Featured on Oprah’s Summer Reading ListFor readers of Delia Owens’ Where the Crawdads Sing and Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, this extraordinary historical debut novel follows three fierce Southern women in an unforgettable story of motherhood and womanhood.It’s 1924 in Branchville, South Carolina and three women have come to a crossroads. Gertrude, a mother of four, must make an … womanhood.
It’s 1924 in Branchville, South Carolina and three women have come to a crossroads. Gertrude, a mother of four, must make an unconscionable decision to save her daughters. Retta, a first-generation freed slave, comes to Gertrude’s aid by watching her children, despite the gossip it causes in her community. Annie, the matriarch of the influential Coles family, offers Gertrude employment at her sewing circle, while facing problems of her own at home.
These three women seemingly have nothing in common, yet as they unite to stand up to injustices that have long plagued the small town, they find strength in the bond that ties women together. Told in the pitch-perfect voices of Gertrude, Retta, and Annie, Call Your Daughter Home is an emotional, timeless story about the power of family, community, and ferocity of motherhood.
“Like Jill McCorkle and Sue Monk Kidd, Spera probes the comfort and strength women find in their own company.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine
“A mesmerizing Southern tale…Authentic, gripping, a page-turner, yet also a novel filled with language that begs to be savored.”
— Lisa Wingate, New York Times Bestselling Author of Before We Were Yours
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Total immersion in a world I never lived in. All three women were equally welcome on the stage as the novel switched back and forth… a feat, because often one POV is not as compelling as the others n books. Highly recommend.
A good read.
I enjoyed this book. Loved the ending !
I enjoyed it
Wonderful book. Women dealing with what life gave them and finding strength in unexpected places.so many levels. Loved it.
It is a realistic portrayal of the life of poor blacks and whites during the early 1900s and the prejudice that each group faced.
I was inspired by the characters, their faith in god and in themselves
This was an awesome story . i didn’t want it to end. . i hope the author writes more books. gifted writer.
Reminded me of “Where the Crawdads Sing”
If you love women’s fiction set in the south, run and get this book!
If you love stories about tough gritty women who look out for one another, run and get this book!
The story arcs of three women who occupy different social spheres in a small southern town community come together in a powerful story epitomizing what the sisterhood of women is all about. A secret slowly comes to light which touches the people each woman loves. The storyline is raw. The dimension and emotional strength of the characters is a testament to the author’s talent.
I loved this book
Wanting to open another book I recently read (to refer to as I wrote its review) I spotted this title. Knowing both that I’d read it, and that it wasn’t in my review drafts, I checked Goodreads and found it was still listed in my TBR as unread. Mystery solved, I decided to go ahead and knock this review out, lest I forget about it all over again.
Call Your Daughter Home take place in the small rural community of Branchville, South Carolina. The year is 1924, and times are hard for everyone following multiple years of boll weevil infestations that destroyed both the cotton crops and the local economy. The story focuses on three women who take turns narrating the story: Gertrude Pardee (impoverished mother of four, is driven to an act of desperation to get away from her violent husband), Annie Coles (matriarch of a prominent family, she mourns her son and is estranged from her daughters), and Retta Bootles (first-generation freed slave and housekeeper for the Coles family, who still grieves for her long-dead daughter). Despite being vastly different in personality (and their places within the community), a bond is formed between when the unthinkable happens.
If I had to pick a favorite character in this novel, it would definitely be Retta. She is the rock that holds everything together when things go bad. She was a steadying presence throughout, and there were many times that I doubted Gertrude or Annie would make it through a difficult situation, were it not for Retta being there. Not to mention, she was easily the most likable character of the three. That’s not to say the others were distinctly unlikable, just that I liked her the most.
There were times when I caught myself viewing their reactions to problems with a 21st century mindset, feeling incredulous that that was the way they chose to deal with it. I had to remind myself that things were very different for women in 1924, and even wealthy women like Annie were often powerless when it came to certain difficulties in life. (Something I shouldn’t have had to remind myself, considering how much history and historical fiction I read. I’m going to put it down to lack of focus in those moments.)
There was one major event in this story that took center stage. As this event played out, there were moments when I was uncertain of where things were headed. Little did I know it was headed to an explosive resolution that was as shocking as it was heartbreaking—and satisfying.
I enjoyed this novel very much. I only wish I hadn’t waited so long to read it.
I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of Park Row via Netgalley.
An excellent book about the secrets families keep hidden and the devastation that results. The novel depicts a time in Southern history, the 1920’s, when protocol and appearances reigned supreme in upper class society at the expense of a well-respected family’s mental and physical ruin.
Great story, loved this book
Great read. Characters well done. Some historical information from the perspectives of three very different women of different social classes, in the years after after the civil war, great depression. How their lives touched and how they were strong and faced hardships.
This was an interesting story of hardships in the South in the early 1900s. There was the issue of women’s rights , of poverty and the cotton crop that was destroyed by the boll weevils.Living in South Carolina, these are topics I have heard of .
Great read. Will enjoy it again.
A truly great book by a writer who has magnificent voice. One of the best books I’ve ever read.
Well written…I wanted to keep reading to find out what happens next.
Really enjoyed this book. Loved all the women!