Home for Erring and Outast Girls

Author: Julie Kibler
Genre: Historical Fiction (USA)
Type: e-book
Source: NetGalley
Publisher: Crown
First Published: July 23, 2019
Opening Lines: "Even when Mattie's great big dreams had troubled Lizzie, she'd envied her something fierce, for Lizzie came from nightmares, too fearful to dream."

Book Description from GoodReads: An emotionally raw and resonant story of love, loss, and the enduring power of friendship, following the lives of two young women connected by a home for “fallen girls,” and inspired by historical events.

In turn-of-the-20th century Texas, the Berachah Home for the Redemption and Protection of Erring Girls is an unprecedented beacon of hope for young women consigned to the dangerous poverty of the streets by birth, circumstance, or personal tragedy. Built in 1903 on the dusty outskirts of Arlington, a remote dot between Dallas and Fort Worth’s red-light districts, the progressive home bucks public opinion by offering faith, training, and rehabilitation to prostitutes, addicts, unwed mothers, and “ruined” girls without forcibly separating mothers from children. When Lizzie Bates and Mattie McBride meet there—one sick and abused, but desperately clinging to her young daughter, the other jilted by the beau who fathered her ailing son—they form a friendship that will see them through unbearable loss, heartbreak, difficult choices, and ultimately, diverging paths.

A century later, Cate Sutton, a reclusive university librarian, uncovers the hidden histories of the two troubled women as she stumbles upon the cemetery on the home’s former grounds and begins to comb through its archives in her library. Pulled by an indescribable connection, what Cate discovers about their stories leads her to confront her own heartbreaking past, and to reclaim the life she thought she'd let go forever. With great pathos and powerful emotional resonance, Home for Erring and Outcast Girls explores the dark roads that lead us to ruin, and the paths we take to return to ourselves.Inturn-of-the-20thcenturyTexas,theBerachahHomefortheRedemptionandProtectionofErringGirlsisanunprecedentedbeaconofhopeforyoungwomenconsignedtothedangerouspovertyofthestreetsbybirth,circumstance,orpersonaltragedy.Builtin1903onthedustyoutskirtsofArlington,aremotedotbetweenDallasandFortWorth’sred-lightdistricts,theprogressivehomebuckspublicopinionbyofferingfaith,training,andrehabilitationtoprostitutes,addicts,unwedmothers,and“ruined”girlswithoutforciblyseparatingmothersfromchildren.WhenLizzieBatesandMattieMcBridemeetthere—onesickandabused,butdesperatelyclingingtoheryoungdaughter,theotherjiltedbythebeauwhofatheredherailingson—theyformafriendshipthatwillseethemthroughunbearableloss,heartbreak,difficultchoices,andultimately,divergingpaths.

Acenturylater,CateSutton,areclusiveuniversitylibrarian,uncoversthehiddenhistoriesofthetwotroubledwomenasshestumblesuponthecemeteryonthehome’sformergroundsandbeginstocombthroughitsarchivesinherlibrary.Pulledbyanindescribableconnection,whatCatediscoversabouttheirstoriesleadshertoconfrontherownheartbreakingpast,andtoreclaimthelifeshethoughtshe'dletgoforever.Withgreatpathosandpowerfulemotionalresonance,HomeforErringandOutcastGirlsexploresthedarkroadsthatleadustoruin,andthepathswetaketoreturntoourselves. 

My Rating: 3 stars

My Review: Six years ago I read Julie Kibler's book Calling Me Home and simply adored it. It's a book that has stayed with me over the years so it should not come as a shock that I was oh-so-eager to read Home for Erring and Outcast Girls.

This story is based on the real-life Berachah Industrial Home for Girls and is told using three time lines - one set in Arlington, Texas in 1904 which follows the lives of two young women, Lizzie and Maddie, who meet at the Home. The goal of Berachah was to help pregnant young women but instead of adopting out the babies, these young mothers were encouraged to raise their children at the Home (a vastly different approach than other homes of the time). The second story line occurs in 2017 and focuses on Cate, a university librarian who has become fixated on research depicting life at the Berachah home with the third going back to Cate's youth.

This is a well-researched novel (make sure to read the author's notes at the end) and I loved learning the historical aspects but sadly, I can't say that I loved it. The multiple time lines, while a popular format, didn't work for me here. The 1904 story line was interesting but both of Cate's story lines fell flat, made things overly complicated and could have easily been omitted for what they added to the story. I also felt that there was too much going on with multiple characters and time lines. The frequent shifting between the eras felt awkward which resulted in me struggling to connect with the characters and find a focus to the story (especially in the middle where my interest waned quite a bit).

I want to rave about this book (I really do!) but I struggled to engage with the characters and felt that the book was longer than it had to be. That said, I did enjoy learning about the historical aspects, mainly this unique Home what went against the grain to ensure that women who chose to, could raise their own children as well as witnessing the dangers and restrictions women have faced in the past.   

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Crown Publishing for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.