Book
Home for erring and outcast girls / Julie Kibler.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780451499332
- Physical Description: x, 388 pages ; 25 cm
- Publisher: New York : Crown Publishers, 2019.
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Unmarried mothers > Fiction. Women > Institutional care > Fiction. Reformatories for women > Fiction. Female friendship > Fiction. Librarians > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Historical fiction. |
Available copies
- 16 of 17 copies available at Sitka. (Show)
- 14 of 14 copies available at BC Public Libraries. (Show)
- 0 of 0 copies available at Kootenay Library Federation.
- 1 of 1 copy available at Fernie Heritage Library. (Show preferred library)
Holds
- 1 current hold with 0 total copies.
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
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- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 June #1
Kibler's sophomore effort (after Calling Me Home, 2013) is based on a real place in turn-of-the-century Texas: the Berachah Industrial Home, a sanctuary for "ruined" women. Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride seek refuge there in 1905; Lizzie has a young daughter and a drug habit, while Mattie mourns the death of her son and her abandonment by the child's father. They form a strong, though at times tempestuous, bond that lasts decades as they each attempt to start overâMattie by building a life outside the Berachah Home, and Lizzie by remaining at the sanctuary. In alternating chapters set in 2017, librarian Cate Sutton uncovers historical records from the home, and the research dredges up memories from her upbringing in a conservative Christian household, forcing her to confront the ghosts of a two-decades-old trauma. Although Lizzie and Mattie's narrative arc occasionally meanders, Cate's chapters are absorbing, and this is a moving, well-researched, character-driven tale sure to be savored by fans of Lisa Wingate's Before We Were Yours (2017) and Christina Baker Kline's The Orphan Train (2013). Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2019 May #2
An early-20th-century Texas refuge for wayward girls inspires a troubled librarian a century later in Kibler's second novel (Calling Me Home, 2013). In 2017, Cate moves to Arlington, Texas, mostly, the reader gathers, to escape her past. Employed by the University of Texas as an assistant librarian, Cate becomes obsessed with the musty records of the Berachah Industrial Home, a church-run shelter for women and girls then known as fallen, erring, or waywardâabused women, some pregnant out of wedlock, often forced into prostitution. Cate also visits Berachah's only remaining vestige, its cemetery. Interspersed with Cate's story are scenes from early-1900s Berachah, where Mattie, an unwed mother, and Lizzie, who was raped by her stepbrother and deserted by husband and family, relate their experiences in close third-person narration. Mattie's ailing son dies as she arrives at the home, and her one attempt at prostitution has left her pregnant. Taken in by Berachah along with her young daughter, Lizzie goes through heroin withdrawal. The momentum of the first half of the book is sluggish. Cate's first-person narrative ra nges between the present and 1998 during her senior year in high school. The only daughter of fundamentalist Christians, she is deeply enmeshed in her church community. Much space is devoted to a deceptively anodyne account of falling in love with new classmate River while being asked to the prom by the church golden boy, Seth. In the second half of the book, conflicts finally emerge. For the Berachah girls, it's Mattie's bid for independence in Oklahoma City and Lizzie's ill-advised decision to return home to her mother. A major development in Cate's teenage life is withheld until later in the book, and readers may question how Cate, as the narrator, could censor her thoughts as to such a crucial revelation. Readers may also question the relevance of the parallel narratives until compelling ironies emerge. Not least of these is the role of fundamentalist Christianity: as rescuer in Berachah's time, as oppressor in Cate's. As this novel powerfully illustrates, the terminology has changed but gender discrimination persists. Copyright Kirkus 2019 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2019 May
Framing a historical story with a contemporary one as in her debut,
Copyright 2019 Library Journal.Calling Me Home , Kibler brings to life a little-known part of Texas historyâthe operation of the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls, which bucked the conventions of the day and helped unwed mothers keep their children, in the early 1900s. A century later, young university librarian Cate Sutton, escaping a past trauma, becomes fascinated by the women of the home through their stories in the library's archives, as does her student assistant, Laurel. While the author's debut dealt with racism, this novel addresses topics of sexuality and women's issues through the portrayal of two female friendships: Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride in the 1900s, and Cate and Laurelâall of them in need of escaping their histories.VERDICT While these characters may not be as captivating to readers asCalling Me Home 's unlikely pair of friends, this tale of resilient women has the varied story lines and well-researched historical background to make it a popular book club selection. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/19.]âLaurie Cavanaugh, Thayer P.L., Braintree, MA - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2019 May #4
Kibler (
Copyright 2019 Publishers Weekly.Calling Me Home ) tells a heartbreaking story of women a century apart who have experienced trauma and attempt to move forward. Cate Sutton is a university librarian in 2017 Arlington, Tex., and she becomes fascinated by archived records of the Berachah Industrial Home for the Redemption of Erring Girls. Cate and her work-study student Laurel Medina bond over their own murky struggles as well as the story of Lizzie Bates, which is part of the home's archives. In 1903, Lizzie takes her baby daughter to stay with her at the Texas home as Lizzie recovers from sexual abuse and drug addiction. There, she befriends another woman, Mattie Corder, and embraces the religious messages and safety provided by Brother JT Upchurch and his staff. Lizzie eventually stays on to continue helping troubled girls. As Cate and Laurel study the archives, they find strength to confront their own traumas together. Kibler's poignant story effectively captures the raw pain and anger these women experience, but also shows them moving forward and finding support in other women. (July)
