Under the Bayou Moon: A Novel

EVOCATIVE! Valerie Fraser Luesse has written an evocative story set in the sultry swamps of Louisiana in the late 1940s-early 1950s. She introduces the world to a young teacher, Ellie Fields. Ellie has left the confines of the life she knows so well in small town Alabama and accepted the challenge of a teaching job in tiny Louisiana town deep in the bayou country. Tiny Bernadette, LA is filled with many sets of challenges for the idealistic schoolteacher. Yet, Ellie feels an immediate love for these people and one man in particular wins her heart. Cajun fisherman Rafe marries Ellie and they create a safe haven for the nephew that Rafe is adopting. In an area well known for not accepting outsiders, this mix of many different types of people have come together in one accord to accept the new school teacher. Why? Because she LOVES their children with everything in her being and loves each one of them the same amount as the others! She has even come up with a way to teach the African American children as well as the illiterate adults. She knows they are a proud people but some of them never had the opportunity to go to school. When the area is shaken by the largest crisis they have ever had to face, it is rewarding to see neighbors helping neighbors, friends helping friends and even strangers helping others! When push comes to shove, Luesse paints a beautiful word picture of what the Good Samaritan as well as true resiliency look like. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by Revell & NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

Under the Bayou Moon Valerie Fraser Luesse Ellie Fields is determined to serve wherever she is most needed and use the gifts God has given her to make the world a better place, especially for children. So when she is offered a teaching position in Bernadette, Louisiana, she takes the opportunity to leave the familiar life behind. But the life of a school teacher in a Cajun community in 1949 Louisana isn't easy. French-speaking has been forbidden, in fact, it is to be driven out of the children by any means necessary. Fortunately, for the people who call Bernadette home, Ellie Fields isn't of a like mind, though she knows learning English is necessary for their futures. But Ellie's greatest understanding comes when she meets Raphe Broussard, a Cajun fisherman who has called the Bayou home all his life. A life that at times is as harsh as the Bayou is beautiful. Raphe's concern for the young nephew he is raising brings him to Ellie's classroom where his concerns are soon laid to rest. But soon the Bayou and Bernadette are facing an enemy they didn't know existed - one that if not stopped that could destroy everything that they hold dear. Valerie Fraser Luesse's newest work is a standalone title and is excellent reading.. Her realistic descriptions of the beauties of the Bayou make me miss the similar landscape that I called home when I lived in Florida. The moss draping from the trees and swaying to the breezes off the water. The quiet of nature is so alive during the night. But the prejudices against the Cajun people at this time in history is just something one doesn't hear about in the history books. Truly the land of freedom when speaking a language is not only forbidden but punished! Under the Bayou Moon, like the other works by Valerie Fraser Luesse that I have had the pleasure to read are books that entertain while sharing glimpses into the past. Her characters are more than words upon a page they have a life that speaks to you, one is drawn into the story, roots for the characters to triumph over the evil that is confronting them. I was provided a complimentary copy of this book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this read, from beginning to end it was a breath of fresh air to keep turning the pages. A young woman is coming to teach these poor children who have been traumatized by previous teachers, and we get to watch as Ellie puts herself out there. There is the love of a child, of a community, and a love for their fellowman, and it flows from individual to another. The banter is at times laugh out loud and the, and the caring is so heartwarming! Be sure to read the epilogue, we are gifted! I received this book through the Publisher Revell, and was not required to give a positive review.