite quickly without boredom or confusion. If you are into Historial Fiction in reference to slavery, I recommend The House Girl.

[pegmcdaniel · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is the debut novel for Tara Conklin. It's historical fiction set in two time periods: (1) present day New York City with Attorney Lina who works on a class action case on behalf of the descendants of slaves who were never paid for their work, and (2) mid-1800's Virginia on a failing tobacco plantation where Josephine is a slave house girl. Josephine is artistic and brave and dreams of running away to escape the hard life and abuse she suffers. The chapters switch between the viewpoints of these two protagonists. There are several stories going on making the book too long plus the author writes many detailed descriptions of various settings with information that seems like it's just to make the book longer. There are well-developed characters in Lina and Josephine. I was routing for Josephine to make her escape and for Lina to find the information she needed in all her research to win her case.

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Josephine is a house girl, a slave in 1852 living with the Bells on a dying plantation with a dying mistress, and dreams of running away. In the present day, Lina Sparrow is a young litigation lawyer whose firm is representing a client suing for reparation against big name companies that profited from slavery in the 19th century.I didn't exactly know what to expect when I picked up this debut historical fiction novel for this month's book club book. I was quickly sucked into both Josephine and Lina's stories. In alternating chapters, the story investigates the nearly unimaginable long-term toll that slavery has taken on an entire nation, while illuminating the lives of these two women with their own heartaches. There is plenty for a book club to discuss, and Conklin's writing has a smooth style that makes for compelling reading. I could have used a little more development of secondary characters such as Lina's boss, her father, and the potential love interest that shows up, but overall I really enjoyed this thought-provoking, challenging read.

[lauralkeet · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The House Girl starts off with an intriguing premise and structure. The chapters and voice alternate between a present-day young female lawyer named Lina, and Josephine, a slave working as "house girl" for the lady of the house. The lawyer is working on a case involving reparations for slavery and must identify someone descended from a slave to serve as lead plaintiff. Josephine's mistress is an artist, and in the present day, the artistic community believes the paintings may actually have done by the slave girl. The potential lead plaintiff emerges during an exhibition of the artist's work, and Lina convinces her law firm to send her to Virginia for research in the state's archives to locate Josephine's descendants. Meanwhile, back in the 19th century, Josephine may or may not have had a baby, and she tries to escape via the Underground Railroad.While all of this seemed promising at first, ultimately this novel failed to deliver. Josephine's story relied too heavily on supposed historical documents to move the plot along. Lina's story included a subplot about Lina's relationship with her father Oscar, an artist who raised Lina single-handedly after her mother died when Lina was very young. The tension between Lina and Oscar wasn't developed enough to be believable; I never understood why they didn't just sit down and talk things out, and why Lina found his paintings of her mother so offensive. And then there's Lina's full name: Carolina Sparrow. Seriously? It sounds more like a bird than a person, and once that thought struck me I had a hard time getting past it.I read this for a book club whose members enjoy discussing the dilemmas and decisions that face characters in a novel. And in that respect, I think they will love this book. I tend to focus more on the writing, and the quality of the story, and was left disappointed by The House Girl.

[grannynanny_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very good book!

[terran_9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book held my interest so well I couldn't put it down. The conditions under which slaves lived in the 1850s and the attitudes of their owners are difficult to read about. But there is a mystery involved in an attempt to find the descendants of the "house girl" in order to seek compensation to the family. The details seem plausible and the characters' personalities come through very strongly. Good historical fiction.

[marysgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a fan of dual time-period novels. Many authors have to stretch to make the historical and present-day narratives mesh or add a fantasy element. Tara Conklin pulls off this trick with skill and finesse. I was fully invested in both her main characters: the artist-slave Josephine and the modern-day lawyer (salary slave?) Lina. Although, their stories parallel with missing mothers, unrealized potential, and overlap with mysteries, it's always obvious that Josephine's life is tragic and Lina deals with what we call "first-world problems." Both make life-changing choices, but Josephine's are visceral and dangerous.Conklin provides a well-paced poignant story with suspense, detailed settings, and interesting characters. My only complaint is a plot twist involving some too-convenient epistolary evidence which I can't explain without spoilers. A small complaint compared to the overall effort which brings us a wonderful tale addressing a difficult subject. Highly recommended.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

2004: Lina Sparrow, an artist's daughter, is an ambitious young lawyer working on a historic class-action lawsuit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves. Lina's search to find a plaintiff for her case will introduce her to Josephine, a seventeen-year-old slave in 1852, tends to the mistress of a Virginia tobacco farm - an aspiring artist named Lu Anne Bell. Was Josephine the real talent behind her mistress's now-famous portraits?A very interesting story told in parallel time between 2004 and 1852. At first, it's a slow read, but as the two stories come closer to merging, you will cheer not only for Lina's effort to recognize and reveal Josephine's achievements, but also for her success in finally compensating families of African American slaves.

[toric90 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I like the idea of this book and what this book potentially could have been, but I wasn't a huge fan of how it was written nor some of the story line (particularly the mess about Lina's mother). I wouldn't necessarily say it was a waste of my time, I enjoyed it enough, but I probably wouldn't recommend it to others.

[kblinn_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tara Conklin has written a wonderful book about a slave from Virginia and a lawyer in New York City, who was a kind of slave to her law firm. The book flips back and forth from 1853 to 2004. Josephine, the slave, was a house slave whose mistress taught her to read and write and allowed her access to art supplies. Her artwork survived although it was attributed to her mistress, Lu Anne Bell, who died in 1853. Carolina Sparrow (Lina) is an up-and-coming Caucasian lawyer at a large NYC firm who is assigned to work on a slave reparations lawsuit. She is the daughter of two artists although her mother died when Lina was four. Her father has painted a series of paintings featuring her mother, about whom he had refused to say much over the years. The book weaves these stories together pretty seamlessly and ends up as a spell binding read. Highly recommended! I could hardly put it down.

[meadowmist_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From 1852 to 2004....from one artist to another....from a farm in Virginia to the hustle and bustle of New York City.THE HOUSE GIRL flawlessly switches between these two time periods telling of the life of Josephine, a slave girl, Lina, a New York City attorney, and Lina's father, Oscar, an artist. The book leads you through the life of Josephine as she struggles with her decision to "run, it leads you through the life of Lina who is researching families who may benefit from wrong doing during the period of slavery in the United States, and it leads you through the life of Oscar trying to make amends through his artwork. The most significant question, though, along with finding descendants is that of who really did create the paintings found in Lu Anne Bell's home? Was it really Lu Anne or was it Josephine? Corresponding with this painting mystery and the mystery of Josephine's descendants is that of Lina's mother...what really did happen to her when Lina was only four? You will get caught up in both stories because of the great detail Ms. Conklin uses and because of the research. I love "digging" for historical information. As you switch between the two stories, you will ask yourself to choose which life you were more interested in....Lina's or Josephine's....it may be difficult to choose since both were appealing and drew you in, but for me Josephine's story wins hands down for interest.It took a few chapters, but you will become so involved, it becomes difficult to stop reading....you want to know what will become of the characters and the answer to the mysteries.Each character comes alive with the vivid detail Ms. Conklin uses, and she puts their feelings out in the open...you can feel the tension, the pain, the frustration, the longing, and the fleeting happiness they experience. I really enjoyed this book because of the history and the research and of course the detailed descriptions of the characters.The historical aspect and the fact-finding kept me up late. It is very interesting how the farm's kitchen records, crop records, and births and deaths of every person including the slaves was kept. I thoroughly enjoy these types of findings. I also wonder how these records were not destroyed and who would have thought to preserve them. Such foresight....something to be grateful for. Don't miss this book especially if you are a historical fiction buff. This book pulls you in and will cause you to pause and reflect on the human race and have you wondering about the reasons why we do what we do, have you wondering what the reasons are that lead us to make the choices we make, and have you wondering about the reason we turned out to be the person we are. 5/5This book was given to me without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[clp412 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5 stars. This book was just ok for me. I didn't feel a big connection to Lina and I think that prevented me from loving it. I think it will be a great conversation at Book Club and the insight of others. The narrator for this audiobook was fabulous.

[bookscookslooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lina is an attorney - an associate in a large firm in NY - trying her hardest to be the best and to get ahead when her boss hands her a case that could make her career. It's a reparations case for slavery; she and another associate are to prepare a brief and find a plaintiff to be the "face" of the lawsuit so that they can sue major corporations for all of the free labor provided by slaves and use the money to fund scholarships, etc.Josephine is a slave, a "house girl" in the home of LuAnne Bell, woman dying from what I can guess to be cancer and a master who beats her and doesn't see her as anything other than property. Her only freedom in her life comes when she is allowed to draw and paint with her mistress - and she has a talent. One very bad day Josephine decides to escape the failing plantation and take her chances at true freedom.The stories of these two women intertwine when Lina, through her artist father and his connections finds that the famous paintings attributed to LuAnne Bell might actually have been painted by Josephine. The foundation that now owns the former Bell plantation does not want this to be true and is doing everything it can to prove it false. Lina feels that a descendant of Josephine's would make an excellent face for her case - if one exists.Before I begin my review of the book I must say that I love the cover. It's so very simple yet it draws you in. I know that had I been in a book store shopping this is a book I would have been drawn to - so kudos to whomever designed it. The story, though, is not simple at all. It's involved, engrossing and for me at least it was impossible to put down. I read it in one sitting. The very first paragraph pulls you into Josephine's story and doesn't let you go. I must admit that Josephine's portion of the book - it is told in a back and forth manner - was more interesting to me but Lina's search for her history was NEARLY as fascinating. I am a lover of the historical so I do prefer the "olden times." It was when Lina's personal life entered the story that I was a bit distracted. All of the hullabaloo about her mother did not lead where I expected it to and in my opinion did not add anything to the plot. That is the reason for my not giving the book a 5 rating.Overall though, I loved it - obviously as I'm keeping this one for a second read. The hubby is reading it as I type and he is as engrossed as I was so it's a book for both genders. It has fascinating characters, a thought provoking plot and it keeps you guessing. What more can you ask of a book?

[silva_44 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story about an attorney assigned to work on a reparations case, and a young black girl who is the house slave of a failing tobacco farmer. Although I am more interested in reading about reparations where Native Americans are concerned, I did appreciate the way that the stories of the two women intersected.

[karenherndon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story, well written, couldn't put it down!

[froxgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fine read, with two congruent stories in alternating chapters. That being said, I am a bit tired of that particular format, but that should not reflect badly on this book, I guess, that I grew bored with the "1850s/2010" this-then-that.The stories are of Josephine, a slave with great artistic talent, and Lina, an attorney whose father is an artist. The conceit is a reparations case for slavery itself, which I thought very novel. I must also admit that I had never considered that a slave might be a fine artist. Building furniture, yes, handling animals with great skill, sure, domestic arts, unfortunately. But the story really opened my eyes to how many slaves must have had similar abilities which were never allowed to develop. I think it's a sign of my residual racism. Not that it's a topic for my book review either but...The more I think about this book, the more highly I recommend it. Both major characters, and the minor ones, are very well drawn and the story flows beautifully.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tara Conklin intertwines the story of two women: Josephine Bell, a Virginia house slave who in 1853 is trying desperately to escape to freedom and Lina Sparrow, a New York attorney looking for a plaintiff to serve as "lead plaintiff" in a class action suit in 2004 to compel the payment of reparations for descendants of slaves. The story is hung together by the discovery of some artwork that is thought to have been painted by Josephine Bell although heretofore attributed to her owner. The slave story is by far the more compelling. We read of harsh treatment, unsuccessful escapes, and finally her "trip" on the Underground Railroad. The characters are well-drawn, believable, and the story hangs together beautifully. The reader is emotionally drawn into the life of Josephine, given insight into the extreme conditions slaves endured both in captivity in the south, and throughout the ordeal of the escapees.Lina's story on the other hand is a bit sparse. I found it difficult to relate to this young woman who seems to have no backbone in her job, whose researching skills are lacking and who seems to be on the receiving end of several fortuitous happenings. I couldn't quite figure out if the plaintiff she was pursuing was also meant to be a romantic interest, and I found the whole reparations story a wee stretch. The story of Josephine and her paintings carried the book. The platform of the reparations case was quite unsteady, and the ending really left me hanging.Overall, the book is still worth reading if for no other reason than for the clear picture of slave life and the hopelessness of their situation. Reparations may be called for. I just wish the author had made a better case for them, and found a more convincing plaintiff and built a more persuasive case.

[coltfan18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lina is a corporate lawyer and is assigned to find descendants of slaves to get reparation for them. She learns of Josephine, a slave who may be the artist of paintings credited to her owner Lu Anne Bell. This book is their story of the current day research and the past of Josephine's life. Some parts of Josephine's life may be hard to read, but you like her and her spirit. I liked the book and both main characters.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Skilled slaves were often hired out as craftsmen and women. We know this because their masters and mistresses earned money from their talents. But what about those artistic talents that didn't earn money? What about a highly talented landscape painter and portraitist? Would her work, unsigned by her of course, be attributed wrongly to the not nearly so talented but definitely white mistress of the house who liked to dabble with paint? In Tara Conklin's novel, The House Girl, this question of authorship and art coupled with the themes of family and belonging twine throughout the complex dual narrative plot. Lina Sparrow is a new lawyer. Raised by her charismatic artist father after her artist mother's death when she was small, she has worked hard to get where she is in life, juggling her own drive with taking care of her often times absent minded father. She is an up and coming star for her year at her very high powered law firm and she's just been asked to work on a slavery reparations class action lawsuit against the US government, provided she can find a suitable lead plaintiff to be the poster child for the suit. And this is the point where Lina's two lives, the controlled work life and the bohemian home life collide since she comes up with the idea for a lead plaintiff while at an exhibition with her father. She sees works by antebellum artist Lu Anne Bell who captured life on a southern plantation in her landscapes and portraits but it is the more and more generally accepted suggestion that Bell's best works were in actual fact painted by her house girl Josephine and claimed as Lu Anne's that is most interesting to Lina. And so she sets out to find out the truth about the paintings and if Josephine had any descendants who could possibly be the face of Lina's lawsuit. While Lina's search for Josephine's fate and family goes on in the modern day, the novel also tracks Josephine's life in the pre-war years. She is an accomplished artist but her talent must be sublimated to her duties to her very ill mistress. The master of the plantation is a cruel and hard man, breaking not only his slaves but also his wife. Lina resolves to flee the Lynnhurst plantation right from the opening chapter of the novel although it takes her a long time to acquire the knowledge and the resolve to follow through with her desire to be free. Her tale of slavery is not unusual but that doesn't make the telling any easier. The novel starts off exceedingly slowly and even though the reader knows that the parallel stories must converge, it took quite a while for Lina's search to line up with the goings on in Josephine's life, delaying the revelations that must come in the end. But eventually they did compliment each other better than in the beginning and worked to engage the reader. Josephine's life, although representative of so many slaves, was a fascinating one while Lina's life and work on the lawsuit was less interesting although her own search for the truth about her family as she searched for the truth about Josephine's possible descendants was an interesting parallel. The fact that Lina so easily finds what she is looking for though, where others have failed through the years, makes the ending to the novel unearned and although the trail of letters from both Dorothea and Caleb Harper concludes several plot threads quite tidily, both those instances were too deus ex machine and made for too easy and neat a conclusion. There are interesting themes in the novel, that of the personal and political connections to art, family and truth, the search for self, origins and provenance, and the complications of history to name just some and because of that the book is a good read if not a great one.

[jmoncton_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The House Girl is a novel with two parallel stories - the first about a 19 year old slave girl, Josephine Bell living on a plantation in 1852, and the second follows Lina Sparrow, an ambitious first-year lawyer who has been assigned to a class action suit involving reparations for the descendants of American slaves. It might seem that a new author would struggle with recreating a believable narrative for a plantation slave, but this was not the case. Josephine's story was heartfelt and filled with vivid descriptions. I loved this portion of the book. I definitely got a real sense of the horrific conditions and treatment of the slaves and although it is unrealistic, it made me really want the modern day class action suit to result in something, even if it was an official government apology for the wrongs inflicted on the slaves. But I struggled with the modern day story. It almost felt like this book was written by two different people. As much as the historic part was rich with description and the characters were complex, the modern day story was flat. There were several coincidences and subplots that made what could have been a deep and powerful book seem trite and more of a 'chick lit' read. Promising, but not good enough.

[julie3billing · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While this is ficitonalized, it's always interesting to think about the relationship between characters of such different means, backgrounds and standing. I don't always enjoy back and forth timelines in books, in this case I think it worked well. Overall a good read.

[cherybear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the parallel stories of Lina and Josephine, and was intrigued by the idea of artwork being attributed to white artists, that may have actually been done by slaves. The part of the story about Lina's mother, and her relationship with her father, was not as strong as the rest of the book, but that's a small quibble. I kept wanting to find out what happens to Josephine. As a librarian, I also enjoyed the parts dealing with research and archives!

[ellsbethb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While this book started out a little slow for me, it really picked up steam and ended up being a really good read. I enjoyed it.

[mom2acat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel intertwines the stories of two women from two different centuries. Lina Sparrow is a young lawyer working on a historic class-action suit seeking reparations for the descendants of American slaves. While doing her research, she learns of Josephine, a 17 year old house slave working in a plantation house in antebellum Virginia. Her mistress is an aspiring artist named Lu Anne Bell, and it has has just recently come to light that a collection of artwork credited to Lu Anne were actually drawn and painted by Josephine.As Lina works to track down the descendants of Josephine and find plaintiffs for the lawsuit, she has to deal with the fallout of secrets in her own family coming to light.This was a fascinating read, and a real page-turner; I enjoyed the stories of both women, but it was Josephine's story that interested me the most. This is the first novel written by this author, who was a lawyer herself at one time. I hope she continues to write, especially if it's historical fiction, because I'd love to read more from her.

[khiemstra631 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tara Conklin has written a wonderful book about a slave from Virginia and a lawyer in New York City, who was a kind of slave to her law firm. The book flips back and forth from 1853 to 2004. Josephine, the slave, was a house slave whose mistress taught her to read and write and allowed her access to art supplies. Her artwork survived although it was attributed to her mistress, Lu Anne Bell, who died in 1853. Carolina Sparrow (Lina) is an up-and-coming Caucasian lawyer at a large NYC firm who is assigned to work on a slave reparations lawsuit. She is the daughter of two artists although her mother died when Lina was four. Her father has painted a series of paintings featuring her mother, about whom he had refused to say much over the years. The book weaves these stories together pretty seamlessly and ends up as a spell binding read. Highly recommended! I could hardly put it down.

[silversreviews · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From 1852 to 2004....from one artist to another....from a farm in Virginia to the hustle and bustle of New York City.THE HOUSE GIRL flawlessly switches between these two time periods telling of the life of Josephine, a slave girl, Lina, a New York City attorney, and Lina's father, Oscar, an artist. The book leads you through the life of Josephine as she struggles with her decision to "run, it leads you through the life of Lina who is researching families who may benefit from wrong doing during the period of slavery in the United States, and it leads you through the life of Oscar trying to make amends through his artwork. The most significant question, though, along with finding descendants is that of who really did create the paintings found in Lu Anne Bell's home? Was it really Lu Anne or was it Josephine? Corresponding with this painting mystery and the mystery of Josephine's descendants is that of Lina's mother...what really did happen to her when Lina was only four? You will get caught up in both stories because of the great detail Ms. Conklin uses and because of the research. I love "digging" for historical information. As you switch between the two stories, you will ask yourself to choose which life you were more interested in....Lina's or Josephine's....it may be difficult to choose since both were appealing and drew you in, but for me Josephine's story wins hands down for interest.It took a few chapters, but you will become so involved, it becomes difficult to stop reading....you want to know what will become of the characters and the answer to the mysteries.Each character comes alive with the vivid detail Ms. Conklin uses, and she puts their feelings out in the open...you can feel the tension, the pain, the frustration, the longing, and the fleeting happiness they experience. I really enjoyed this book because of the history and the research and of course the detailed descriptions of the characters.The historical aspect and the fact-finding kept me up late. It is very interesting how the farm's kitchen records, crop records, and births and deaths of every person including the slaves was kept. I thoroughly enjoy these types of findings. I also wonder how these records were not destroyed and who would have thought to preserve them. Such foresight....something to be grateful for. Don't miss this book especially if you are a historical fiction buff. This book pulls you in and will cause you to pause and reflect on the human race and have you wondering about the reasons why we do what we do, have you wondering what the reasons are that lead us to make the choices we make, and have you wondering about the reason we turned out to be the person we are. 5/5This book was given to me without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[quiltinfun06 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The House Girl was actually two stories in one book. One was great, the other distracting. Josephine has been the house girl enslaved by the Bell family. She has been the care giver to the Missus, Lu Anne . Lu Anne is kept comfortable in her dying days as Josephine manages her them with reading and painting. Lu Anne has been happy to share her art studio with Josephine, allowing her to paint exceptional works of art. Lina, a,present day attorney, has been assigned a case regarding historical reparations to slaves. She lives with her Dad an artist himself who has told her about an exhibit of Lu Anne Bells that is questioned for its authenticity. The storyline regarding Josephine is compelling. The back story of Lina and her family is an unwelcome distraction and totally unnecessary. Perhaps it should be its own novel. It was Lina's story that the reader gets bogged down in. I would be more inclined to give a good recommendation if the story had been only about Josephine.

[klmesoftly · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Don't be fooled by the title - this book is more about a white 21st century lawyer than about a slave woman. I would definitely file this next to The Help under "nice white lady learns Valuable Life Lessons from the suffering of black people." It's decently written, but I have to wonder what purpose the author saw in it or what message the reader is intended to take away.