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Half of Paradise by James Lee Burke
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Half of Paradise (original 1965; edition 1965)

by James Lee Burke

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281393,443 (3.67)2
Fiction. Literature. HTML: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. 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...
… (more)
Member:luke66
Title:Half of Paradise
Authors:James Lee Burke
Info:Hyperion, Paperback, 469 pages
Collections:Your library, Currently reading, To read
Rating:****
Tags:None

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Half of Paradise by James Lee Burke (1965)

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» See also 2 mentions

English (2)  French (1)  All languages (3)
Showing 2 of 2
A sort of prison-within-prison story, the outer prison being the whole country, as three guys-- a privileged wastrel, a black boxer/patsy, and a Depression-era Elvis prototype-- get ground up in the economy in various ways. Their fates may be overdetermined, but the time and place are vivid. The invisible fourth character is money, and he's pretty scary. ( )
  elibishop173 | Oct 11, 2021 |
Three men in the south and their destiny.
Despairing not much happiness for them but they don't master their own life.
Prison camp violence drug death bleak life not much of the American dream!? ( )
  Gerardlionel | Apr 2, 2016 |
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After the spring rains when the first hot days of summer begin, the inland waters of the Gulf of Mexico turn smoky-green from the floating seaweed, fading to dark blue beyond the sandbars where the great white pelicans dive for fish.
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Fiction. Literature. HTML: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. 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...

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