--- product_id: 14656533 title: "The Invention of Wings" price: "142.93 DT" currency: TND in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tn/products/14656533-the-invention-of-wings store_origin: TN region: Tunisia --- # 4.5/5 from 55,000+ readers Top #20 in Biographical & Autofiction Bestselling historical fiction The Invention of Wings **Price:** 142.93 DT **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 📖 Unlock the past, empower your present with a story that demands to be heard! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Invention of Wings - **How much does it cost?** 142.93 DT with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tn](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/14656533-the-invention-of-wings) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Unforgettable Female Voices:** Explore the courageous journeys of women who challenged 19th-century social norms and fought for freedom. - • **Dive into History with Heart:** Experience the powerful true-inspired story of Sarah and Angelina Grimké, pioneering abolitionists and feminists. - • **Rich, Emotional Storytelling:** Sue Monk Kidd’s masterful prose blends historical truth with compelling fiction to inspire and move you. - • **Critically Acclaimed Bestseller:** Join over 55,000 readers who rated this #1 New York Times bestselling novel 4.5 stars. - • **A Must-Read for Social Change Advocates:** Perfect for professionals seeking deeper understanding of race, gender, and activism’s roots. ## Overview The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is a #1 New York Times bestselling historical fiction novel that chronicles the intertwined lives of Sarah and Angelina Grimké, two pioneering abolitionists and feminists in 19th-century America. Praised for its emotional depth and rich storytelling, the book has earned a 4.5-star rating from over 55,000 readers and ranks among the top titles in Biographical & Autofiction and Black & African American Historical Fiction categories. It offers a profound exploration of courage, sacrifice, and social justice that resonates with today’s advocates for equality. ## Description From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees comes a novel about two unforgettable American women. Hetty “Handful” Grimke, an urban slave in early nineteenth century Charleston, yearns for life beyond the suffocating walls that enclose her within the wealthy Grimke household. The Grimke’s daughter, Sarah, has known from an early age she is meant to do something large in the world, but she is hemmed in by the limits imposed on women. Kidd’s sweeping novel is set in motion on Sarah’s eleventh birthday, when she is given ownership of ten year old Handful, who is to be her handmaid. We follow their remarkable journeys over the next thirty five years, as both strive for a life of their own, dramatically shaping each other’s destinies and forming a complex relationship marked by guilt, defiance, estrangement and the uneasy ways of love. Inspired by the historical figure of Sarah Grimke, Kidd goes beyond the record to flesh out the rich interior lives of all of her characters, both real and invented, including Handful’s cunning mother, Charlotte, who courts danger in her search for something better. This exquisitely written novel is a triumph of storytelling that looks with unswerving eyes at a devastating wound in American history, through women whose struggles for liberation, empowerment, and expression will leave no reader unmoved. Review: Excels at taking us into the interior lives of its two main characters - "Invention of Wings," by Sue Monk Kidd, is a thoroughly entertaining and fascinating historical novel, one that opens the doors wide to the interior lives of its two strong-willed female characters. The writing is beautiful: the prose layered, heartfelt, and psychologically nuanced; the dialog honest and authentic. Indeed, it’s the type of prose that takes on an organic life of its own…the type of book that is capable of transporting its readers to another reality, another time, place, and culture. We step inside the lives of its two characters and experience their world through their eyes. I positively loved this book! It exposed me to a number of serious historical issues from the point of view of the people who lived through that era. The novel tells the fictionalized story of the life of Sarah Grimke—the acclaimed early 19th century American abolitionist, writer, suffragist, and champion for women’s rights. The story of Sarah’s life is not only told from this character’s first person voice, but also, in alternating chapters, from the first person voice of Sarah’s personal slave, Hetty Handful Grimke. The novel opens when Handful is ten and Sarah is eleven. Purple ribbons and bows are tied around Handful’s body and she is presented to Sarah as a surprise birthday present. Even at that young age, Sarah knew she didn’t want or need a personal slave and that it was not right to own another human being, but she did not have a choice in the matter. She tried to reject the gift, but her mother would hear nothing of it. In the novel, Sarah and Handful grow up together. They become life-long confidants and friends. Each, in her own way, tries to make the world a better and more tolerant place. The novel covers roughly 35 years in their lives. The novel takes the reader on a biographical journey through most of the major historical milestones in Sarah’s life. Through the book, we experience many of the important historical figures of the day. But more importantly, this novel allows readers inside the interior landscapes of Sarah’s and Handful’s private thoughts. We learn how these women felt about the history that was taking place as their lives unfolded. We learn how the effects these events became part of the permanent fabric of their lives. It is interesting to note that the real historical slave, Hetty Grimke, died sometime in childhood. Thus, writing Hetty into Sarah’s life for more than 35 years is a pure literary fabrication. But it is a brilliant one! Through Hetty, the author was able to explore many serious racial issues from a era-specific cultural perspective. Also, Hetty’s story provides more emotional depth and breadth to the story than it would have been there if the novel had only focused on Sarah’s life and achievements. Sarah is a fascinating character, but Hetty’s life is the soul of this novel. I will not soon forget these two women. I am grateful to Sue Monk Kidd for allowing me to enter their worlds. I recommend this book highly. I trust it will sell well and become a strong book club favorite. Review: ... Absolutely Superp and Delightful I think it is a beautiful, well-written and touching book - The invention of wings - Absolutely Superp and Delightful I think it is a beautiful, well-written and touching book. It brings us close to the atrocities of slavery in a time when both women and slaves had no rights and no voice at all. Although the atrocities are there since they are part of the characters’ lives, they are not the center of the plot. In a family where slave cruelty was commonplace, an abolitionist child, Sarah, flourishes and will go through an ordeal not only to respect her beliefs but also to fight for them. The same happens to her younger sister Nina who, as Sarah's goddaughter, not only takes after her in her position before the world and its injustices, but is bolder and moves from words to actions more promptly. Sarah's life is entwined with the life of the slave she receives as a gift on her 11th birthday, Hetty Handful, to whose freedom she feels committed. The author has a wonderful way with the words and delights us with precious paragraphs that unveil the insights of these three girls on their way towards womanhood. It's amazing how she outlines the accomplishments of the two sisters who had to break with their origin within an aristocratic family, and everything brought along with it, in their pursue to be true to themselves, becoming the two first female abolition agents in America. “Sarah the first woman in America to write a comprehensive feminist manifesto and Nina the first woman in the United States to speak before a legislative body” as the author stated. Two historical women wonderfully depicted by Mrs. Monk Kidd. The story of three women who found their ways to voice themselves, and I felt privileged to have been led by Mrs. Kidd into following their steps. The way the relationship between Sarah and the slave Hetty Handful develops did not meet my initial expectations but now I am sure it could not have been different in the 1800’s. In fact, this sensation did not affect neither my appreciation of the book nor the impact it had on me. On the contrary, it rather challenged me into trying to understand both the time when they lived in and the magnitude of their attitudes. The bond and intimacy possible back then between a slave and a white person were determined by rules and laws instead of their feelings. Although the two girls struggled to go beyond these boundaries I had the sensation that it could have gone deeper and that a lot more was kept inside in many situations. I loved the way the author made me see how deeply the relationship impacted on one another in spite of the distance imposed by the rules, as well as understand the extent and importance of actions that seemed so little at first in many passages of the plot. Following the path of these two brave women in their fight against slavery and for women's rights, and the slave's endurance to preserve her inner freedom, was a rich and enlightening experience provided by an inspiring, worth-reading book that combines rich fiction and a story based on true characters that are historical figures. ## Features - From the celebrated author of The Secret Life of Bees, a #1 New York Times bestselling novel about two unforgettable American women. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #20,042 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #26 in Black & African American Historical Fiction (Books) #50 in Biographical Historical Fiction #736 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.5 out of 5 stars 55,829 Reviews | ## Images ![The Invention of Wings - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81leWz4Sp0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excels at taking us into the interior lives of its two main characters *by B***E on January 7, 2014* "Invention of Wings," by Sue Monk Kidd, is a thoroughly entertaining and fascinating historical novel, one that opens the doors wide to the interior lives of its two strong-willed female characters. The writing is beautiful: the prose layered, heartfelt, and psychologically nuanced; the dialog honest and authentic. Indeed, it’s the type of prose that takes on an organic life of its own…the type of book that is capable of transporting its readers to another reality, another time, place, and culture. We step inside the lives of its two characters and experience their world through their eyes. I positively loved this book! It exposed me to a number of serious historical issues from the point of view of the people who lived through that era. The novel tells the fictionalized story of the life of Sarah Grimke—the acclaimed early 19th century American abolitionist, writer, suffragist, and champion for women’s rights. The story of Sarah’s life is not only told from this character’s first person voice, but also, in alternating chapters, from the first person voice of Sarah’s personal slave, Hetty Handful Grimke. The novel opens when Handful is ten and Sarah is eleven. Purple ribbons and bows are tied around Handful’s body and she is presented to Sarah as a surprise birthday present. Even at that young age, Sarah knew she didn’t want or need a personal slave and that it was not right to own another human being, but she did not have a choice in the matter. She tried to reject the gift, but her mother would hear nothing of it. In the novel, Sarah and Handful grow up together. They become life-long confidants and friends. Each, in her own way, tries to make the world a better and more tolerant place. The novel covers roughly 35 years in their lives. The novel takes the reader on a biographical journey through most of the major historical milestones in Sarah’s life. Through the book, we experience many of the important historical figures of the day. But more importantly, this novel allows readers inside the interior landscapes of Sarah’s and Handful’s private thoughts. We learn how these women felt about the history that was taking place as their lives unfolded. We learn how the effects these events became part of the permanent fabric of their lives. It is interesting to note that the real historical slave, Hetty Grimke, died sometime in childhood. Thus, writing Hetty into Sarah’s life for more than 35 years is a pure literary fabrication. But it is a brilliant one! Through Hetty, the author was able to explore many serious racial issues from a era-specific cultural perspective. Also, Hetty’s story provides more emotional depth and breadth to the story than it would have been there if the novel had only focused on Sarah’s life and achievements. Sarah is a fascinating character, but Hetty’s life is the soul of this novel. I will not soon forget these two women. I am grateful to Sue Monk Kidd for allowing me to enter their worlds. I recommend this book highly. I trust it will sell well and become a strong book club favorite. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ... Absolutely Superp and Delightful I think it is a beautiful, well-written and touching book *by L***K on August 12, 2014* The invention of wings - Absolutely Superp and Delightful I think it is a beautiful, well-written and touching book. It brings us close to the atrocities of slavery in a time when both women and slaves had no rights and no voice at all. Although the atrocities are there since they are part of the characters’ lives, they are not the center of the plot. In a family where slave cruelty was commonplace, an abolitionist child, Sarah, flourishes and will go through an ordeal not only to respect her beliefs but also to fight for them. The same happens to her younger sister Nina who, as Sarah's goddaughter, not only takes after her in her position before the world and its injustices, but is bolder and moves from words to actions more promptly. Sarah's life is entwined with the life of the slave she receives as a gift on her 11th birthday, Hetty Handful, to whose freedom she feels committed. The author has a wonderful way with the words and delights us with precious paragraphs that unveil the insights of these three girls on their way towards womanhood. It's amazing how she outlines the accomplishments of the two sisters who had to break with their origin within an aristocratic family, and everything brought along with it, in their pursue to be true to themselves, becoming the two first female abolition agents in America. “Sarah the first woman in America to write a comprehensive feminist manifesto and Nina the first woman in the United States to speak before a legislative body” as the author stated. Two historical women wonderfully depicted by Mrs. Monk Kidd. The story of three women who found their ways to voice themselves, and I felt privileged to have been led by Mrs. Kidd into following their steps. The way the relationship between Sarah and the slave Hetty Handful develops did not meet my initial expectations but now I am sure it could not have been different in the 1800’s. In fact, this sensation did not affect neither my appreciation of the book nor the impact it had on me. On the contrary, it rather challenged me into trying to understand both the time when they lived in and the magnitude of their attitudes. The bond and intimacy possible back then between a slave and a white person were determined by rules and laws instead of their feelings. Although the two girls struggled to go beyond these boundaries I had the sensation that it could have gone deeper and that a lot more was kept inside in many situations. I loved the way the author made me see how deeply the relationship impacted on one another in spite of the distance imposed by the rules, as well as understand the extent and importance of actions that seemed so little at first in many passages of the plot. Following the path of these two brave women in their fight against slavery and for women's rights, and the slave's endurance to preserve her inner freedom, was a rich and enlightening experience provided by an inspiring, worth-reading book that combines rich fiction and a story based on true characters that are historical figures. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A FASCINATING STUDY OF PRE-CIVIL WAR SLAVERY AND ITS HUMAN IMPACT *by S***E on March 9, 2015* THE INVENTION OF WINGS REVIEW Sue Monk Kidd is a remarkable writer with insight, a talent for storytelling, and the ability to create characters that resonate with the reader. “The Invention of Wings” is a vivid novel that engages the reader in a historical period that has been dealt with many times but seldom with such jarring intensity and compassion. Sarah Grimke, the daughter of a wealthy landowner and holder of many slaves in Charleston, is given a 10-year old black girl for her eleventh birthday to act as her handmaid. Kidd’s novel, based on actual people and events, traces their lives in parallel stories over the next thirty-five years as Sarah struggles with her aversion to slavery and Handful, as the slave is known, battles the cruelty of the institution with its demands, punishments, and family disruptions. Their relationship is perplexing with its periods of defiance, love, misunderstanding, and futile efforts at merging two cultures. Kidd presents each experience using chapters that alternate between Sarah and Handful as the years progress. Sarah, along with her sister, Angelina, grows to be a force in abolition and women’s rights while Handful emulates her mother’s pugnacious behavior as she uses guile in her abolition efforts, stealing if necessary, to confuse and muddle tradition. Through the years, although separated by distance, their mutual dedication to disrupting the practice of slavery continues, Sarah to great notoriety and Handful to personal pain, disfigurement, and adversity. It is a moving story of two women and their common fight against oppression, although different approaches are used in their individual battles. The author does a splendid job of outlining each adventure and the different challenges that each woman faces. The characterizations are beautifully drawn. The dialogue sparkles. The period descriptions are historically correct and appropriate for the times. Kidd is careful to explain in her Author’s Note that the Grimke sisters were authentic and the first female abolition advocates as well as among the earliest feminist activists. Their struggles and motivations, as well as Sarah’s inner voice and actual life, are the author’s interpretations based on her research. Handful is a fictional character Kidd devised to add a slave’s voice and life to the story so both worlds could be presented. Handful is a wonderfully created character with spunk, determination, and a sassy spirit that longs for freedom. This is not a Civil War book. In fact the events begin some sixty years earlier. It is a time when the institution of slavery was deeply imbedded in the South and radical attempts at abolition were deeply resented but not taken very seriously. It is very illuminating to this reader who is more familiar with the time surrounding the war. Read it. Schuyler T Wallace Author of TIN LIZARD TALES --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tn/products/14656533-the-invention-of-wings](https://www.desertcart.tn/products/14656533-the-invention-of-wings) --- *Product available on Desertcart Tunisia* *Store origin: TN* *Last updated: 2026-06-04*