The Cutting Season

A sturdy little thriller. Very realistic sugar cane / plantation backdrop. Depressingly realistic denouement. Always read these in my mind as a Netflix movie / mini-series. I would watch this one for sure.

This was an interesting mix of stories. We see the murder mystery as well as the history of Belle Vie. While Caren is trying to manage the plantation and trying to solve the mystery, she is also digging in to her own history. There were times when I got into one plot line and forgot about the other. I'm not sure if I liked that or not. Overall I love the themes that this is dealing with and that will keep me thinking about this book for awhile.

3.5 stars. Loved the audiobook narration and Locke writes a place with as much character and heart as any protagonist. However...

SpoilerMy one complaint about Locke's protagonists is that they're always flawed in a relationship way, whether it's family relationships or romantic ones. I get that humans are naturally flawed but why does their downfall always have to be either a parental relationship or a lover? I noticed this in Bluebird, Bluebird as well.

So smart and so southern.

This book has had some good reviews but it fell a bit flat for me, perhaps because the “mystery” was fairly easy to deduce. There are some interesting race and class ideas going on, but nothing explosive.

The character building was executed with pure exquisiteness. Though I enjoyed reading almost each and every page of it, but somehow I felt that the ending was over stretched. Nevertheless, a great story and even a better story telling concept. Beautifully written.