About the Book
Restless with the
familiarity of her Alabama home, Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a
tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country. Though rightfully suspicious
of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their
culture, most of the people in tiny Bernadette, Louisiana, come to
appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher as a boon to the town.
She's soon teaching just about everyone--and coming up against
opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior
motives.
Acclimating to a whole new world, Ellie meets a lonely
but intriguing Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the
legendary white alligator that haunts these waters. Raphe and Ellie have
barely found their way to each other when a huge bounty is offered for
the elusive gator, bringing about a shocking turn of events that will
test their love and their will to right a terrible wrong.
A
master of the Southern novel, Valerie Fraser Luesse invites you to enter
the sultry swamps of Louisiana in a story that illuminates the struggle
for the heart and soul of the bayou. (Goodreads)
My Thoughts
This is the first book by Valerie Fraser Luesse that I have read and I don't plan on it being the last. I was completely captivated by this story. I loved the setting as it is an area in Louisiana I was able to visit this year. I wish more novels were set in the bayou because I find it to be a unique way of life. The characters in this novel were just wonderful. Very different, fun, and real. There is a lot of pain but also so much humor you can't help but laugh at times. A lot seems to happen in a short span of time but in reality for the time period in which this book is set I found it to be believable. The friendships in this book really stood out to me and I so enjoyed having that be a main thread instead of a dramatic love story. Don't get me wrong there is a sweet love story here too, a couple in fact. But I love it when secondary characters leave their mark on the story in a lasting way.
The ending was terrific and I am eager to get my hands on more books by this author.
Five Stars.
"I received this book from Revell for free. All opinions are my own and I was not required to write a positive review."