Impressive And Powerfully Written
Asuperberbly Vrafted Novel
Grady Harp, Amazon Hall Of Fame Top 50 Reviewer
Scattered snatches of his life tumble through the storm-surge: his mother’s prized tea cup, so carefully repaired after his father’s rage; clothes torn from clotheslines, like the first day he’d held hands with Snukie; his baby sister’s bottle, tossed on the waves. Then a voice, calling out to him. He struggles above water to see a woman astride a tree. Her dark hair obscures her face, her long dress whips around her. In a minute, she is gone. But Walt survives to wonder, was he guided to safety by Our Lady, Star of the Sea, patron of the Cajun people?
In 1957, Hurricane Audrey, predicted to make landfall on Friday, June 28th, arrived a day early. Early Thursday is the fictionalized memoir of a Cajun boy and his town Cameron, Louisiana, the ways the storm shattered them, and how faith and family gave them the strength to rebuild. Intertwined throughout are mysteries both human and miraculous, as Walt seeks to understand his family’s past, his true parentage, the effects of World War II on the adults around him, and his own survival.
Every aspect of the book is steeped in Cajun culture, language, and experience, informed by hundreds of hours of interviews with members of the community and survivors of the ’57 storm. Linda, herself, experienced the storm from the picture window of her family’s Lake Charles home, and her father served as Director of Civil Defense for Calcasieu Parish. His accounts of his work on storm recovery, the survival stories he encountered, and access to coroner’s pictures and records greatly assisted in strengthening the authenticity of the novel.
The Cajun people of Louisiana draw their origin and their name from the “Acadians”, French settlers in Novia Scotia who were forced out of their homes by the British during Le Grand Dérangement. Men, women, and children were forcibly expelled from the lands they had worked and lived for over one hundred years. Displaced, over five thousand dying in the ensuing journey, many settled in the backwaters of Louisiana, one of the few places that would take them in. But their trials were not over, as Walter La Cour learns growing up in Cameron Parish.
who became the catalysts in avoiding catastrophe or Who became the catalysts in the enemy’s defeat
A Story Told by a Marauder’s Daughter
“The Marauder and His Daughter”
Dive into the heart of a daring WWII operation and witness the courage of the forgotten heroes who averted disaster.
Raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Linda Cunningham grew up entrenched in the faith, love, and family of the South. Deeply informed by her upbringing, Cunningham’s work explores the intricacies of familial relationships and the deep power of love. Whether exploring the aftereffects of a hurricane or the residual scars of war, prepare to be transported and inspired by Cunningham’s novels today!
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