Love, Cajun Style [Paperback]

Diane Les Becquets (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2007

It's the summer before Lucy's senior year in high school, and life in her sleepy Louisiana town is about to be turned upside down. Her mama's flirting with the dark stranger who runs the art gallery, her best friends Mary Jordan and Evie have boys on the brain, the drama teacher is sparking some powerful (if very, very wrong) feelings in Lucy, and a new boy has moved to town--Dewey, whose gentle ways captivate her. With everyone, including herself, so embroiled in affairs of the heart, it is any wonder the town of Sweetbay is fixin' to have itself one sweltering summer?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8-11–Growing up is inevitable but confusing for Lucy, whose 16th summer unfolds with the sweet, languid pace of her small Louisiana town. Her mother might be having an affair, her best friend's boyfriend might be cheating, and something's up with her favorite aunt's love life. There's romance brewing at the local retirement home, and the sexy new drama teacher doesn't seem to appreciate her baby-sitting skills as much as he seems to want something else–something that feels especially wrong compared to the feeling Lucy gets around blond, piano-playing Dewey. Her professed reticence to growing up seems mildly at odds with her perceptive nature, but overall her coming-of-age rings true. With a cast of distinctive characters, this story is told with humor and warmth and is deliciously full of Cajun metaphors and mouth-watering cooking descriptions–and one particular scene with Tabasco that will provoke squirms and giggling. Recommended for fans of Ellen Wittlinger, Joan Bauer, Deb Calleti, and the like.–Rhona Campbell, Washington DC Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gr. 8-11. Like a spicy Cajun stew, this mixes together lots of ingredients, and the result is delicious. The height of excitement for Lucy Beauregard and her friends Evie and Mary in their Louisiana town is going skinny-dipping and finding their clothes have been stolen. Then some strangers come to town. Mr. Savoi, an artist, opens a gallery, and suddenly Lucy's mom becomes interested in posing for him--nude. Mr. Savoi's son, Dewey is causing some heat in Lucy, but what about the attention she is receiving from Mr. Banks, the new teacher who has cast Lucy as the lead in a community play? Les Becquets creates a wonderful world that not only captures the emotions and dreams of youth but also the longings and regrets of adults. Populating the small town are richly drawn characters who waltz in and out of scenes with grace and humor. Religion and talk of God and morality also slide easily through the narrative. This is romantic, real, and lots of fun. REVWR
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599900300
• ISBN-13: 978-1599900308
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,138,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A coming of age tale about the loss of innocence, October 21, 2005

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love, Cajun Style (Hardcover)

You'd think that by the summer before senior year of high school, Lucy Beauregard would have a pretty good idea of what love looks like. After all, she spends half her time secretly reading trashy romance novels, right? So why is Lucy more confused than ever? Her one attempt at love went sour, and now she has strange feelings about the handsome new drama teacher who can't keep his hands to himself. Lucy's mother, who usually has plenty of advice, might be carrying on an affair with the lonely artist who has just moved to town. Lucy's best friends Evie and Mary Jordan certainly don't have any answers --- they're just as confused as Lucy is.

The more Lucy spends time with the other inhabitants of her small Louisiana town, though, the more she realizes that love --- even passion --- can happen in the most unexpected places. A couple of senior citizens find true love at the nursing home. Lucy's own Tante Pearl, who usually trudges around in army fatigues, is suddenly investing in perfumes and potions. And then there's the quiet, unassuming new boy in town, Dewey, who shyly slips into Lucy's life and may teach her more about love than she ever could have imagined.

LOVE, CAJUN STYLE is infused with the down-home folksiness of the bayou region. Characters constantly pepper their food with Tabasco and pepper their speech with homegrown aphorisms about the nature of love. The characters' Catholic religion is at the center of their lives, and talk of faith mixes naturally into everyday conversation, as does pretty earthy talk about sex. The author's affection for her Southern roots shines through every page. Its big weakness is that in trying to create a portrait of an entire small town, it has a lot of subplots, some of which seem too hurriedly resolved at the end of the book.

In many ways, LOVE, CAJUN STYLE is about a loss of innocence --- Lucy's summer of love is an awakening not only to the possibilities of love's joys but also to the potential of love and sex to hurt people and wound relationships. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the novel also seems in hindsight to be a love letter to a more simple, small-town, Louisiana way of life and love that will --- like Lucy herself --- no longer ever be the same.

--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant!, October 10, 2005

By 

Stacey Goldblatt (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love, Cajun Style (Hardcover)

Diane Les Becquets' writing style is exquisite. She goes beyond the elements of story to create a palpable experience for her reader. Threads of art, music, food and poetry weave through the novel connecting main character, Lucy Beauregard, to the human experience. And as far as human experience goes, Les Becquets' cast of characters range from lecherous drama teacher, Mr. Banks, to portly and free spirited Tante Pearl. The characters are rounded and interesting, all having some kernel of wisdom to offer about getting through life the best way she/he can.

What I like most about the novel is how Les Becquets creates a world for teens that gives credence to their thoughts and feelings. Lucy struggles to understand love in its many forms while discovering it herself, on her own terms. Most important, Les Becquets takes us out of the mall and into the beautiful scenery of the South, allowing her characters to rub against each other in a living, breathing landscape. A three dimensional landscape that caters to all of our senses.

Original and true. Lucy's voice is strong and fresh. You won't be able to leave the book without having Les Becquet's characters and wisdoms tucked into your pocket. Somehow she is able to remind us that goodness in life boils down to something as simple as a strong friendship, a homemade meal, a Pablo Neruda poem, or a night under the stars. And that love - whether it be parental, platonic or passionate - finds us, and it doesn't always look the way we think it will.

3.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and Fun!, September 2, 2009

By 

Yolanda S. Bean (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Love, Cajun Style (Hardcover)

Oh, this was a cute summery romance with fun pranks, sweet characters and just a general sense of fun. The older characters seemed like they stepped out of _Steel Magnolias_, though in this case the setting was in Louisiana, not Georgia. And though the main girls were supposed to be 17, they seemed much younger... Perhaps because of the completeness of their innocence. Still, it was a fun book.