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Title: The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish

Author: Elise Blackwell

Narrator: Scott Sowers

Format: Unabridged

Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-03-09

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary

Publisher's Summary:

In this compelling and emotionally affecting tale, Hurricane Katrina bares down on New Orleans, evoking in 95-year-old Louis Proby memories of the fateful - and life-defining - flood of 1927. And tied up in these memories are all the triumphs, missteps and family obligations that make up his life.

Members Reviews:

Intriguing

First if all, it was my pleasure to meet the author at the memorial service for my son. They attended LSU together and coincidentally were living in Columbia, SC at the time of his death. Meeting with her was such a delight I knew I had to read something she had written. When it was my turn to select a book for my book club to read, I inquired of Elise which of her books would she recommend. Her reply was this one.

I found this book intriguing because of the years I lived in SW Louisiana and keenly aware of flooding and hurricanes that could have a devastating affect on the land and the people who live there. I found it interesting that she chose the story as told by a young boy (and onward in age). I would think this would be a different approach by an adult female and not an easy one.

I admit that it took several pages (thus 4 stars) to get into the story, but once passed that, I was intrigued and "hooked". The characters were interesting and well developed. Her descriptions of the locations were "spot on" as far as Louisiana are concerned. I could almost live the constant rainfall and feel the mud squishing between my toes.

I liked her telling of the disposition of the characters at the end of the book. Often authors leave the reader hanging in this aspect.

The verdict's not in from my book club since we haven't met yet. But my opinion is good job, Elise! I'm on to read another of your books!

The Unnatural History of Cypress Parrish

This is a lovely literary work of art by the fabulous Elise Blackwell. It is entrenched in the rich history+culture of Louisiana in years gone by. Borrowing from her granfather's life a rich tapestry is woven that evokes images of the difficulty that has been La's history.Memorable and relavent with the more recent hurricanes of New Orleans,a book to cherish!

An old man may remember the facts of his youth, but he cannot always remember what they felt like."

(4.5 stars) Writing from the point of view of elderly New Orleans native Louis Proby on the eve of Hurricane Katrina, author Elise Blackwell fills this novel with vibrant scenes of Cypress Parish, just to the south of New Orleans. The contemporary Cypress Parish, with its asphalt highway connecting it to New Orleans, its fast food restaurants, and its "noseful of stink that only a paper mill can churn out" offers a sharp contrast to the way of life in which the speaker grew up. As he reminisces about "the water that rose in 1927," Louis tells about the innocence of his childhood, and his understanding of his father, his family, and their values.

What follows is a beautifully realized story, a mixture of delicate lyricism with harsh reality, as Louis, then seventeen, discovers the way the world works, and especially the way it works in New Orleans. As he discovers love with one of his classmates, he also discovers new truths about his father and his friends, depicting the everyday injustices of whites against blacks, including some in which he himself participates.