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217th out of 641 books
—
350 voters
The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell
by
Loraine Despres (Goodreads Author)
Belle Cantrell felt guilty about killing her husband and she hated that. Feeling guilty, that is. A lady shouldn't do something she's going to feel guilty about later was a rule Belle kept firmly in mind.Welcome to the world of beautiful, irrepressible Belle Cantrell, years before she becomes grandmother to Sissy LeBlanc of Loraine Despres' bestselling The Scandalous Summ...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
June 13th 2006
by Harper Perennial
(first published 2005)
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The first line of this book hooked me-Belle Cantrell felt guilty about killing her husband and she hated that. Feeling guilty, that is. A lady shouldn't do something she's going to feel guilty about later, was a rule Belle kept firmly in mind.And so begins your introduction to Belle Cantrell's Southern Woman's Primmer of Propriety which Belle teacches but doesn't always follow.It is set in the 1920's with prohibition in full swing and women are fighting for their right to vote.Its about a young...more
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This takes place in Gentry,LA during the time of prohibition and suffrage. The author, Loraine Despres, is from Amite, LA. I picked it up because the author also wrote "the Southern Belle's Handbook" which I thought I had read and enjoyed. Turns out I got the Handbook confused with "A Southern Belle Primer" by Maryln Schwartz. I really tried to like this book, but it just didn't click with me. Belle is a 33 year old widow living with her mother in law on their plantation/farm. She is mother to a...more
I am not sure that this book would be accurately described as chick-lit but as I think women will enjoy it more than men I guess it works. I really enjoyed this book. The main character is interesting and spunky. This book has a little bit of everything from romance to dealing with social issues in the south at the beginning of the last century. I especially enjoyed the characters involvement in the women's suffragette movement. Definetely pick up this book if you have time.
A heroine I can relate to! Belle Cantrell has a hard time following the rules. First of all, she killed her husband. No, she didn't stick a knife in him but he was fighting to defend her honor when it happened so she might as well have. She has an awful lot of impure thoughts, true they were mostly about her husband when he was still alive but in prohibition era Gentry, Louisiana a proper lady is only supposed to tolerate that business not actually like it! She bobs her hair, tries unsuccessfull...more
This was a fun book about a Southern Belle during prohibition times who's husband was murdered. It does have some strong messages about prejudice and the lack of rights for women not even 100 years ago.
Made me grateful for the 'sufferagettes' and other women who sacrificed for the rights I totally take for granted.
Not too heavy reading, very enjoyable story.
Made me grateful for the 'sufferagettes' and other women who sacrificed for the rights I totally take for granted.
Not too heavy reading, very enjoyable story.
This is a time period I've read a great deal about, though usually in more esoteric books. Bell Cantrell is a woman living on the cusp between worlds. She's caught between her upbringing and her desires. It's hard to imagine, given our world of today, when bobbing your hair, or driving in a motorcar with a man could damage your reputation, or a time when the men you grew up knowing could hide themselves under sheets and call themselves heroes and protectors as Klansmen. Some very nice elements i...more
I was not overly impressed with this book. With the setting of the book taking place in a small town in Louisiana in the 1920's with women petitioning to get the right to vote. I was not wild about this book and am not sure if it had to do with the fact that the main character sways between trying to be a prim and proper Southern woman and then skinny dipping in the local river and having a wild romp in the barn with the hired help.
At times I found myself actually cringing and finding this unbel...more
At times I found myself actually cringing and finding this unbel...more
Oct 10, 2012
Kit★
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical,
roaring-20s
This book was on my wishlist for years, ever since I read The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc maybe like 5 or 6 years ago. So when I found a copy on one of my usual Goodwill ventures, I was psyched! And it was a brand-new looking hardback too. Even better as I'm a fool for a hardback, especially for books I plan on hanging on to. The time finally felt right to read this book, and I dove right in. I was hooked from that quirky beginning. I immediately liked Belle as a character, she was totall...more
Belle Cantrell is a delight. She is a woman born before her time though or maybe not. Belle is humorous, tough and has her own way of surviving being a woman in the 1920’s. The Southern Girls Guide to Men and Other Perils of Modern Life are Belle’s rules that she has made up and continues to make up as she goes through life.
Married at a young age because of becoming pregnant the surrounding community view Belle as somewhat wild. Widowed the day her husband comes home from the war Belle’s life c...more
Sep 02, 2008
Angela
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who doubts the abilities of our mothers
While I was reading this book, I thought a lot about my grandmothers. My maternal great, great grandmother Minnie, was a flapper who ran a "boarding house for gentlemen", whatever that is, after she kicked her drunk of a husband out of the house and divorced him. I am told she wore red lipstick and smoked, and probably didn't give a hoot what anyone thought of her. Her daughter, my great grandmother, Ruth, worked three jobs after her husband died, leaving her alone to raise five children during...more
Listened to the abriged audiobook. Once again, I wished that I had the full text to hear. Throughout the book I was conscious that I must be missing things. Oh, well. I could always check out the book.
Belle Cantrell lives in the small Louisiana town of Gentry during the 1920's. Having lost her husband the very day he returns from WWI, Belle has to create a life for herself as a single woman. Though she lives with her southern matron mother-in-law and has raised her daughter to abide by the "Prim...more
Belle Cantrell lives in the small Louisiana town of Gentry during the 1920's. Having lost her husband the very day he returns from WWI, Belle has to create a life for herself as a single woman. Though she lives with her southern matron mother-in-law and has raised her daughter to abide by the "Prim...more
When is good read's going to add a 1/2 star? I more than just 'liked it' - as with her other book (Sissy...), this book takes place in the south, but is set in the early 20th century when the Klan was making a comeback and blacks and whites were trying to figure out where they stood. Another book by Despres about women bucking the system and making a contribution to change. But still the right amount of naughty behavior (even for our times) to make it a bit tawdry. Read both of her books in a da...more
Sep 20, 2011
Nancy
marked it as to-read
I wasn't sure what to think about this book, and after the first few chapters, almost put it down. However, I'm glad I stuck it out until the end. The author has done an excellent job researching the time period, and incorporating the events of the early 1920's into the narrative, but not in an overbearing, didactic way--or in just a cursory way. I don't usually read books about this time period, but am now fascinated about all the things that were going on at the same time--the end of WWI, proh...more
1920, small town Louisiana. Belle Cantrell's husband is murdered during a poker game, just hours after returning home a War Hero. Two years later, Belle is still blaming herself and her suffragist ways for risque photos taken of her while he was away fighting for the country. With the help of her Protestant Minister, Southern-Victorian Mother-In-Law and her Jewish bestie, Belle moves forward in an era of the KKK, racism, and small-town boredom to find love and happiness once again, breaking a fe...more
Dec 17, 2008
Andrea
rated it
1 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
heard,
historical-fiction
This book tries to add slapstick triviality to a serious and horrible chapter of the history of the American south. The main character, Belle, is, I suppose, to be cunning and adorable but comes of as indignant and self-righteous.
I kept going thinking that the story would have some redeeming value but it does not. My advice: Abandon this book at all once.
I kept going thinking that the story would have some redeeming value but it does not. My advice: Abandon this book at all once.
1 like · like · see review
I read this for a book club, coincidentally just after seeing Iron Jawed Angels. I looked forward to it for that reason and because my grandmother was about the same age at the same time.
It takes place in Louisiana during that time period. I read a large-print book and the picture on the cover really threw me.
The book was just OK for me. Although the author kept it historically accurate, it felt like a cookie cutter book to me. Very predictable. The characters didn't have much depth. The "Sout...more
It takes place in Louisiana during that time period. I read a large-print book and the picture on the cover really threw me.
The book was just OK for me. Although the author kept it historically accurate, it felt like a cookie cutter book to me. Very predictable. The characters didn't have much depth. The "Sout...more
This is a prequel to The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc and it was wonderful. It presents some history of the suffragette and Klan movement in the South in the 1920s, along with a good story and wonderful characters. Now that I understand the history of the town and the characters, I may need to read Sissy LeBlanc again!
Jul 05, 2012
Georgette
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2012
I actually didn't think I'd like this book. It took me FOREVER to pick it up and start reading it because I was scared I'd hate it. It was actually a very easy read about a 33 year old woman during women's suffrage in the United States and her feelings and thoughts towards discrimination. Belle is not your typical southern woman in the 1920's. Pretty good book!
I give this book a mixed review. I liked the main character and her spunk in rebelling against the social mores of the day. There were a lot of good historical details and the author painted a vivid picture of a small town in the south in 1920.
I didn’t fully enjoy the book though, because so much of it focused on the bigotry and hate of the KKK and there was so much violence and venom in it. It was just too much bile for a light fiction read and it almost turned me off from finishing the book. H...more
I didn’t fully enjoy the book though, because so much of it focused on the bigotry and hate of the KKK and there was so much violence and venom in it. It was just too much bile for a light fiction read and it almost turned me off from finishing the book. H...more
Guess I would rate this book as O.K. Takes place in the 1920 Era--women getting the right to vote and the Ku Klux Klan in the south. The main character, Belle's guilt over her husband's death and wanting to move on with her life. The main reason I finished the book was because a friend shared it with me and I wanted to tell her I did!
Super easy read. I'm only giving it 3 stars, because it's hard to compare to her other book, The Scandelous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc. But, if you want a fast read, I would recommend this. Definitely a funny book at times, and offers some great advice for southern belles.
Belle Cantrell is feisty, spunky and delightful. She knows the rules but lives by her own. It is a comic love story at times.
You will find a strong message about prejudice and the lack of women's rights. The KKK plays a big part in trying to keep women under control and not be able to vote. Men rule.
You will find a strong message about prejudice and the lack of women's rights. The KKK plays a big part in trying to keep women under control and not be able to vote. Men rule.
Spunky character. I enjoyed how Despres wove Belle's rules, The Southern Girls' Guide to Men and Other Perils of Modern Life," and the more virtuous rules of "The Primer of Propriety" into the book. I'm definitely interested in reading her other books.
It was an alright read and I didn't dislike the character...
But having said all that I reduced the stars because I was OVER the constant over explaination- if Belle was to be a catalyst character just write her that way- I found the author cheapened Belle as a hussy- not cool!
But having said all that I reduced the stars because I was OVER the constant over explaination- if Belle was to be a catalyst character just write her that way- I found the author cheapened Belle as a hussy- not cool!
This is a great tale written in the south. Poor Belle is my kind of lady knowing the rules but always living by her own. She goes through a handful of wonderful idea's all women should know about men living in the south. Belle carries the guilt of having her husband death put on her bad behavior. These are lies of a small town sheriff to hide the racism growing their town. Belle finds love again in a Jewish buisness man from chicago. So he's a Jew and a Yankie those are two no no's in the south....more
This book was just what I needed! I had just completed the (imo) underwhelming and incredibly boring "The Historian" and needed something funny, sexy and sassy and this was it! I read "The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc" years ago and remembered that I really enjoyed it, so I was tickled to find out that her grandmother Belle had her own story. I finished this in two nights bc I couldn't put it down! In fact, the only reason it took two nights was bc I had to sleep at some point. I loved Bel...more
This was an okay book - a light read, but not great - About a woman finding herself during the time wqqhen women were fighting for the right to vote.
i'm pretty sure that i am a reborn soul. The last person I was, was a woman like the one in this love story. I identify with this character
The characters in this book had a lot of life in them. It was a marked improvement over the author's other book, where the characters were depressed throughout the novel.
I am going back and forth on the degree to which I like or dislike the book. I guess I like it more than I dislike it because I keep on reading. I am pretty sure I will finish though.
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Loraine Despres is a best-selling novelist and screenwriter. Her first novel, the rollicking Southern love story, The Scandalous Summer of Sissy LeBlanc, was a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers Pick, a Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club featured selection. It became a national best-seller and is now in its 25th printing. It begins: “When you get to be a certain age, you realize that...more
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