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Under the Bayou Moon: A Novel by [Valerie Fraser Luesse]

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Valerie Fraser Luesse

Under the Bayou Moon: A Novel Kindle Edition

by Valerie Fraser Luesse (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Restless with the familiarity of her Alabama home, Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country. Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their culture, most of the people in tiny Bernadette, Louisiana, come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher as a boon to the town. She's soon teaching just about everyone--and coming up against opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives.

Acclimating to a whole new world, Ellie meets a lonely but intriguing Cajun fisherman named Raphe who introduces her to the legendary white alligator that haunts these waters. Raphe and Ellie have barely found their way to each other when a huge bounty is offered for the elusive gator, bringing about a shocking turn of events that will test their love and their will to right a terrible wrong.

A master of the Southern novel, Valerie Fraser Luesse invites you to enter the sultry swamps of Louisiana in a story that illuminates the struggle for the heart and soul of the bayou.

Print length

348 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Revell
Publication date

August 3, 2021
File size

9675 KB
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Valerie Fraser Luesse
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Mindy Starns Clark
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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Come spend a few hours in Bernadette, Louisiana. You might find you don't want to leave! I know I didn't."--Lynette Eason, bestselling, award-winning author of the Danger Never Sleeps series

When Ellie Fields accepts a teaching job in a tiny Louisiana town deep in bayou country in 1949, she knows her life will change--but she could never imagine just how dramatically.

Though rightfully suspicious of outsiders, who have threatened both their language and their unique culture, most of the residents come to appreciate the young and idealistic schoolteacher, and she's soon teaching just about everyone, despite opposition from both the school board and a politician with ulterior motives. Yet it's the lessons Ellie herself will learn--from new friends, a captivating Cajun fisherman, and even a legendary white alligator haunting the bayou--that will make all the difference.

Take a step away from the familiar and enter the shadowy waters of bayou country for a story of risk, resilience, and romance.

"Reading Under the Bayou Moon felt like an invitation to sit with Valerie in her story shack so she could spin a yarn that made me fall in love with a place I've never been and care deeply for characters I've never met. This is a book to be savored."--Susie Finkbeiner, author of The Nature of Small Birds and Stories That Bind Us

"With atmosphere dripping from every page like Spanish moss on a cypress tree, Valerie Fraser Luesse brings the Louisiana bayou to vivid life in this story of one woman stepping out in faith to pursue her purpose. This memorable tale of love--love for self, love for others, and love for the land--will expand in your heart just as the ripples from a boat's passage touch every secret corner of the bayou."--Erin Bartels, award-winning author of We Hope for Better Things --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Valerie Fraser Luesse is the bestselling author of Missing Isaac, Almost Home, and The Key to Everything, as well as an award-winning magazine writer best known for her feature stories and essays in Southern Living, where she is currently senior travel editor. Specializing in stories about unique pockets of Southern culture, Luesse received the 2009 Writer of the Year award from the Southeast Tourism Society for her editorial section on Hurricane Katrina recovery in Mississippi and Louisiana. A graduate of Auburn University and Baylor University, she lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband, Dave. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08MXYTSHT
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Revell (August 3, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 3, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 9675 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 348 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0800740025
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #53,235 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #246 in Historical Christian Romance
- #250 in Historical Christian Romance Fiction
- #257 in Christian Historical Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
251 ratings

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Pat

Well written

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2021

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Under the Bayou Moon is one of the most well written stories I have read. I loved the characters- their relationship - they seemed so real. Everything about it drew me in. As I was raised in south Louisiana I identified with many things. Cajuns. Gambinos bread and bakery (so good.) Alligators, the bayou with homes on stilts. New Orleans and the French Quarter, and more. Gumbo and Jambalaya. The only thing I did not like about this book was that it ended. :( Very well written. Loved it

4 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2021

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A great book about a time gone by & in a place few know about. Decent & heart-warming. I highly recommend!

2 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

So enjoyed

Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2022

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I could actually see the bayou while reading this. Enjoyed the families and the town in the book. Characters came to life. So glad the alligator lived.

Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2022

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Recognized all the characters. Valerie really sets the reader on the proper path. One is immersed completely in this fading culture. I’ve met Raphe and Haywood and even Ms Ellie during visits home to LA. Perfection.

Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2022

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Great read! Easy read! Highly recommend!

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Stephanie McCallTop Contributor: Harry Potter

Good, But Needed Brighter, Deeper Light and Shading

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2021

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Under the Bayou Moon is more a 3.5, and one of those charming books I couldn't help but like, despite its flaws. It's not perfect by any means, and I'll get to that. However, there's a lot to like about Bayou Moon and a lot I think Valerie Luesse could build on for future books.

First off, the Louisiana setting and Creole/Cajun culture swept me away. My litmus test for a memorable setting is, did I feel like I was there? I completely did, from New Orleans to the bayou. Throughout the book, my mouth watered for seafood, gumbo, and layer cakes. I loved the Cajun French, because it was sprinkled in just enough to make the setting authentic, neither overdone nor underdone. And even though some of the bayou's elements, like heat, snakes and mosquitoes, would annoy me, I enjoyed the bayou in and of itself.

Part of that great setting is also the book's wonderful people. Throughout Bayou Moon, you know Louisiana is a unique part of America, with a culture of its own that needs and deserves to be preserved and loved. I grew to love everyone, from Ellie and Raphe and Remy to minor but important characters like the Council, Tante Dodo, Gabby, and even Boone Strahan. They felt like people I would meet in my neighborhood, people I would want to talk to and have a cup of cafe au lait with.

The plotlines of Bayou Moon were set up to be wonderful. Valerie gave readers a lot of issues that deserved to be explored in depth. I loved what I saw of the white alligator, the English vs. French in school controversy, and the attempts to eradicate or preserve Cajun culture. I loved Ellie's scenes with her students, as she strove to make school fun, educational, and a safe place. Again, I wanted more.

And that's the major reason I knocked Under the Bayou Moon's rating down. I wanted so much more! Every time one of those great plot threads were set up, it would fizzle, and Valerie would move on to something else. The villains were set up, but didn't actually appear in the book until over 2/3 through, and then seemed to come from nowhere. Two-thirds through, Raphe and Ellie come to a conclusion that would otherwise be an ending. I actually didn't mind that part too much, because you rarely see what happens after "happily ever after." But as with all the other threads, that fizzled. Everything fizzled. And some plot threads, like the one with Heywood, make no sense. They don't match the rest of the story at all.

Additionally, the writing relies a lot on telling over showing, and weak verbs like "was" and "were." By the end of the book, I was screaming for depth, and disappointed. Yet, the elements I loved, I really loved. I'll be looking for more books like this that go into more depth, especially in the Cajun setting. In the meantime, I'd say try Bayou Moon, but maybe supplement with books like Kathy Herman's Roux River Bayou series, which is in a different genre but captures Cajun culture more.

8 people found this helpful

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Ralph T. Williams

Fantastic.

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2022

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Best book I have read since Where The Crawdads Sing! Similar setting.... a wonderful vivid novel. It is a can't put it down book. Enjoy!

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021

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This s book was a nice departure from the genre I usually read. The descriptions of the bayou practically transport you there. You got a re real sense of the characters and cared about o it them like friends. I'd say m y only criticism is things just got wrapped up too quickly, but this wasn't intended to be a particularly suspenseful story. I'd definitively check out other books by this author.

2 people found this helpful

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