Customer Reviews

New Orleans Noir (Akashic Noir)

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

 

 

I picked this book up because Julie Smith is the editor and has a story in it. I have to say that hers was my favorite, by far. She's an ace mystery writer and I highly recommend all of her books if you haven't yet discovered them.

Exploring the darker side of the "Big Easy", these tales are unputdownable, gritty and down-to-earth whether dealing with the aftermath of Katrina, Mardi Gras or the seamier underside of life in the French Quarter.

I was happy to discover that a portion of the profits from this book are being donated to the New Orleans Public Library, a fabulous cause.

I'd never before read the "Noir" series, but I plan to look up other books in it. It's well deserving of five stars!!

I picked this book up at Pirate's Alley in New Orleans the day before I had to fly back home. I started reading it on the plane, came up for air in order to change planes in Dallas, and finished it before landng in LA. Every story was powerful; those in Part I: Before the Levees Broke as well as in Part II: Life In Atlantis. My favorites: Two-Story Brick Houses ( This short story captures the brutality of how cruel girls can treat one another), Muddy Pond, Annunciation Shotgun, and Night Taxi. If you want to experience the pain and sorrow of the people of New Orleans pre- and post- K, this is a MUST READ.

It is fitting the great Julie Smith was chosen as editor and post-Katrina story contributor for this terrific (terrifying?) anthology. She also should have been asked to add to "San Francisco Noir" because as in New Orleans, she spent many years there as an ace newspaper reporter and set one of her mystery serieses there. Her story "Loot" is this book is really good, about the long-time friendship between a civil rights lawyer and her maid who is stranded Uptown after the storm, and the vicious little plot dig at the end. Ditto to Outside Magazine writer Ace Atkins, who was boots-on-the ground on assignment here in the sweltering days after Katrina's eye passed, in his gritty "Angola South" about the inhuman jail set up at the Greyhound bus station. Maureen Tan's "Muddy Pond" indelibly depicts the plight of Vietnamese-Americans stuck in flooded N.O. East right after the storm. There is not a less than great story in this 18-story anthology (well maybe one of the pre-K's). This is one of the better books of the half dozen I have read in creator Tim McLoughlin's very fine (Akashic) Noir series -- the other one is D.C. Noir edited and with a story by the great George Pelecanos. Neither should be missed!

This was the first (but certainly won't be the last) of my reads in the Noir series. I picked this up as a Louisiana native and lover of New Orleans and have to admit I was extremely pleased. Really enjoy the way the book was split "Before the Levees Broke" and "Living in Atlantis".

Great read for anyone who has never been to New Orleans and especially for those of us who "know what it means to miss New Orleans"...

I wasn't impressed. I bought this book in Faulkner's House of Books in New Orleans to read while I was there. I was enchanted by the city, its history, and the stories of it's people and thought that this could be complemented by a good read.

However, I found most of the stories rather bland and simple-- there was none of the poetry and heart-felt, homey grittiness that I saw in New Orleans myself, nothing that made me see New Orleans in a different light or understand it better. The writing style seemed almost the same throughout the book (with the exception of just a few stories) to me, which should not have been case with 18 different authors. However, "Marigny Triangle" by Eric Overmyer stuck out as a particularly creative piece and a few others had their powerful moments.

Maybe I had too high of expectations. I would instead strongly recommend "New Orleans, Mon Amor" by Andrei Codrescu.

What makes this book great is that it is not the same old, same old Katrina stories. It is a wonderful mix of different authors and stories that truly shows the flavor of New Orleans, which is often bittersweet.

I was thrilled to find that I can now have an electronic copy of this book sent to my Kindle 2! I have read many of these stories more than once (bought a paper copy in the Garden District) and have a hard time putting the book down (even on read number three!). No surprise that Julie Smith, an extraordinarily talented mystery author, has her hands in this one - her story is fascinating and her editorial skills throughout the book are exceptional. I highly recommend New Orleans Noir - whether you are a lifelong New Orleans resident or simply someone who enjoys reading a fascinating collection of stories. The flavor from the various neighborhoods of New Orleans is brilliant. Budget out some time for this one - you won't be putting it down!

But, I found the stories to be rather uneven. That is,of course, the fear when one reads a book that features short stories from eighteen different authors. The book is divided into two sections. Prior and after Katrina. I very much enjoyed David Fullmer's Algiers, based in 1905, about a gambling cheater,guitar player and hustler who met his fate at the hands of Creole detective and strongman Valentin St. Cyr. All I Could Do Was Cry by Kalamu Ya Salaam was a superb story concerning the very sympathetic characters of Rita, who had survived a very hard childhood, and her hard working trusting husband Tyronne. Her son was shot and she achieved revenge. Muddy Pond by Maureen Tan told the post Katrina survival and heroism of Vietnamese immigrant Sonny Vien as he dispatched several looters. Loot by Julie Smith was another excellent post Katrina story. Telling of trust

betweeen Mathilde's long relationship with her maid Cherice. And how Cherice and her husband Charles managed to survive. Scared Rabbit by Tim McLoughlin was fine. Based upon a joke where a deer was frightened into saying he was a rabbit after being beaten by police. To me, those were the highlights.