Helpful Score: 2
I first noticed Valerie Fraser Luesse when she published her debut 3 years ago since we share a first name.
Her love of the South is obvious in her writing. This novel, set in the Louisiana bayou of 1949, immersed me in its time and place. I could see the Spanish moss hanging from cypress trees, hear the rich sounds of nature, and taste the delicious food. Not since Where the Crawdads Sing have I been so fully transported to the coastal South via a book.
The novel illustrates several themes told through wonderful characters, including the value of preserving one's heritage, the importance of education for all, and that home is where people love and respect you. I also appreciated learning about Cajun history and culture.
Thank you to Revell Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.
Her love of the South is obvious in her writing. This novel, set in the Louisiana bayou of 1949, immersed me in its time and place. I could see the Spanish moss hanging from cypress trees, hear the rich sounds of nature, and taste the delicious food. Not since Where the Crawdads Sing have I been so fully transported to the coastal South via a book.
The novel illustrates several themes told through wonderful characters, including the value of preserving one's heritage, the importance of education for all, and that home is where people love and respect you. I also appreciated learning about Cajun history and culture.
Thank you to Revell Publishing and NetGalley for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.
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.
I have some close friends from Louisiana that are so in love with their state and the life they had there. I have been there briefly once but otherwise knew little about it. After reading this book I understand what they are talking about.
The time is 1949. Ellie Fields wants to break out of her family's preconceived ideas about how her future would be and have some adventure! That opportunity comes when she is offered a teaching job in the Bernadette, Louisiana. She sets off alone from her comfortable home in Alabama in her 1939 car she has named Mabel.
What she finds is a far cry from what she expected. She finds she will be teaching 12 grades alone. The children are terrified of teachers due to some abusive discipline the school board wants enforced when children speak their native language, French. The housing she is provided is only accessible by a fairly long boat ride and her home has no electricity or indoor amenities. She is really out in the boonies alone! Such a culture shock! Ellie is determined to stay and do the very best job she can. I loved her fearlessness, grit and determination to face challenges head on and to be a part of the community. Raphe Broussard, a lifetime resident, becomes a source of encouragement and guidance she needs to settle in. He is trying to raise his orphaned nephew. A job he definitely feels unqualified for. Little do they know a powerful politician has evil motives to do harm to the sleepy community to clear the way for his financial advancement.
The characters and town were delightful. The deep caring and commitment they had for each other is something I wish was everywhere. Their lives were poor and even backward, but they were so content and happy! I was swept away by the author's beautiful descriptions of the bayou, and the simple lifestyle of the people. I felt so peaceful and relaxed, and pictured myself sitting on their front porches, looking out at the water, no TV, phones, or internet to distract. Pure pleasure! I felt a longing to go and experience it. I learned so much about the Cajun heritage, traditions and personality! One surprising thing about the book was that when most would end, this one was just beginning. I enjoyed the excitement and mystery! I either couldn't put the book down because I was caught up in the beautiful moments or because I had to see what happened next! A book you want to read!
I received this book from Revell Books in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.
The time is 1949. Ellie Fields wants to break out of her family's preconceived ideas about how her future would be and have some adventure! That opportunity comes when she is offered a teaching job in the Bernadette, Louisiana. She sets off alone from her comfortable home in Alabama in her 1939 car she has named Mabel.
What she finds is a far cry from what she expected. She finds she will be teaching 12 grades alone. The children are terrified of teachers due to some abusive discipline the school board wants enforced when children speak their native language, French. The housing she is provided is only accessible by a fairly long boat ride and her home has no electricity or indoor amenities. She is really out in the boonies alone! Such a culture shock! Ellie is determined to stay and do the very best job she can. I loved her fearlessness, grit and determination to face challenges head on and to be a part of the community. Raphe Broussard, a lifetime resident, becomes a source of encouragement and guidance she needs to settle in. He is trying to raise his orphaned nephew. A job he definitely feels unqualified for. Little do they know a powerful politician has evil motives to do harm to the sleepy community to clear the way for his financial advancement.
The characters and town were delightful. The deep caring and commitment they had for each other is something I wish was everywhere. Their lives were poor and even backward, but they were so content and happy! I was swept away by the author's beautiful descriptions of the bayou, and the simple lifestyle of the people. I felt so peaceful and relaxed, and pictured myself sitting on their front porches, looking out at the water, no TV, phones, or internet to distract. Pure pleasure! I felt a longing to go and experience it. I learned so much about the Cajun heritage, traditions and personality! One surprising thing about the book was that when most would end, this one was just beginning. I enjoyed the excitement and mystery! I either couldn't put the book down because I was caught up in the beautiful moments or because I had to see what happened next! A book you want to read!
I received this book from Revell Books in exchange for an honest review. The opinions stated are my own.
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.
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.
Amazing story! One of the best books I have read!! Highly recommended!!
