Love, Cajun Style (Paperback)

by Diane Les Becquets (Author) "I was riding my yellow-and-blue Raleigh bicycle out to the beach to meet my friends, the sweet, salty air of early summer on my face,..." (more)
Key Phrases: snooze button, Mary Jordan, Tante Pearl, Miss Balfa (more...)

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 the Hardcover edition.

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 the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (March 20, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599900300
• ISBN-13: 978-1599900308
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #762,954 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 7, 2007

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

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

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, January 11, 2007

By	Avid Reader (South Jordan, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

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

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.