Nancy Lemann

Louise is a young woman with a great sense of sarcastic and romance. She has returned to New Orleans after college to work in a law firm. She reconnects with her long time love Claude Collier (as well as his family). Through a series of events Louise and the Colliers are changed forever. While the entire story is short (less than 150 pages) Lemann packs in a lifetime of emotion. What makes the story unique is Lemann's writing ability. She has fun playing with capitalization and repetition. show more Many reviews I read seem to fixate on the capitalization. I was more distracted by the insane amount of repetition. I wish I could count how many times the color green is mentioned or how many white seersucker suits are being worn. It's very distracting. Here's a small sample, "Saint started talking about bridges. He was Very Interested in bridges lately. Bridges were what made his Life Worth Living. He was studying bridges. Sometimes Claude had to take Saint out for a whole day to look at different bridges in the city. The theme was definitely bridges" (p 43). The entire book is filled with this 'Rain Man' like writing. show less

"Fresh out of college in New England, a young woman returns home to New Orleans and is quickly pulled back into the city’s “wastrel-youth contingent” in this cult-classic novel of love and decadence, now with a new introduction." "Lives of the Saints, her first book, was a revelation of new talent. Reappearing here, several decades later, it is simply a revelation."

Lush, beautiful and hysterically funny. This is my favorite book about New Orleans.
-- Michael
"A lovely nutty book about a lovely nutty girl." -- Walker Percy