The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish

by Elise Blackwell

Set in southern Louisiana in the weeks preceding the great flood of 1927, this novel depicts a place and way of life about to be forever changed. On the verge of manhood and a stone’s throw of the rising Mississippi River, Louis Proby is pulled between his love of the natural world and the glittering temptations of New Orleans, between the beautiful Nanette Lançon and a father who no longer seems larger-than-life, between the simplicity of childhood and the complicated decisions of adulthood.

Louis comes of age at a time when the country is coming of age. In Louisiana, it’s a time when the powerful prove themselves willing to sacrifice the poor to protect their position. As the people of Cypress Parish go about their daily lives, bankers in New Orleans are plotting to alter those lives irrevocably. Like so many calamities, the one that befalls Cypress Parish has both natural and human causes.

Based on historical events and narrated on the eve of another disaster, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish tells the story of a young man growing up in a time and place not quite like any other.

Genres: Fiction, American History, Historical Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2007

About the author

Elise Blackwell is the author of three novels: Hunger, The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, and Grub. Originally from southern Louisiana, she has lived all over the country and currently teaches at the University of South Carolina.

Reviews

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

The story is boring and the writing is terrible.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on CD. It's a novel detailing some true events that took place at the time of the 1927 flood in south Louisiana. A 17 year old boy in 1927, the story of that time and his own growing up is recounted by an old man on the eve of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Fascinating details of Louisiana life and history are included in the story.A must read for those who think Louisiana is the most interesting place in the U.S. to live.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cypress forests used to blanket Louisiana. This is just one story of the rape of land, but also the story of how New Orleans was saved from flooding by the destruction of levys which protected other towns. A unique novel, well written and with historical basis.

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the book but didn't love it. I do love reading stories about Louisiana and, authors with Louisiana roots. I had to get used to the language as it is not written casually. Intrigued about the flood of 1927 and this story is mostly about that time. It follows a boy growing up and seeing that life meanders like the river.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An earlier work was highly regarded, so when i started this story I had high expectations. As happens all too often, they weren't met. It's just O.K.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I am a man far removed from his origins — by miles, by years, and by more intangible measures. Every piece of wood, no matter how refined and sanded, is marked by the conditions where the tree was grown. The mix of nutrients in the soil and air, the shifts in temperature and humidity, high winds and lightning, the damage from insects and wood-boring birds, and cultivation — the human history of the land — leave their evidence. Who I am remains intimately gnarled with where I came from. And where I came from is the place making the news, the place in the line of fire, soon to be the eye of the storm. Though I’ve pruned from my speech all traces of accent, I’m from south of south. I am from Cypress Parish, Louisiana.”

It has been more than a month since I read this book. I picked it up today to see what I remembered, and the atmosphere of this interesting book came right back to me. I have never lived in Louisiana, but I have lived in small towns. They can be wonderful, but also a bit confining. Blackwell’s prologue is a wonderful introduction to Louis’ life story.

Blackwell’s novel was published two years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. Last week, Hurricane Ida came through to wallop Louisiana again. Yes, it has been sixteen years, but every inch of too much rain leaves a mark. Effects of Katrina were still apparent in Louisiana. This story is about the Great Flood of 1927, and how the communities of Louisiana dealt with more than 100 days of the Mississippi being at flood level.

Blackwell knows her history, but she also knows people and their behavior. This novel shows us how the Mississippi River and the people around it influences each other. I found Louis and his family fascinating and appreciate the coming of age story that is wrapped up in this historical novel.

[Christiane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars, really.

I often complain about books being too long - not this time ! I very much liked Elise Blackwell's story and wish there had been more of it, that she had delved deeper into her characters and their way of life in Southern Louisiana.

P.S. I enjoyed the narrator's asides concerning Guglielmini, Pliny the Elder, Galen, Darwin, etc.

[Tuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

coming of age in SE Louisiana 1927. the year of the great floods, and new orleans dyamites the eastern levees to "save" the city from flooding, while inundating 1000's of square miles of eastern louisiana. and mississippi. story is based on family history of author blackwell, and my coworker is grand daughter of blackwell;s great grandpa;s sister. umm, anyway, a wonderful mixture of science, art, morality, classism, sexism, racism, and just about any other isms you can gather, but in a story that flows well, is not too complicated though it contains many complications. evils great or small, we feel the bite of wrong decisions long after we could have forgotten them, or wish we could.
blackwell needs to be more well known, this is an accomplished and good novel.
thanks Patsy Bostick! for letting me know about it.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me several tries to get into this brief volume, but once it engaged me, I was hooked. The texture of the language and the flow of the story feel at times like the river it they are centered around- apparently slow moving but carrying a lot of weight. The eddies of the tale, where the the interspersed bits of other facts and stories played out, were as rich and meaningful as the tale. The narrative is not as strong as the feeling from the book, that of the man as a boy and the man as an old man trying to come to grips with the stops and gaps of a flood of change.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually, I cannot read books that meander all over the place or open too many plot holes, but I stuck with this book because I loved the physical descriptions of Cypress Parish as well as the science behind the Mississippi River. I am not normally a reader that likes descriptions, but Elise Blackwell wrote such lush lines that I felt the heat and weight of the Mississippi delta. I just wish her story would have been as well crafted as her descriptions.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a lot of story here crammed into a small book. Ultimately, the author just tries to cover too much: Katrina and the 1927 flood, the Carville leper asylum, Huey Long, plus several threads about the main characters. I guess I was hoping this would be the book John Goodman is writing in Treme.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written story set in LA in the 1920s as the flood is approaching. It is told in flashback by an old man who was a teenager at the time. It describes family conflicts and class conflicts that still resonate in today's world.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book creates much self-contemplation as the main character recounts his coming of age story. The book tugs at your heart strings as you realized how the main character 'sold out his ethic'. Book would be worth reading again.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this a few days ago. It was pretty good. I think it would have been more fun if it took place in a real town/parish. Curious as to whether the politics in the book were close to what actually happened or not.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting little book, to be read in small doses and savored. On the eve of Hurricane Katrina, an old man remembers the great flood of 1927 and the events that led up to the destruction of his home and many others in southern Louisiana.

[kim McRad · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lovely little coming of age historical fiction novel. a quick light read, it also explores some deeper moral questions as well. louisiana, flooding, levees...you get the idea.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel is too short to accomplish what it's trying to do. On the other hand, it is a quick read. I'd recommend John M. Barry's Rising Tide instead.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely, lovely writing. Elise Blackwell is a real craftswoman. I've enjoyed all her books.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no expectations going into this one since I had never heard of it before finding out that a Twitter friend wrote it. Wonder coming-of-age story that also explores politics and family dynamics.

[Lori]

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[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This had potential, but just didn't make it.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I missed the whole point of the book. It was unorganized and boring.

[Norm · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read about a young man's life, family and friends in south La. 1927