Half of Paradise by James Lee Burke

Half of Paradise

Kindle Edition

James Lee Burke

Grand Central Publishing · Ebook · October 1, 1998

Discover the debut novel of James Lee Burke, before the creation of his now-famous Cajun detective, Dave Robicheaux , as he weaves together the struggles of three very different men.

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Who it’s for
Three interlocking lives trace hardship and hope across 1950s Louisiana.
Genres
Southern Fiction, Crime Fiction, Hard-Boiled Mystery
Published
Grand Central Publishing, October 1, 1998

About this book

Discover the debut novel of James Lee Burke, before the creation of his now-famous Cajun detective, Dave Robicheaux , as he weaves together the struggles of three very different men. Toussaint Boudreaux, a black docker in New Orleans, puts up with his co-workers' racism because he has to, and moonlights as a prize-fighter in the hope of a better life-but the only break he gets lands him in penal servitude.

Continue reading

J.P. Winfield, a hick with a gift for twelve-string guitar, finds his break into show-biz leads to the flipside of the American dream. Avery Broussard, descendant of an aristocratic French family, runs whiskey when what remains of his land is repossessed... The interlocking stories of these three men are an elegy to the realities of life in 1950s Louisiana, their destinies fixed by the circumstances of their birth and time. Yet each carries the hope of redemption...

Lives in the Balance

Three interlocking lives trace hardship and hope across 1950s Louisiana.

Come here for

  • Interwoven stories shaped by race, class, and circumstance
  • New Orleans grit and tangled fortunes

Expect

  • An elegiac portrait of 1950s Louisiana
  • Hardship shadowed by the possibility of redemption

Where it sits

Southern Fiction39%
Crime Fiction28%
Hard-Boiled Mystery22%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Literary Fiction
  • Black Mystery
  • Cultural Heritage Fiction
Authors
James Lee Burke
Publisher
Grand Central Publishing
Published
October 1, 1998
Format
Ebook
Reading lane
Literary Fiction