Crescent Carnival

by Frances Parkinson Keyes

Book Overview

The first of Keyes' novels set in Louisiana was Crescent Carnival, which tells the story of three generations of two intertwined families. The Breckenridges are Protestants, while the Fontaines are Catholic Louisiana Creoles. The plot hinges on the way that pride and misfortune conspire with cultural and political differences to keep prospective lovers from marrying. The cycle of failure only ends when two people have the courage to defy the odds...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0988962713
• ISBN13: 9780988962712
• Release Date: June 2014
• Publisher: Second Line Press
• Length: 834 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.8" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Majestic tale of old New Orleans

If I ever become rich and famous, I plan to devote some of that wealth to reprinting the works of Frances Parkinson Keyes, an amazing author who is now sadly out of print. Her lush writing, intricate stories and beautiful characters rise above the psuedo-intellectual bestsellers of today."Crescent Carnival" is one of my favorites, the story of three generations of women who fall in love (or don't) with the handsome, dashing Breckenridge men. It spans the years from 1890 to 1940, in the lush surroundings of New Orleans. It's really more like three novelettes rather than a book on its own.The first part is about Estelle Lenoir, a wealthy, naive Creole beauty who is destined to be married to dull but kindly Marcel. The problem is that Estelle has fallen madly in love with Andy Breckenridge, a handsome young man with dark whisperings, who is often shunned from the politer parts of New Orleans society (including Estelle's parents). Estelle, who has been carefully guarded from the less savory aspects of life, now is exposed to the dark secrets of Andy's past. She must choose between her love for him and her fear of what he might turn her life into.The second part involves Andy's son Breck, who is married to a wife from Boston; Anna is shrewish, hypocritical, bigoted, cares little for children, hates New Orleans, and cares more for how things look and whether they are sufficiently New-England-ish than whether they are comfortable and pleasant. Breck has a vague idea that this is a rotten deal for him, but not much more than that. He soon gets back in touch with "Aunt" Estelle and her two children, the rather foppish Olivier and the lovely, innocent Marie Celeste. When Breck goes back to his old family plantation, Anna begins a rather desperate flirtation with Olivier, while Breck falls in love with Marie Celeste. But can he be with the woman he loves?The third story involves Olivier's daughter, Stella (named after Estelle). Stella, like her grandmother, is a society beauty in a rapidly-changing enviroment, while Estelle is saddened to see the world that she knew as a girl and a younger woman falling away. Though it is assumed that Stella will wed Drew Breckenridge (Breck's son), she surprises everyone by falling in love with a young Cajun man named Raoul Bienvenu. And the rather dowdy yet goodhearted Patty Forrestal, a distant relation of Drew's grandmother, has fallen in love with Drew...For a book about tragic losses and separations, somehow this book never becomes depressing. Perhaps it's the lack of deathbed musings and endless weeping about lost characters; the deaths or losses of the assorted characters are either handled quickly, offstage, or in newspaper clippings. It remains kind of upbeat, in fact. The descriptions of New OrleansThe characters are beautifully made. Estelle is a well-fleshed-out character, going from a naive young beauty to a strong, tragic matriarch. Andy Breckenridge is a rather stereotypical devilishly-attractive rake, but h

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