I really wanted to like this. But it was so jumbled and confusing. At first I thought it was going to be your typical historical fiction/contemporary flashback/flash forward type book. Then I thought it was a Christian book, then it just kind of became a little bit of everything and it didn’t work out. The chapters were long, I didn’t care much about any or the characters and there was deliberate misleading to give a big surprise toward the end. I get what the author was trying to do, but it didn’t work for me.

This is based on a real history of the Barracha home for girls that have been shamed, and need a place to live and recuperate. I have to admit that I identified with Mattie's character the most. I admire her independence. I can relate to her struggle with the limitations that are sometimes placed on church goers by their church and its members. Women had a much more precarious position in life than they do now. However, it's unfortunately too common for women to take the blame when it comes to rape or unplanned pregnancy even now. It's comforting to know that for some there was a place for them to seek refuge. There is still a need for such institutions. However, now we give those young women welfare, and send them on their way without guidance or wisdom. Some tend to make the same mistakes over and over. This book has really made me think about the past, and compare it to the future. It's made me feel as if I were really there. I look forward to reading more books from the author.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kibler is simultaneously a look at the best and the worst of the church particularly in regards to sexual violence against women. The description drew me in immediately--a timeslip novel about an historical church-based home for girls who had no where else to go AND a modern day, university librarian who was doing research related to this same home. However, by the end of the book, I was angry at the injustices experienced by both the historical and modern day characters.

As I started to read the book, early on I found myself checking the publisher information as I didn't think this was from a Christian/religious publishing house, yet the setting of a Christian home for wayward girls allowed for numerous scripture passages and Christian teaching. I really enjoyed the emphasis on grace the girls and women who lived at the Berachah Home were given. However, early on I picked up that something would happen the cast an unfavorable view of the church as well. As I suspected, towards the end of the book there are spurious actions by those in powerful positions as well as huge twist in the identity of one of the characters. Throughout the book, as each character's story unfolds men who should protect and care for them instead abuse and use them in unspeakable ways. To say anymore would spoil the storyline. Home for Erring and Outcast Girls is recommended for mature readers. Book clubs will find much to think about and discuss in these pages. Hopefully, readers will return to their churches and communities and ask what would happen here if similar events unfolded. If you are looking for a sweet enjoyable read, this not the book for you.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received Home for Erring and Outcast Girls via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

I really enjoyed that this book was set in places that I am very familiar with (DFW and East Texas), even if it is set in a different time. It even mentions my hometown of Longview, Texas! I enjoyed learning about a portion of the history of places that I call home. At times I became so absorbed in a character’s story that when the book changed to a different character’s perspective, I became a bit jarred. I suppose that just means that I was really invested in their stories.

Lizzie and Mattie both find their ways to the Berachah home in Texas. Both are "fallen women," both a with child and both with secrets. Their stories, beginning in the 1920s, are the more interesting ones in this novel which weaves in a third- that of Cate, a librarian, and to a certain extent Laurel, her student. Cate finds old documents from the Berachah and Laurel is engrossed in them as well. Cate's story- her relationship with her lost love River- plays out from 1998 to present in shifting chapters. My quibble with this novel - which has great characters - is that the movement back and forth in time (especially Cate's) was distracting and periodically things would crop up (who are the Hyde's again?) that made me think I'd somehow missed something. Cate's story is less interesting than those of Mattie, Lizzie, and Lizzie's daughter Docie and while I appreciate the current trend of have a split time frame novel, this would have been just as good, if not better had it focused on the "erring girls." There are some lovely scenes with some of the others at the home, such as Miss Hallie. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. My criticism above aside, it's a good read for fans of historical fiction.

This book is based on true events. In the early 1900's in Texas a home is opened for unwed mothers.

Two of the young omen Lizzie and Maggie bond and become instant and life long friends.

The home is called the Berachah Industrial Home for homeless girls and unwed mothers.

Each girl learns a skill so t hat they can begin a new life. The girls must sign a contract and those that come to the home pregnant are allowed to stay with their babies for one year...

Lizzie has a little girl when she arrives and Maggie and has a baby boy who dies shortly after. Mattie subsequently gives birth to a baby girl who is adopted out. because Maggie doesn't want the child..

In 2017 Cate an assistant librarian and is in charge of cataloging the files for the home. She becomes fascinated with the story of Lizzie and Mattie. She befriends a college student who in turn is fascinated by the files.

An interesting book although at times long and bogged down.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Berachah Home is a historically accurate place started by a minister and his wife in the early 1900s. A place of welcome to young women who had been raped, born children out of wedlock or in violence and for women who struggled with drugs. Women were taken in and given the blessings of God and invited to help spread His word. After closing and briefly reopening as an orphanage for a few years the Berachah Home finally closed in 1942. The cemetery containing infants, children and women of Berachah home still exists and is a protected property now.

Kibler has written a touching story focussing on a few women known to have been at the Berachah Home. It is a well researched novel embedding fictionalized components into the lives of two main characters, Lizzie and Mattie who met at the Home. It follows their lives and journeys until the death of Mattie. Parallel to this story is the story of a librarian, Cate, researching the Berachah Home. Cate’s story has its’ own share of struggles and acceptance in a community of women.

While I found some parts dragged a little bit, overall I really enjoyed this book. I could even see a companion piece being written for the character of Hallie/Hallye who has some mystery to her that was touched on but not explored more in this novel.

This book is on shelves July 23. Thank you to @netgalley and @crownpublishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I love a historical novel based on real events, especially when set in the United States. Turn of the century Texas is the setting for the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls - a place for young women to have hope in situations where they would have traditionally outcast and “ruined”. Our main characters are Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride, each with their own heartbreaking tales. Readers are also treated to a present-day perspective through Cate Sutton, a librarian who uncovers the stories that are emotionally tangled to her life. Told through multiple perspectives, this novel is interesting and emotional. I wasn’t really into the modern voice. I would have preferred a straight historical story. That storyline was strong enough and was actually diluted by Cate’s story, so that part didn’t work for me. This book is definitely for fans of *Sold on a Monday* or *Before We Were Yours* and the author’s previous work, *Calling Me Home*

Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Julie Kibler has written an incredible story! I have to say I was at first attracted to this book because of the cover and the title. "Home for Erring and Outcast Girls" is definitely an attention grabber. The story is split between the early 1900s, the late 1990s and 2017. The characters are all so well-developed and believable that I felt like I was reading a historical biography. Mattie and Lizzie are the young girls we follow in the early 1900s. Their stories are so full of tragedy and heartbreak that, at times, it became difficult to read. Granted there is still so much unfairness toward women in today's world. But, in comparison, we have come such a long way. To live and struggle as Mattie and Lizzie seem unbelievable to a woman today. If for no other reason this book should be required reading.
Our next set of characters are modern-day. I have to admit at first I was frustrated at the break in the time periods. But as I read further into the story I became just as interested in Cate, Laurel, and River. The way Kibler tied each person's story together was what made the book hard to put down. While Mattie and Lizzie struggled because of social beliefs and prejudices, the modern-day girls struggled with similar problems and prejudices. They could easily be characters on a reality show. Without revealing too much of the story consider your assumptions about relationships as you follow the lives of Cate, River, and Lizzie. This book is an eye-opener. It is sad, frustrating and one of the best stories I have read in a long time.

I was fascinated by the premise of this novel and its inspiration of historical events surrounding the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls.  I think it is an important story and really wanted to be pulled into the tale of the refuge.

<strong>However, </strong>the pacing and the timeline of the 2017 story vs. the early 1900's story felt disconnected. The timeline going back and forth wasn't working for me. I was much more interested in the story about the home and the girls who lived there.  Again, the pacing seemed off and s-l-o-w going.

I wanted to feel more emotions, more connections and just more curious about the women featured than I did. I actually found the author's notes at the end the more interesting than the novel.

Others have enjoyed this read so check out the higher reviews. I may just be the outlier here.

Thanks to Crown for the advanced copy. Out on July 23, 2019

The modern parts of this novel were the weakest - I think it would have worked better as a straight historical novel. The bits about Cate slowed the action and brought me out of the story. Still, it was a heartbreaker of a book that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

A historical fiction novel with an intriguing premise, HOME FOR ERRING AND OUTCAST GIRLS is a compelling tale with a bit of a pacing problem. I'm always a fan of an alternating timeline, which was handled quite deftly here, though I think the story ends up with a surfeit of narrators. Overall an interesting read, but there's something about the execution that never quite lined up for me.

This is a beautifully written and poignant story, based upon a real home built for young women caught in very bad circumstances. The characters are very well drawn and the descriptions spot on. It was overly long but still a worthy read.

Julie Kibler is such a talented author, and I loved her previous book, and this new book does not disappoint. She addresses difficult topics, but with grace, and she draws you into her characters. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to preview this book. I will be recommending it to many!

I had high hopes for this book, because I'm a sucker for historical fiction. It was a decent read, but there's a twist that just didn't seem necessary.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls
A Novel

by Julie Kibler


Crown Publishing

Crown

Historical Fiction

Pub Date 23 Jul 2019


I am reviewing a copy of Home for Erring and Outcast Girls through Crown Publishing and Netgalley:

Built in 1903 in the dusty outskirts of Arlington in the dusty outskirts between Dallas and Fort Worth’s red light district. The Berachah Home for the protection and Redemption of Erring Girls is a beacon of hope for young women consigned to the dangerous poverty of the streets, either by birth or personal tragedy. The home bucks popular trends by offering faith, training and Rehabilitation to Prostitutes, addicts, and unwed mothers without forcing the removal of children from parents. Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride meet there, one is sick and abused, but desperately clings to her young daughter, the other jilted by a beau who fathered her sick son. These two form a friendship that see them through unbearable loss, heartbreak, difficult choices, and in the end diverging paths.



Cate Sutton, a reclusive university librarian discovers the truth about Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride a century later as she stumbles upon the cemetery of the former grounds and begins to dig through its history in her library. Cate was pulled by an indescribable connection, there Stories lead her to face her own painful past and to reclaim the life she has thought was gone forever. Home for Erring and Outcast Girls show the dark roads that can lead to ruin, and how we often fight to get back to the right path.



I give Home for Erring and Outcasts Girls five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This is a very moving story and beautifully written. The narrative moves back and forth between Cate in the present, and Lizzie and Mattie in the early 1900's. Mattie and Lizzie immediately appealed to me as characters. As the story opens, both are in desperate situations with no resources to draw on. Cate took me a little more time to warm up to because she has closed herself off from people so completely. In the end, I think I enjoyed her part of the story the most because of the depth of the transformation her research leads her to. Having lived a stone's throw from Arlington, TX, where the Berachah home was located, I was very drawn to the historical aspect of the story. In the historical records there is mention of a Lizzie and a Mattie and the author has incorporated what is actually known about their lives into the this fictional account. I loved everything about this book, the setting, the characters, the historical setting and recommend it to anybody who wants a good story.

Home for Erring and Outcast Girls is an emotionally powerful trip through history, inspired by historical events and real people, this book tells the story of fallen women and their struggles to find a place to call home both in early 20th century and now. Highly recommended for all!

* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. It's beautifully written and a powerful story about the choices women make and have had to make for centuries, and how they are judged by society for their choices or lack of options. I wanted to love it, but I found the first half to be quite slow- I was more interested in the present-day story line than the historical one. It did pick up towards the end, and again, it's an important story and novel- I just wished I had enjoyed reading it more than I did. Rounding up from 3.5 stars because of the subject matter and excellent prose.

Wow, what can I even say other than this blew me away? I knew from the title, alone, that I would fall deeply in love with this book but it still took me by surprise just how much I loved it.

I struggled with the first chapters. Lizzie's dialect threw me off in her first few chapters. Enough so that I was beginning to think this book wouldn't be for me, after all. But then, before I knew it, Mattie was introduced into the plot and Lizzie's dialect stopped and read more freely. I felt like her story would pull me out of the moment in the beginning by a phrase randomly inserted, to give it more of an authentic old time feel. But those phrases never felt right where they were. Thankfully, though, they ended by the time Mattie showed up and I began to fall in love with all of the characters of the Home for their quirks and heartaches.

I also loved the story of Cate and was so blown away by River a little more than halfway through the book. I wish I had had a physical copy in my hands so that I could go back through because who I thought River was, definitely wasn't. I can only remember one instance that would have hinted to that, and that was the description of the hair. Otherwise, this totally blew me away and made me love them even more than I already did. Their story was so interesting and I was heartbroken to see Cate just up and leave River.

The back in forth between two women, hundred of years apart yet so similar was mesmerizing. I'm so glad to have gotten to read this and step back into a time where a girl like me could have easily been cast out, with no where to go and no one to turn to. This is the kind of book that will stick with the reader for a long time.