Book Review and Giveaway: Under the Bayou Moon by Valerie Fraser Luesse

Ellie Fields comes to the small south Louisiana town of Bernadette, Louisiana looking to break out of the mold life seems to have set for her in her home state of Alabama. She isn’t sure who she’ll turn out to be, but she knows she can’t find out by staying where she’s always been. So she moves to a place where she knows no one to take the position of teacher in the town’s school.

The people of Bernadette are welcoming, but there is some skepticism about this new teacher. The state board of education decided that the French-speaking culture didn’t fit with the desired image of America, and the previous teacher had punished the students severely if they slipped and spoke in their native tongue. Ellie has her work cut out for her to not only educate the children, but to win their trust as well.

Raphe is a local fisherman who lost his family in a hurricane. He is raising his nephew Remy, who is one of Ellie’s students. He shares the legend of the white alligator, l’esprit blanc, with Ellie. She learns to love her new home, and the town comes to love and respect her for her care toward their children and their culture.

This book, y’all. I’m a Louisiana girl. (Raised in central Louisiana, not south, but still.) My former father-in-law was Cajun French. He’d tell us how they were punished if they spoke French in class. That is absolutely true. Louisiana, French to its core, tried to destroy its own heritage because some folks thought it was low-class. That breaks my heart. (Glad to say we got away from that narrow-minded attitude – I took French from elementary through high school, and French immersion classes aren’t uncommon these days. Trying to bring back what never should have been driven away.) The Cajun people will give you the shirt off their backs, but if they don’t trust you – and in the 1940s, they had no reason to trust anyone representing any aspect of the government – they will shut you out. Ellie had quite the task set for her, and Luesse has her handling that task admirably. I loved how Ellie drew in some of the older children to help her, not only to keep order, but to show all of them that she wasn’t interested in cutting off their connection to their roots. I loved how she used cultural aspects in the classroom, to engage the children and hold their interest.

The characters of the book were so vivid, I felt like they could live just down the road from me. The portrayal of the older Cajun ladies, willing to trade knowledge for knowledge, was marvelous. Haywood was a delight. I know people like Haywood, just full of the joy of life. He made me smile. And it was a treat seeing Ellie grow and blossom. She may not have known her own mind when she came to Bernadette, but she certainly went a long way toward figuring it out. I cried at the end, waving goodbye to friends.

Since this book is set in my home state, I was predisposed to like it before I turned the first page. The fact that the author is a Baylor graduate (like me!) also inclined me to think favorably of it. Now that I’ve finished, I can say that this is a book that will stay in my mind for a very, very long time. It isn’t the same type of magical realism as, say, Heather Webber or Sarah Addison Allen, but Under the Bayou Moon is magical all the same. Luesse draws a compelling picture of small-town south Louisiana, its people, and its culture, and that weaves a spell all its own. Go, read it. You won’t be disappointed.

Five luminous Louisiana stars for this Texas book.