A House For Eliza: The Real Story of the Cajuns - Softcover

Monies, Constance

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1936707217 ISBN 13: 9781936707218

Publisher: Cypress Cove Publishing, 2012

Synopsis

A House For Eliza1893-1958There is a misconception that all the Acadians, who were exiled from Nova Scotia in 1755 and migrated to Louisiana, were poor farmers and trappers. The truth is, a group of these Acadians were plantation owners. This novel is the real story of the “Cajuns” of Louisiana.Eliza Landry lives the comfortable life of an upper, middle class Acadian family in southwest Louisiana. Raised in a similar manner, Eliza’s mother kept her children apart from freed slaves, who she deems are not suitable.Oscar Daigle is from a different background and is the owner of a large plantation that depends on freed slaves to run the plantation. When Oscar asks Eliza to marry him, her mother disapproves, saying plantation life will mean an association with the wrong people. Determined to marry, Eliza insists Oscar would not put her in a place where she would be unhappy.After the wedding in 1893, Oscar brings Eliza to the house he has built for her on the plantation. She meets the workers and soon realizes she could never hold herself “apart” from them. Her strong will makes her more determined to prove her mother wrong.During the next twenty-seven years Eliza gives birth to sixteen children. In 1929, The Great Depression forces Oscar to sell parts of the plantation in order to provide the necessities. Shortly after the depression, Oscar dies. Most of the children have families now, and many of the workers have left the plantation. After suffering a heart attack, Eliza dies in 1958, having raised children who became part of The Greatest Generation. They lived through two world wars, numerous illnesses, tragedies, and monumental discoveries. They never once lost their faith in God or in one another.

About this title

From the Back Cover

What is the real story of the Cajuns? This fascinating novel goes beyond the stereotypes given the Cajuns by today's media, and tells the true story of a Cajun family in Lafayette, Louisiana, at the turn of the 19th century. Through the eyes of Eliza Landry, you will see what it was like to live on a fine plantation in the late 1800s, and raise a family of seventeen children during two World Wars and the Great Depression. It was at this time that love of God and faith in one another formed the fabric of the Cajun culture that is alive today, despite all the trials and tribulations of the rest of the world.

"A House For Eliza is a touching story told well. It brought a chuckle here, a tear there... It is the story of a sturdy, self-reliant people who did indeed live by the simple values depicted in the lives of Oscar and Eliza Landry. "
--Jim H. Bradshaw, Journalist, who has observed and written about the culture and history of south Louisiana for more than fifty years

"Because this time period is an increasingly dim and fading part of the community's popular memory, works like A House For Eliza provide critical insights into daily life during the period, and provide important reminders that this era was a crucial formative period for Cajun history."
--Carl A. Brasseaux, Author of Acadian To Cajun: Transformation Of A People; and former Director of the Center for Louisiana Studies, the Center for Cultural and Eco-Tourism, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Press, and the Managing Editor of Louisiana History

"A House For Eliza depicts the Cajuns as a group of hard-working, religious people determined to survive after being deported from Canada over 200 years ago. If you enjoy a book that brings the personalities, conflicts, joys and sorrows of a group of unique and often misunderstood Cajun people to every page, this book is for you."
--John Breaux, Former United States Congressman and Senator from Louisiana

About the Author

Constance Monies is a freelance journalist and teacher, and a direct descendant of two of the original Acadian families to settle in Louisiana. Her love for the culture of her Cajun ancestors is reflected in her feature articles and stories that have appeared in newspapers and magazines across the Deep South. Constance and her husband Phil live in Lafayette, Louisiana – The Heart of Cajun Country.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cypress Cove Publishing
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1936707217
• ISBN 13: 9781936707218
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240
• Editor: Bertrand Neal