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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
False prentenses, March 19, 2011
This review is from: False Pretenses: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) (Paperback)
The characters are fairly well developed, and except for two are believable. Kathy Herman has a terrific way of designing scenes where you can hear the dishes clinking, and smell the coffee and bacon or the gumbo and fresh bread. It brought back so many good memories for me. She draws a small town community is a loving way, and it is clear that somewhere along the way Herman has experienced small town. However...
The back cover promises a terrific read; and Herman has written and published numerous novels, so you'd think this would be a "wowser", and yet somehow this particular novel falls a little flat. Perhaps I was expecting too much, or perhaps because this Cajun-flavored storyline doesn't ring true. The problem is definitely the storyline; it doesn't flow well. Something happens--an event--then all the characters must talk about the event for a few pages and even a chapter or two, then another event, and the characters talk about it, and so on. It is studiously plodding, and in the end is completely unbelievable. Frankly, it reads more like a soap opera drama than a suspense or finely crafted mystery.
I grew up in Louisiana; and I spent decades living with, being friends with, conversing with Cajuns. There is no way a person who is born and raised in Texas can suddenly shed the Texas accent, Texas thought process, and Texas loyalty and suddenly change their name and become Cajun... a believable Cajun with a Cajun accent, and mentality. It would be like someone who grew up in Germany, speaking German trying to become a Southern Bell and speak Southern. Can't be done.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Novel starts out flat and confusing, but ends okay, April 14, 2011
This review is from: False Pretenses: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) (Paperback)
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Right away I was completely lost. The author jumped from one couple to the next (and past events as well with some of the same characters that had a different name!), back and forth, and didn't explain much at all about them so I was so confused. It took me 1/4 of the way through the book to finally get a handle on what was going on. VERY poor writing, in my opinion. It was very floppy and not organized and so it was just so easy to get lost.
But after I figured everything out, it went along smoothly and it was enjoyable to read. I was very annoyed by the main character though, so I just couldn't get into the novel! I've read others by Ms. Herman that I loved, so I was totally surprised that this was such a dud for me.
The plot became interesting AND suspenseful (although not completely believable) as it went along, and turned out to be a good read nonetheless.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good suspense but wanted more, August 5, 2011
This review is from: False Pretenses: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) (Paperback)
After a recent trip to Louisiana, I've been a bit obsessed with all things from that state. Therefore I was quite excited that this book was set there and included all sorts of culture from the area. I was quite geeked that I had actually visited one of the cities mentioned in the book as well. This is my first foray into Herman's books and I was looking forward to a good suspense read.
The story alternates between two women, Vanessa whose family has just inherited a plantation house and Zoe, who runs a Cajun restaurant with her husband. Both women have bright hopes for the future but things are soon thwarted as an unseen visitor keeps trespassing at the house and Zoe receives notes threatening to tell a secret about her past. Plus a lynching has also occurred stirring up tension and feelings of unease amid the otherwise quiet town. Throughout the book we see why it's a good idea to not go into a marriage lying to your spouse.
While the story for the most part was interesting, I felt that Zoe's secret was revealed far too soon and wasn't as big as I thought it would be. From the summary, it makes it sound like she had a huge secret but when it's finally revealed, my first thought was "oh is that all?" I also found the book a little too Christian-y for my tastes. While more power to them, the constant talk about verses and conversion was rather repetitive and coming on too strong at times. It seemed to overwhelm the suspense part of the story. There were also two minor pet peeves that bugged me a little. One was how Adele kept saying "hon" all the time. I realize that people from the south do this but it's just a term of endearment that annoys me. The other was how during a certain scene, people seemed to be very trusting immediately. I just felt that the situation was a potential dangerous one with unknown outcomes and the characters just gave in very quickly.
If you haven't read any of Herman's books before, I feel that this is a good introduction. The suspense is quite good and I didn't know what was going to happen. I really enjoyed the Louisiana setting and learning more about the culture. There were some bits I had problems with but most of those are due to my personal preference. I'm not sure if I want to return to this series but I do think I will check out other books by the author.
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