Customer Reviews

Love, Cajun Style

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

 

 

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

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.

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.

What a sweet little read! I instantly identified with Lucy and her friends, having grown up similarly as a teen, many years ago. I'm glad I picked this book up, it was truly a good use of my time, unlike some other books I've read lately!

For teenager Lucy Beauregard, love seems incomprehensible. It's not that she doesn't want to be in love someday, or even that she doesn't imagine the guy she might fall in love with -- it's just that she doesn't really understand love. Sure, she gets the basic idea, but deep down, real true love? What is it, really? And how do you know you're in it? How do you find it?

Lucy dated a guy last year; he was her first real kiss. At the time she thought she loved him. But now, he doesn't seem to matter so much. If it was really love, wouldn't it still matter? Is love what her best friend, Mary Jordan, has with her boyfriend? Then why does it get so confusing? Lucy's other best friend, Evie, seems to have some good theories. Surprising for someone whose own family breaks her heart over and over. And what about the new teacher who seems to be hitting on Lucy, even though she knows his wife and babysits for them? Lucy's only real example of love used to be her parents, but now even that looks like it's falling apart.

It seems like the harder Lucy tries to understand it all, the further she gets from it. It's all awfully confusing and difficult for something that seems like it should be natural and effortless!

Lucy learns some unbelievable things about life, people, heartache, pain, and yes, love, before the end of this story. At the end she's still the same Lucy, but stronger and wiser, and, at the same time, more willing to let go.

I love how perfect this book is! Love can seem confusing, and scary, and painful, and difficult. And it's all multiplied when you're just starting to figure it all out. I remember how tortured and intimidating everything about love and dating felt; this book took me completely back there. But it's also sweet and simple and wonderful in the most unexpected ways, just like this story. If you pay attention, the best lesson about love is in here. Just in case you miss it though, I'll tell you: No one can love you if you don't love yourself. Someone else can't make you whole. You have to do that yourself first.

A wonderful book about love and life, blended magically with a cajun soul.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

I was hooked by the end of the first chapter. The book is wild but down to earth, funny and serious, and best of all ties you in emotionally to every character.

I loved that the main character's voice and honesty pulled me straight into her experience instead of leaving me in the shadows like some books do. I loved that every one of the secondary characters had their own quirks and problems that made me care about them and made it so that the novel was not solely focused on the issues of the protagonist. And I also loved that Les Becquets weaves A Midsummer Night's Dream through the story, giving it a deeper literary layer.

This is a book I love having on my shelf to return to again sometime.