A Speckled Bird

"A Speckled Bird" by Augusta J. Evans Wilson is a novel set in the South after the Civil War that follows the life of a young girl named Eglah. Eglah struggles with her identity and family relationships, especially her difficult grandmother and her distant father, who is a judge. The story kicks off by introducing Eglah and her grandmother, highlighting the tensions and secrets surrounding Eglah's mother and the challenges they face as they navigate their family history and the expectations of their community; Eglah wants to understand her family and find her place in it, while her grandmother is caught in the middle of her grief and social pressures.