52 pages • 1 hour read
Deborah SperaCall Your Daughter Home
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2018A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
Call Your Daughter Home by Deborah Spera is set in 1920s South Carolina, and follows three women, Gertrude Pardee, Annie Coles, and Oretta Bootles, as they navigate personal and societal challenges in the face of a boll weevil infestation that devastates their community. Themes include race and status in the South, secrecy and maintaining appearances, and maternal anger and strength. The novel contains portrayals of domestic violence, alcohol addiction, sexual abuse of children, death by suicide, and racism.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
Call Your Daughter Home by Deborah Spera has received praise for its rich, atmospheric Southern setting and strong character development. The intertwining stories of three women are compelling and heartfelt. However, some critics find the pacing slow and certain plot points predictable. Overall, it's a poignant, character-driven novel that resonates emotionally.
Who Should Read Call Your Daughter Home?
Fans of richly woven, Southern Gothic tales will relish Call Your Daughter Home by Deborah Spera. Reminiscent of The Help and Where the Crawdads Sing, the book offers a compelling narrative of resilient women confronting societal and personal battles in 1920s South Carolina.
Recommended
Reading Age
18+yearsBook Details
Historical Fiction
Southern Literature
Relationships: Family
Society: Community
Relationships: Mothers
Great Depression
Race / Racism
Poverty
Trauma / Abuse / Violence