Deb Spera is a force; small wonder that Call Your Daughter Home is the book that bloggers have been talking about. This barn burner of a debut goes on sale today. My thanks go to Net Galley and Harlequin for the review copy. It curled its fingers around me on page one, and by page ten I knew it wouldn’t let me go till it was done with me. It ended as powerfully as it began.

The year is 1924. Gertrude Pardee lives with her four little girls in a shack in the swamp in Third World conditions; they are nearly feral. A storm is coming, but Gert has a job to do. Her brutal ass hat of a husband lies dead in the swamp, dispatched by the bullet she blasted into his brainpan. As the storm bears down, she peels off her only dress and strides naked into the muck to deal with his corpse:

“Alligators feed once a week, and sometimes, if they prey is big enough, they don’t need to eat for almost a year. But I don’t know how long it takes a gator to eat big prey. Daddy never said nothing ‘bout that and I never asked.”

Our other two main characters are Retta, the first free woman in her family, and Annie, Retta’s employer. Retta cares for Mary, Gert’s youngest, when Gert is too sick and injured from the broken face she sustained the last time Alvin beat her; Retta’s husband Odell and her neighbors all tell her that it’s trouble to bring a white child into Shake Rag. “Don’t get messed up with that white family. No good can come of it,” and she knows it’s true. What if the girl dies? But Gert coaxed her into it, telling her it would be the Christian thing to do, and Retta is moved by this sick, helpless five year old. She assures everyone it’s just for three days.

Miss Annie is a Caucasian small businesswoman and wife of a farmer, yet she has trouble of her own; there’s some dark family baggage she’s been avoiding for a good, long while. As the storm bears down, evidence comes to light and she is forced to see it. Not one of us would want to be Miss Annie; believe it.

Spera weaves a captivating tale, and we see the world from the disparate points of view of all three women, each of them told alternately in a first person narrative, and we’re also told how they see each other. The setting is dead accurate, brooding and thick with dread, and it scaffolds the development of each character more capably than anything I have read recently.

It is Retta that tells us that as we give birth, we must call out to our child so that “whichever soul is at the gate will come through.” She called out to her girl as she birthed her, but now she is gone. In fact, each of these three women has lost a daughter, and this provides the central theme of the story.

Feminists and those that love Southern fiction have to get this book and read it. There’s nothing like it. Do it.

4.5 for this one
A story of three very strong and memorable women in rural 1924 South Carolina. The book is narrated by the three who are a plantation owners wife, a freed slave woman who still works on that plantation, and a poor white woman with four daughters and an abusive husband.
We are told of their pain, despair and struggle to survive, they are mothers and will do what they must to protect their children.
I really enjoyed this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

1924 South Carolina. Gertrude, Retta and Annie lead very different lives but each of them find the strength to stand up to terrible injustices that have long plagued their small town.

Great debut, good read. Definitely put this on your reading list.

4.25 ☆

Call Your Daughter Home is set in 1924 in rural South Carolina where times are hard, very hard. The region is desperately poor, having lost two seasons of cotton to the boll weevil infestation. It tells the stories of three women from distinctly different backgrounds. (My use of the term colored in this review rather than black is only to stay within the timeframe of the novel; I mean no disrespect).

Gertrude is a poor white woman, married to Alvin, an abusive, alcoholic husband. They live in Reevesville where Alvin works at his Daddy's sawmill. She is struggling to keep her children and herself from starving. Alvin? He's the reason they're starving, drinking all their food away! Her two oldest children have already been sent to live with her brother Berns and his wife in Branchville, her hometown. She now goes to see if he can take the other two as well. Berns tells her that he knows of a job at The Sewing Center; one of the workers died, and the position comes with a small house. He agrees to take the older of her remaining children, but tells her the youngest, Mary, is too sick and belongs with her. Go get the job so you can take care of your own he urges.

Oretta Bootles (married to Odell) has been the maid for the Coles family since she was old enough to serve in the position. Her family has been slaves owned by the Coles for generations. She is the first free colored woman to serve them. Retta runs the house. After Mrs. Cole gives Gert the job at The Sewing Center, Gertie asks Retta to let Mary stay with her for the four days she needs to go back to Reevesville, put her affairs in order and come set up the home in Branchville and begin work. Retta, seeing Gertie's desperation, agrees which sets the tongues in Shake Rag (the colored section of town) to wagging. What's a colored woman doing taking care of a white child in her home? And when they realize that Gertie will be living in Shake Rag with her family? What's going on?!?Are the whites going to take Shake Rag from them too?

Annie Coles is married to Edwin. The Coles own most of the land in Branchville. They have two adult sons living with them; Eddie who works with his father on farm business; and Lonnie who (to his father’s chagrin) works with his mother at The Sewing Center, a company she started and manages. Their third son, Buster, died at aged twelve, and their two daughters Sarah and Molly are estranged from the family. They left home after Buster’s death and have refused to see or talk with their father since. Annie is heartbroken with grief over Buster’s death and the loss of her daughters which she doesn’t understand but which time will clarify.

The lives and secrets of these three women will entwine them in ways they could never imagine. “None of us get what we deserve. We make the best of what we got.”

This is a wonderful read with its richly drawn characters and well-set scenes! Spera puts the reader into the middle of it all. I came to admire each of the three women for different reasons and was sorry to see the story end. An impressive debut, I look forward to reading more from Deb Spera.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Park Row for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Outstanding debut novel that should make the short list for book group selections. Three diverse women find their lives intertwined in the pre-Depression South. The character development is stellar. Each of them has a unique voice that clearly distinguishes one from the other. Without a doubt, the opening sentence will ambush you like a gator on the edge of the swamp. Readers who enjoyed "The Help" will also find this worth reading. Highly recommended.

A big thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in South Carolina in the 1920s, three women from different backgrounds find themselves linked together. Family secrets, abuse and murder will haunt Gertrude, Retta and Annie. This moving story is told as a slow Southern tale with lots of characters. At times the characters were confusing. Times were different in the South in the 20s as readers will see through this novel.

This is a southern tale of the lives and unfortunate consequences of three very different women in the 1920’s. Annie, Gertrude and Retta, they all have very different circumstances but they love, support and depend upon each other. We follow their hardships and secrets. I most enjoyed Retta and O’Dell, they were a special couple full of love and goodness. Gertrude was a determined mother just trying to protect her children and Annie is the wife of a hardhearted man with secrets of his own.
The author’s research in this time frame was very well done, I learned quite a bit about the hard times of raising cotton and then switching to tobacco, plus the entrepreneurship of Lonnie and his mother in hiring women and creating a market for clothing.
This is a good story of how people hold together when times get tough but also covers how women were viewed and treated by the men in this era. If you enjoy historical fiction of the south around this timeframe, you might give this a try.
I’m giving it 4****’s. I was given an advanced copy from Harlequin – Trade Publishing Park Row and Net Galley for my honest review.

This is a stunningly beautiful book. Deb Spera writes about three families twined together by history, adversity, duty and love. Set in the South Carolina back country, the secrets that join and tear apart families are peeled back and unstintingly examined. Like the author, I travelled to South Carolina in the summers as a child, and feel the same love she does for its forests and estuaries. I applaud the piercing light she shines on the intricate and peculiarly southern social customs of this time and place.

My sincere thanks to the author, Deb Spera, the publisher, Park Row Books, and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I couldn’t out this amazing book down. Call Your Daughter Home features the lives of three very different women in South Carolina in the early 1920’s. It’s easy to be so wrapped up in our own lives that we don’t realize what’s going on in those around us. Annie, Gertrude, and Oretta’s lives intersect in the story and their families have crossed paths for years. There are secrets and coverups throughout the story. I recommend this book.

3.5 STARS - Call Your Daughter Home is a Historical Fiction novel set in 1920's South Carolina in an area which recently suffered a devastating boll weevil infestation leaving cotton crops decimated. Only 50 years since the Civil War, and still a few years away from The Depression, author Deb Spera shows how these issues influence the lives of three women with vastly different backgrounds.

Reeta, a first-generation freed slave, Annie, a rich business owner and Gertrude, a poor mother of four girls, each take turns narrating the story. Their voices are strong and distinct, allowing them to share their different points of view as women living during this uncertain time as well as illustrate how the men in their lives greatly influence their experiences. Despite their differences in social status, these three women find strength, loyalty and a degree of friendship with each other.

The book has a slower pace and while the plot was somewhat predictable, readers will find the ending quite satisfying. The inclusion of interesting and varied secondary characters strengthens the story and provides readers with an interesting read that focuses on these three women whose love for their children, despite their differing experiences and hardships, push them onward.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 A impressive debut novel. Three women, different positions in life, find their Fates entwined with each other. Gertrude, who commits an act out of desperation, must find a way forward for her and her children. Annie, is the Matriarch of the leading family, there are things she needs to know but is unwilling to recognize. This unknowing has caused an estrangement between herself and her daughter, and the life of a son. Retta, has sorrows in her past, but she is the strongest, refuses to give ground when she knows she must put herself forward.

It is the 1930s, the boll weavel s have decimated the cotton crop. South Carolina has been hit hard by the depression and many are desperate. Diptheria rears its ugly head, adding another layer to their worry. These three women must find the strength to bring their families together, and we watch as they struggle and grow. Retta, was my favorite character, a black woman who has seen much, she does her best to bring the darkness into light. She senses things, sees spirits of those who have gone before. At times this borders on the dramatic, and almost too much is happening at the same time. Still, these characters made me care about them, and their stories were immersive. The history, the time period, the struggles personal and financial are all portrayed, drawing the reader into this fast paced story. The ending was beautiful, brought tears to my eyes. Another author to add to my list of favorites.

This was Angela, Esil and my monthly read. As always it is a joy to read with them and I appreciate their insights into the story.

ARC from Netgalley.

4.5 stars

Once in a while the opening sentence of a story is enough for me to know that I’ll be taken with it. “It’s easier to kill a man than a gator, but it takes the same kind of wait.” What a fantastic line and what an amazing debut novel. I don’t use the word atmospheric very often, but it’s hard to not describe this book in that way. This is rural South Carolina in 1924, devastated by boll weevils, hurricanes, the depressive economic time that the South experienced even before the Great Depression, but there are other struggles.

Spera introduces us to three women, each an unforgettable character in their own way. Three points of view skillfully depicted. Gertrude is a battered wife and mother of four young daughters . With a drunk for a husband, they live in squalor and they are starving. She has to dig deep to do what it takes to feed her daughters, to save them and make a life for them. Annie, a businesswoman in her own right, the wife of a man has committed horrible secret deeds, mother of five children, one dead by suicide, two sons and two estranged daughters has to face the reasons for the estrangement. Rettie is the daughter of a slave who works for Annie’s family and has lost a child as well. Rettie fast became one of my favorite literary characters with her strength, her goodness and what she does to help Gertrude and Annie.

I loved reading Spera‘s note at the end. While these three women are fictional characters, they were created with her grandmother and great grandmother in mind as well as her connections to this place in South Carolina. I will definitely be looking to see what she writes next. As always, it was wonderful to read this with my book buddies, Diane and Esil. This was a winner for all of us. Love when that happens.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Park Row/ HARLEQUIN through NetGalley.

A high 4 stars!

Call Your Daughter Home is a fabulously intense novel. Set in North Carolina in the 1920s, the story is told from the point of view of three very different women who’s lives intersect at pretty terrible times in their lives. Gertrude is a very poor white women, caught in a violent marriage, trying to figure out how to protect and feed her four daughters. Annie is part of the local gentry, married to a landowner with four living adult children, her two daughter being estranged. Oretta is an older black woman, who works for Annie, and who lost her only daughter many years earlier. Both Annie and Gertrude end up relying on Oretta to help them through some really hard times. I don’t want to say too much to avoid spoilers, but the title is definitely apt for one of the main themes in the book. The characters are great — they each have very distinct voices. Outside forces make their lives challenging, but, without being perfect, they draw on each other and deep wells of resilience to carry on. This is a great period piece and I gather it is based on stories from the author’s great grandmother and grandmother. I found it hard to put down and it definitely made me teary more than once. This was also a great book to read as a buddy read with Angela and Diane. Thanks to the publisher and the Netgalley for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Do we get what we deserve or do we get what we get? "None of us gets what we deserve. We make the best of what we got." I think this quote is a great way to end this book which is packed full of injustices and retribution. Hold on for the ride because it is a bumpy one!

This was a really well written book and loved the characters. The plots were well immersed and definitely relevant to the time period. I liked that each of the three main characters had their own issues, however the stories united and still maintained the characters unique voice. I would like to read more from this author and will recommend this book to others. Thanks for the ARC, Net Galley.

This book is beautifully written with complicated women as its narrators. It is, however, very dark. I couldn't finish it for that reason. I wasn't sure what was going to happen to these people and I was afraid for them and their families.
I did like the growth of the Sewing Circle as an industry. This was a time period I did not know much about.

I loved this book. The relationship between the three main characters was well developed and fascinationg. Will definitely recommend.

Take one southern town situated in South Carolina in the 1920's.Add in a boll weevil infestation with all the cotton crops destroyed. Mix in Retta, a strong minded religious ex slave, Anne,the mistress of a plantation whose husband had secrets it took a lifetime to uncover, and Gertrude,mother of 4 with an abusive husband who has left her in poverty with difficult decisions to reconcile. Stir vigorously and season with the Great Depression and you get one gorgeous novel about the strength of these women and the hardships and adaptations they must make to survive. The characters are fully defined, and it feels like we are taking the journey along with them. How they come together, each with their own separate "baggage", makes for a powerful statement about love, family and friendship. Do not miss this one.

First off, thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for the advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

What is this book about?

It's told from three different characters in first person POV: Oretta, Annie Coles, and Gertude. It takes place in Branchville, South Carolina. Each women is a mother. Oretta had a daughter, Annie had seven children all together, and Gertude had four daughters.

It's historical fiction that takes place in 1924 during the Great Depression.

What didn't I like about the book?
1. The disgusting husband, Edwin Coles.

What did I love about this book?
1. The dynamic characters between Oretta, Annie, and Gertude. I found them as strong women who didn't put up with a man's bs.
2. I love the writing style. It moves quick for me. I didn't want to put it down.
3. The author showed what life was like in the South during those times. Expect racial division and tension. The author did apply some of today's standards into that time period with flawless execution.
4. I didn't expect the ending, but it made me cheer for the characters.
5. To me, the author balanced all three perspectives with flawless execution. No story left undone.
6. The author didn't go into great detail about the horrific events Annie's children endured.
7. The story came full circle for me.
8. It's a beautiful cover.
9. A strong feminine vibe despite the different races represented.
10. I knew who was talking at all times. No confusing parts for me.

Overall, this is my favorite book for 2019 without a shadow of a doubt. I was looking for a great book that'll make me proud to read, and give me those "oh shit" moments. It's disappointing so many people skip over historical fiction, they miss out on the diamonds. This is another diamond of a story. If I can give it an infinite amount of stars, I would. Yes, I recommend this book to everyone who loves historical fiction and strong women characters. Anytime, a woman uses a shotgun, I'm there. I can't wait to see what this debut author creates next. This is an insta-buy for me. I can't wait to purchase a hardcover version of this book. I love it that much. Excellent job to the author. Infinite stars to you. :)

A phenomenal story! Strong, strong women.
I've never given any book five stars but this one easily rates five. I was weeping from shared outrage (if you are a woman you'll know where in the story) in several places and rejoiced in the deep kindness at others. Being from the Deep South and having family who were farmers during this time, the struggles of these families felt like stories from my own family, minus what Mr. Cole and Alvin did/were. Though fiction, this book is based on real lives and situations. Be sure to read the author's comments at the end before putting away this great book!