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Call Your Daughter Home
Call Your Daughter Home | Deb Spera
35 posts | 31 read | 18 to read
A stunning tour de force following three fierce, unforgettable Southern women in the years leading up to the Great Depression Its 1924 South Carolina and the region is still recovering from the infamous boll weevil infestation that devastated the land and the economy. Gertrude, a mother of four, must make an unconscionable decision to save her daughters from starvation or die at the hands of an abusive husband. Retta is navigating a harsh world as a first-generation freed slave, still employed by the Coles, influential plantation proprietors who once owned her family. Annie is the matriarch of the Coles family and must come to terms with the terrible truth that has ripped her family apart. These three women seemingly have nothing in common, yet as they unite to stand up to the terrible 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 audacious, timeless story about the power of family, deep-buried secrets and the ferocity of motherhood.
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GinaKButler
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Up next on audio! I‘m using this one for 2018 in the Book Girls‘ Backlist Challenge. The physical copy has also been on my shelf for years. 🎧

#bookspinbingo
#unreadbookshelf

18 likes1 stack add
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Roxanareads
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Pickpick

This was a group read selection and an absolutely wonderful historical fiction read. I listened to it on audiobook.

megnews I loved this 2y
Roxanareads @megnews me too it was group read I am so glad I read it 2y
6 likes2 comments
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MaggieCarr
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Pickpick

As Retta says, “When a woman marries and takes her husband‘s name she is forever bound by his action and not her own. It ain‘t right, but that‘s the way it is.”

Strong Themes: Women‘s friendship, mother-daughter relationships, Regret, Drunkenness, Abuse, Abuse of Power through Poverty

A story of strong women pushed to extremes succeeds with convincing characters and a vivid portrait of the rural South a century ago.

Crazeedi Sounds like one I want to read, thanks!💗 3y
28 likes1 comment
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JackieGreco
Pickpick

This was a powerful story of three women and their families in the early twentieth century. It showed the disparities of wealth, class, and race amongst the three female narrators. The women shared their strength as mothers. I loved this novel 5/5

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S3V3N
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Pickpick

My book club met at a restaurant last night to discuss the tagged book. I haven‘t finished the book 😞, but everyone loved it. They had great conversation about it. I just listened and enjoyed my meal. I‘m not going to attend anymore if I don‘t finish the book. LOL I think I‘m in a reading slump.🤷🏽‍♀️Based on the discussion this was a really good book.

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S3V3N
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Pickpick

Such a good book about race, class, family and 3 strong women. My book club is reading this one.

megnews I loved this so much. 3y
S3V3N @megnews very good book. 3y
36 likes2 comments
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Wife
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Mehso-so

At many points in the story, there was an opportunity for it to take off. Each time, it fell flat. I was invested in the characters and wanted more detail. It would have made a good saga if the minor characters had a chance to develop. Left me wanting more. 2/5🐊s

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suvata
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Pickpick

In South Carolina in the 1920s, three memorable women struggle with challenging family relationships amid the depths of the Depression in this impressive first novel.

Spera‘s debut weaves together the stories of Annie Coles, matriarch of a white, plantation-owning family; Oretta Bootles, Annie‘s black housekeeper; and Gertrude Pardee, a young white woman who has fled a brutally abusive husband and their isolated, ramshackle home.

CoverToCoverGirl I have this one, looking forward to reading it... didn‘t realize it was a debut novel. 4y
suvata @CoverToCoverGirl actually, I think it is her only novel to date. It‘s a really good one. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 4y
50 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Pinta
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Mehso-so

Attention-grabbing stalk-the-gator opening scene, but loses steam & convincing motivation, narrative unravels @ halfway mark. Didn‘t know what to do with the bad-guy patriarch maybe? Hate to love a book halfway thru & then feel cheated. 1924 South Carolina in economic ruin after boll weevil infestation, narration jumps between three fierce, intertwined women. Thoughtful, colorful, straightforward prose. Wish I could have loved it whole. 2019

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megnews
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One of my favorite 5 star reads of 2019 on sale today. Highly recommend to historical fiction and southern fiction lovers. I couldn‘t put it down. #kindledeal

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StaceyGlows
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Pickpick

This book ♥️ So freakin good.

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Areader2
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Pickpick

What a wonderful debut novel, set in South Carolina in the 1920‘s, the story revolves around three woman,and how their lives intertwine.With the back drop of all the descriptions of summer in the south , add in a little magic realism and amazing southern food. Each woman struggles with their own demons and that builds up this powerful story.

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mermaid12159
Pickpick

What a beautiful story. The author did such an amazing job at giving each woman her own narrative that you had no choice but to read it in three different voices. A book I'll definitely recommend! 💙💎🦁

megnews I loved this! 4y
5 likes1 comment
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HazeltheDog
Pickpick

A well written story set in the 1920's of 3 Southern mothers from various social economic backgrounds whose lives become intertwined. A story of marriage, motherhood, and betrayal, Call Your Daughter home does not disappoint.

megnews I loved this. 5y
4 likes1 comment
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Sassy_Steph
Pickpick

This book was so good, if you haven‘t already read it, do it! Really good for lovers of where the crawdads sing! My heart broke a little bit for these characters!!!

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Tamra
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Pickpick

This was a compulsive listen - three southern women whose lives intersect summon the strength to confront the hardships of southern depression era life and the abuse of sick men. The character development is terrific, though it has an element of the AA woman as maternal savior trope, which I generally find fatiguing as limiting & mono-dimensional.

Cathythoughts Sounds really good ❤️👍🏻stacked 5y
Tamra @Cathythoughts I hope you like it too! If you can borrow the audio, I recommend it - three voice actors for each POV. 5y
68 likes2 comments
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Tamra
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😳 🐖🔪🩲If you‘ve read this one, you know which chapter I just finished.

Thoroughly enjoying the character development of these women.

LauraBeth I‘ve been wanting to read this one. 5y
Tamra @LauraBeth so far its quite good! Very personable characters. (edited) 5y
kyraleseberg My favorite book last year!! 5y
Tamra @kyraleseberg I can understand why! 5y
45 likes1 stack add4 comments
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megnews
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love this book.

Book 276 10/14/19

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I am love, love, loving this book!

29 likes2 stack adds
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kristankremer
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Saw this at the library today on the NEW shelf. I had never heard of it, but it fits right in with the kind of stuff I like to read so here we are. From the inside cover, the book "follows three fierce, unforgettable Southern women in the years leading up to the Great Depression".

3 likes1 stack add
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MelKelsey
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Pickpick

A few pages in to Call Your Daughter Home, I considered giving up. I can't imagine now! The story is of three women in the South in the early 20th century, one black, one poor white, and one rich white. They all struggle with family, money, weather, sickness, and death. The beauty of the novel is the emotion, especially Retta's. There are some powerful scenes of birth, death, and healing. I highly recommend!

Nute I like the title of this book, and now your review has piqued my curiosity. Stacking! 5y
Aprilflower Reading this now! 5y
12 likes2 stack adds2 comments
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Becker
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Pickpick

I‘m impressed. This was very well written and I would definitely recommend it.

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kyraleseberg
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Pickpick

This was my favorite book read in 2018 and I'm so excited for its release today since I've been recommending it for months!
My review was featured on Roots & Reads back in January: https://rootsandreads.wordpress.com/2019/01/11/review-call-your-daughter-home/

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kyraleseberg
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So far I've read 225 books this year and these are a few that I absolutely loved!

Suet624 Wow! That‘s an amazing amount of books. 6y
mcipher The Infinite Blacktop!! ♥️♥️ 6y
TiredLibrarian Love the Miss Kopp series! @AmyStewart 6y
41 likes4 comments
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kyraleseberg
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Pickpick

My favorite book of the year! 😍
I'm certain this will gain a lot of well deserved praise when it's released in the spring.
I was so impressed with this debut novel I had to research the author and it turns out she's a veteran TV producer of several successful shows!
I highly recommend adding this to your TBR if you're a fan of Southern literature / historical fiction.

Tamra Sounds good! 6y
kyraleseberg @Tamra It truly is!! 6y
32 likes3 stack adds2 comments