Call Your Daughter Home

One of the best things while traveling is to have the companionship of a good book. For three weeks in June, I was moving about Europe, working and later vacationing with family. My other companion was “Call Your Daughter Home,” a newly published novel by Deb Spera. The book left me utterly enchanted and enthralled. The characters, the story, the language, the lessons, the sheer joy, the enjoyment – everything was powerful and beautiful. It is simply a wonderful novel.It was one of those unexpected pleasures that had me say: “Was this is as good as I thought?” So I had to ponder; think of the story; remember particular parts that grabbed; look again at the words I’ve underlined; consider how the story touched and grew in me; reflect on how I was affected by the good, the abhorrent and the evil; marvel at the turning of phrases; recall crying for some losses, delighting in some victories, and generally caring for the heroines. All of this became my perspective, and I can now answer the question resoundingly and honestly: Yes, this is a magnificent book.So, let me express my highest regard and respect for Deb Spera’s extraordinary work. And I’ll jump around a bit, as I reflect on the book.When reading, I realized that there were some phrases I simply loved. So, I began to write a few of them down. The language was of the time and place – rural South Carolina in the 20’s. A sample:• Old man, you’ve got nothing to say that I want to hear.• It’s an old song, which I was born knowing• To love is not God’s hope, but Satan’s need• If one blinks, the other is blind• Everyone gets fed when the preacher arrives. He feeds our soul, and we feed his belly.• A man’s thoughts are a stranger to me.• Yes, Sir, Preacher changed Odell’s life like only a good friend can.I was writing these down because I was enchanted by the voice. The language was real and insightful, and genuinely touched me.I was particularly impressed by Spera’s skill in developing the three protagonists, Retta, Annie and Gertrude. Moving them along, in different settings, circumstances and conflicts, and then bringing them together at the end was a marvelous feat. They were of disparate, incongruous backgrounds and circumstances, with seemingly nothing that would bind them except the writer’s creativity. And while the first two had an elemental humanity from the beginning, I initially disliked Gertrude: selfish, thoughtless, ungrateful. But slowly, her humanity, then her character, and finally, her heroism emerged, and voila, I love the girl. That is magic.And since I am thinking of scenes and events, one last thought. The telephone call to the daughter’s home in Charleston is an extraordinary piece of writing. Those seven or eight pages embraced character, events, emotions and different plots that simply left me blown away. I was trying to imagine Spera’s own emotions as she crafted the scene, for as a reader, it was powerful indeed.More than anything, the book is a profile of compassion and hope. Each of the three characters and their derivative daughters, friends and others were bound by some notion that there could be a better day. And by virtue of friendship, caring and humanity, it might be achieved. Even as I write these words, I worry about the banality of my observations. It is presumptuous to tell what an author means, but it is correct to share what the reader feels. That’s the compact between author and reader. Spera’s book is a profile of how people can be compassionate and how they can make a difference.In my youth, I was consumed by Thomas Wolfe, who these days is much underrated as one of the great Southern writers. He spoke to me as a young man who was yearning – but barely knew it. He’s rightly in the pantheon with Welty, Warren and Faulkner, for each provided magic by capturing the voice and mood of a situation, a place, an era. Deb Spera can stand with all of them.Get this book. It’s a gem.

What an amazing novel! I would probably not have selected it, but it was a book club pick. And it was an excellent choice!Set in rural 1920s South Carolina, this is the story of three women, and how their lives interacted, affecting each one in different ways. There's Gertrude, who lives in the swamp with her drunk, abusive husband and four starving daughters; Annie Cole, who lives on an old plantation with her husband and two of her four grown children; and Oretta, the cook, whose mother and grandmother cooked for the Cole family beginning as slaves. Each woman narrates her story and the events of the story.The story begins when Gertrude brings her daughters into town to her brother's home to protect them from her brutal husband. Her brother Bern can't feed all the girls, and Oretta takes 5 year old Mary for 3 days to try and keep her alive. The book drives forward from there as each of the women tries to find her way through struggle and hardship, present as well as past trauma. Much lies below the surface for each of them, and old secrets are uncovered, old and new tragedies emerge, and families are split apart or reunited.The characters are very clear, strong, realistic, and well developed, each with her own distinctive voice; the Southern setting is more Flannery O'Connor or Harper Lee than Margaret Mitchell; and the writing is lovely. It's a truly compelling novel.

The narration is phenomenal! The storytelling transports you back into time and location—a great story.

Amazing read! I enjoyed reading and most especially listening to this book. The characters are genuine and true. The narrators for the audible version are the best I have ever heard. I Read/listened to this book in two days, I couldn’t put it down, and felt truly sad when it was done, I wanted it to keep going it was so beautifully written.

Never read this author before, but was recommended on a book club I belong to. It was very well written, she had done her research for this book. It was intriguing and kept you wanting to read more. I cried at the end, you just got so personal with the characters. She made you feel like you knew each and every one of them. And that you just wanted to help them so much. It was an awesome read and I would recommend it to anyone that loves reading historical novels!

These three southern women each have a story to tell. With their families and sometimes with each other, they fight to make the injustices right, that have been going on for a long time.

This incredible story is told by three different female characters. It's so rich with the subtleties of southern life. It takes you to the heights and then the depths of emotion ... wonderfully written.

This is a great book. Very well written and woven into each other, the different characters' stories.Very profound and heartbreaking.If you like Southern fiction (even with a little touch of Where the Crawdads Sing), then highly recommend.

Well written the way each woman speaks her part in this book is well done to demonstrate their own part in this book. Reads like a historical novel instead of fiction.

I too chose to read this book from it's cover. The first line in the story hooked me. "It's easier to kill a man than a gator, but it takes the same kind a wait." I couldn't put it down until I finished it. When I had to put it down, that's all I thought about. I even paraphrased the story to my husband at mealtime. I was totally captivated with the storyline and all the characters. I have only ever reread a book I enjoyed once. I plan to listen to this book again on audio because I liked it so much. This will be my next book club choice. Thanks to the author for making it so darn interesting.

I read to be entertained and this book did not do it..it has a message, but it depressed me. During this covid times, I need to be uplifted, well done, well written but 3 women opressed did not do it for me. But many people enjoyed it and that's good.