u/CyberneticSandwich

I stumbled upon this novel almost by chance, but I must say this is one of those works you seldom find on purpose. I'm still trying to figure out why this isn't as popular as Michener or Rutherfurd. Though, to be honest, I also read Brazil by Errol Lincoln Uys and it also slipped into oblivion. Yes, I do love family sagas haha.

With my backstory out of the way, here's the part you've been waiting for : what is this book about?

It is the history of the settlement of Louisiana, and the various people who came to this place, their cuisine, their loves and little snippets of history here and there. The author clearly has done a great deal of research before writing this book, with Louisiana creole jumping in, the war of 1812, the Acadian diaspora, and the unique social hierarchy of New Orleans.

And that's only the beginning. I have read almost all of Michener's novels and I simply can't put into words just how similar they are, and anyone who knows his style, knows just how unique he is. His novel generally start in prehistory and continue to the present day, with a rich cast from different families. This one starts around 50 years from the Acadian diaspora, which is a missed occasion to write about the Choctaw nation and the native heritage of the region, but we must make do with what we have. There is a surpsingly short list of fiction on the subject.

Oh and the novel is not too different from a cookbook, with many different recipes within, from the gumbo to filet, to shrimps and crabs recipes. Absolutely recommend this masterpiece.

I figured I'd give it a shot and post in here, basically as the title says. Bonus points if it involves the settlement of Port Royal, the great upheaval of 1755 in Acadia, the Louisiana purchase and the ban to speak French within school grounds from 1921 to the late 60s. I've done my research lol.

So far I've been able to scrape these titles off the mouldy walls of the Internet, if anyone does recommend one above the other, please comment below. I also considered the trilogy by Gwen Bristow but I later found out that the French element was lacking..

Barkskins

Bayou: A Novel of the Deep Delta

Cane River

Should the Waters Take Us