I really, really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat for me for so many reasons.
Valerie Fraser Luesse is a writer for a popular magazine, and that writing style carries to her novels. Her chapters are often the length of a magazine article (sometimes even shorter). Like a magazine article, this book was fast-paced and held many small, sharp pieces of intrigue, but it lacked an overall focus and the depth of characterization that is essential in a full-length novel. I really did feel like I was reading a set of loosely related magazine articles, rather than a novel.
This book follows the trope of a young woman, Ellie, moving to the backwoods to teach rural children and, at the same time, find meaning and purpose in her life (a la Christy or When Calls the Heart). The romance with the handsome local man that inevitably follows was awkward, stilted, and rushed. The pacing of the entire relationship was just bizarre. They went from mutually attracted to one another, to engaged, to married all within the space of one page. Again, it comes off as if the author is writing a magazine article, not a book.
The two main characters are both Christian but belong to different denominations. Raphe is Catholic while Ellie is Baptist. When this was first mentioned in the book, I hoped it would be discussed further. This is an issue many modern Christians deal with (marrying someone from a different denomination and merging the two together, or finding common ground), but this topic was completely glossed over. I was so disappointed. Instead of letting Ellie and Raphe have a deep conversation or two - perhaps even an argument - to discuss their beliefs and at the same time deepen their relationship as a couple, the author just breezed over everything to return to the overly-saccharine fairy tale romance.
Lastly, I did not enjoy the political undertones in this book. They were clunky and hard to follow, not to mention overly dramatic. The scenes involving the politicians were so sporadic that I often struggled to follow what was happening when they were reintroduced.
I thought this was going to be a book about a young woman who finds herself and develops a closer relationship with God while exploring the ancient bayous of Louisiana and all the secrets they hold, including a mythical white alligator. Instead, it was a book about a picture perfect romance with no actual feeling that left me reluctant to try any of this author's other works.
1949. Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country and leaves her home in Alabama. The people in Bernadette, Louisiana, come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher. She's soon teaching just about everyone and coming up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. Ellie meets a Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the legendary white alligator. A huge bounty is offered for a white gator bringing about a shocking turn of events. In 2019 my husband and I took the train from Philadelphia to New Orleans and this book brought back the memories of that trip. Ellie goes to New Orleans and stays at the Monteleone Hotel where we stayed. She goes to Bourbon Street and the French Quarter and I could picture everything she saw. Valerie captures southern bayou living and the atmosphere of Spanish moss on the cypress trees makes you feel like you are right there. This is a story you will remember forever as it reaches down and touches your soul. I'm looking forward to reading other books by Valerie soon. Thanks to Revell Publishers and LibraryThing for a free copy for an honest review.
