Retta, a first-generation freed slave, comes to Gertrude’s aid by watching her children, despite the gossip it causes in her community. Gertrude, a mother of four, must make an unconscionable decision to save her daughters. It’s 1924 in Branchville, South Carolina and three women have come to a crossroads. Anyone who enjoys strong female leaders overcoming adversity will love this book.Featured on Oprah’s Summer Reading List For 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. The main characters are well-developed, and their actions will at times shock you. I appreciated the connection to the supernatural world, and the portrayal of being dependent on the forces of nature for survival. She provides descriptive detail to savour and lots of action to engage you into the story. Spera’s writing gives a real sense of the struggle to survive the hardship and loss endured in this era. These three women join forces through their roles at the plantation as they navigate devastation and come to terms with the ghosts of their past. Just as the community begins to recover, along comes another natural disaster and an outbreak of a deadly illness. With resilience and ingenuity, the Coles have learned to harvest tobacco instead of cotton. The Coles’ plantation has suffered severe economic loss due to the boll weevil infestation completely destroying their crops. She has helped raise Annie’s children from birth and helps protect Gertrude’s children in their time of need.

Retta Bootle is a first-generation freed slave and has been keeping house for the Coles for decades. In attempting to rebuild her life, she accepts a job working for Annie Coles. She escapes her husband, getting herself and her daughters to safety. Gertrude Pardee has endured hardship, poverty, and abuse. Their daughters have moved away and refuse any contact with their parents. Coles is controlling and unkind with his wife and children. On the surface, these women have little in common, yet their stories are perfectly and beautifully intertwined.Īnnie Coles is married to the owner of the region’s cotton plantation, a major employer for the region. It is a story of family, motherhood, and reconciliation told from the perspective of three strong, brave women: Annie Coles, Gertrude Pardee, and Retta Bootle.

Call Your Daughter Home takes place in South Carolina in the early 1920s.

Author deb spera