Customer Reviews

The Grandissimes: A Story of Creole Life (Penguin Classics)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A native Louisianian, I didn't read this book for a long time, but was well rewarded when I finally got around to it. Cable caught a lot of hell for this book (along with OLD CREOLE DAYS) and it's easy to see why. Taking potshots at popular historical myths (and making arguments for racial equality) was never popular, especially in Louisiana right after Reconstruction when this book was written. While the writing and some of the melodrama are considerably dated (if exquisitely lush and beautiful), Cable makes excellent (if occasionally strident and jarring) points of his own while giving us a beautifully entertaining story of forbidden love and the clash of cultures, (themes more than resonant in Southern literature), and his characters, particularly the strong-willed Aurore, the family black sheep Honore de Grandissime, and the idealistic young Anglo (well, German, really) immigrant, Joseph Frowenfeld, stay in the soul's memory long after the book's finish. As an afterthought, the way Cable goes after Creole society has relevance today, as there is probably no other part of Louisiana history and culture as misunderstood and yet sentimentally applauded as its Cajun and Creole components. A great novel not only on its own terms, but also for the impact its had on perceptions of the South and especially Louisiana.

Critic Rebecca West compared Cable to Balzac and the comparison is apt; this is possibly the closest an american novelist came to the french author. Set in exotic New Orleans during the time when Louisiana was being admitted to the Union, the novel is atmospheric and rich in description. The plot is complex but never enervating. The Grandissimes will be a real surprise to readers who have only read the society novels of Henry James and Edith Wharton.

Cable's epic masterpiece details the adventures of a young protagonist stranded in New Orleans after his family succumbs to yellow fever. Through an acquaintance with a well-connected Doctor, he is able to enter a society that few people get to experience -- upper class New Orleans.

Mark Twain said that if you read the Grandissimes, you wouldn't have to go to New Orleans, because by reading it, you have already visited. Cable, with extensive detail, humor and intricate commentary on the Old South, has written a novel that stands the test of time, even though some of the characters (Agricola Fullister) do not.

Although the book is at points tenuous, the characters are vibrant and interesting enough to keep the plot moving along.

Of course, the most controversial aspect of The Grandissimes is the ending, which many feel is a let down after pages and pages of emotional build-up. Without giving anything away, the finals pages are somewhat of a disappointment. But the ending in its entirety is a well done.

Overall, the Grandissimes is a fascinating look at class and culture of the Creoles. It is recommended to anybody who enjoys reading New Orleans literature or literature in general.

Subtitled "A Story of Creole Life" and set in New Orleans during the early 1800s, the main thread of this novel revolves around a family feud between the Grandissimes and De Grapions. Various members of each family love and hate members of the other, which is eventually worked out to the satisfaction of some (Honore and Aurora) and the disappointment (even death) of others (Agricola and Palmyre). Cable's goal was to portray as realistic a picture of New Orleans and Creole society at the time when the city was still mainly French and Spanish (proud old Agricola hates the newly arriving Americans) as he could, and in that he mainly succeeds (even with many of the romantic elements that creep into the story, such as the developing love interest between Joseph Frowenfeld and Clotilde Nancanou). Beyond the feud, though, Cable depicts a society drenched in violence and racial hatred, and this is about as realistic as it could get. In one scene a black woman is lynched, then cut down just before she suffocates and told to run for her life; when she does she's shot dead. Bras Coupe, a one-time African prince who is now a slave, is an imposing character and worthy of respect. The book has a great deal of Creole and French dialect throughout, which may be problematic for some. A product of the deep South, Cable writes with vitriol against the slave system and the cruelty of white masters, but also reveals sympathy for a dying culture in New Orleans. Probably Cable's best work.

This farsighted inditement of Southern society is still powerful today.

Much of the story is seen through the eyes of Joseph Frowenfeld, a young Northerner of German background who has just moved to Louisiana with his family. He is soon left bereft by yellow fever, and with nothing to go back to is befriended by several kind souls, chief among them Honore Grandissime, the scion of a filthy rich Creole family.

He is quickly dismayed by the inequities of New Orleans society, a confession that prompts his new friend to pour out his heart to him. Honore, who knows what his family is, longs to reach out to his Mulatto half-brother and share the family business with him. He also wants to do right by the beautiful and virtuous Aurora Nancanou and her daughter Clotilde, who have been left destitute (by genteel standards, anyway) after Honore's father murdered Aurora's husband and swindled her. Honore would like to court Auroura, but honorable man that he is doesn't want to take advantage of her by performing his good deed barely before knocking on the door. In short, he wants an end to the moral decay of the old South.

He is not so deluded, however, as to think he can live happily ever after married to Auroura with his brother at his side. The Grandissime family will not give up it's ill-gotten wealth and prestige without a fight, and with few exceptions save his delightful cousin and protege Raoul - who is still too young to have a voice in family affairs - he is virtually alone.

Inspired by his new friend, Honore finally makes his lonely stand, unsure that his efforts will bear fruit - or even that they won't end with a Grandissime bullet in his back.

Honore must rank as one of the most likable of literary heroes - a good man who you can unreservedly sympathise with and root for. The point is not that he succeeds - we are left very much uncertain on that point - but that he has the strength to be the first to fight for what he knows in his heart is right. It's a struggle that many concientious white people are facing now long after this book was written.

To tell you the truth, I had to read this book for a class I took this year, which focused on literature from New Orleans. I don't mind reading books for classes; however, once I read the first couple of chapters of The Grandissimes, I thought that this would be one of those books that I would fall asleep reading. It seemed confusing and dealt with issues that did not really pertain to me, but I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting and complex the novel became.
Once the plot started to unfold, the novel grabbed my interest and I grew to respect and be amazed by it. I think that Cable did a great job tying major themes into this piece of literature, such as family pride, Creole lifestyle, Iron Virgins and Southern Belles, and the rigorous expectations of society. The Grandissimes takes place right after the Louisiana Purchase (1803), which allowed Cable to encompass ideas that many people are familiar with, such as a fear of change. The characters in the book where well developed and each seemed to carry their own message to the audience. For example, it is easy for everyone to relate to Joseph Frowenfeld, an American who finds himself wrapped up in the Creole society. This character was forced to be an outsider and the novel depicts how he dealt with the divisions of class and status.
The Grandissimes is titled after the Creole family from New Orleans who held most of the power and influence in society at the time. Throughout the book, the family must struggle through twists and turns of deceit and unexpected events, while still holding up their Old South charm. This book does a great job portraying how the family struggled to keep their position and power in society, in order to stay true to their roots.
If you are thinking of reading this book, I would suggest giving it a try. It may seem very complicated and choppy at first, but it will eventually tie together to make a great story. However, the only downfall to this book is that I could not truly like it until it was done and I reflected on it. It is one of those books that ends up surprising you!

I read Cable's novel for a Southern Literature class last semester, and was surprised to find how much I enjoyed it. The dialog of the novel is somewhat hard to understand at first because of the many dialects, but once I did that, I enjoyed the story. I felt that Cable presented Creole life in a realistic way, including all the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of that life. The plot is complex, but not overbearing, and the setting was described so well. It was really grounded in my mind, and felt very realistic. Cable also addresses the acute racism of that time and of the time he was writing. I'm definitely going to read this one again in the future.