The Hard Blue Sky

by Shirley Ann Grau

On the tiny Isle aux Chiens in the central coastal curve east of the tripartite mouth of the Mississippi, live the witty, resourceful and often inscrutable descendants of Louisiana's French-Spanish pioneers. They watch, they quarrel and they love, always beneath a hard, blue sky.

Genres: Fiction, Southern, Classics, American, Literary Fiction, Nature, Novels

466 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Shirley Ann Grau (b. 1929) is a Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist of nine novels and short story collections, whose work is set primarily in her native South. Grau was raised in Alabama and Louisiana, and many of her novels document the broad social changes of the Deep South during the twentieth century, particularly as they affected African Americans. Grau’s first novel, The Hard Blue Sky (1958), about the descendants of European pioneers living on an island off the coast of Louisiana, established her as a master of vivid description, both for characters and locale, a style she maintained throughout her career. Her public profile rose during the civil rights movement, when her dynastic novel Keepers of the House (1964), which dealt with race relations in Alabama, earned her a Pulitzer Prize.

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book. WOW!

It is for those readers who appreciate good writing rather than for those who want an exciting plot. There is excitement, but that is not why you pick this book. The ending is special; I loved it, but others may hate it. See the book like this - you pull back a curtain and glimpse another life, and then that curtain swings shut, and the book ends. Not everything is spelled out. And the future? Who knows for sure what the future will bring.

The focus is about bayou life on the islands at the mouth of the Mississippi, about fishermen communities to whom New Orleans is seen as the 'Big City'. This is a story about life on these islands - the weather, the storms, the swamp; it's scary even to them. The animals and insects (the creepy crawlies) and plants. The feel of the sticky air on your skin. The heaviness of the air before a storm, and the color of the sky. Feuds, women's roles and men's - who does what and who decides what? And if you don't agree, what happens then? Drinking and partying and sex too, but never offensively drawn. It is about the people there on these islands. What is their life like? It is not about high achievers. They swear; they talk their own dialect. Forget proper grammar.

But what really makes the book so special is how the author gets you inside the heads of such different characters - a teenager whose mother has recently died and whose father remarries. How does she feel about her father remarrying? And how do all teenagers act and behave and talk? My, what sass! One minute these kids want independence and freedom, and the next they want their parents' closeness and support. You will recognize teenage behavior! The widower marries a widow who has a young child. How does this child see his new life and existence, his new sister and a new father?! There is another outsider there on the island, on a boat going to New Orleans, but the sand bars are tricky and he is stuck there. You get inside all of these characters’ heads, and there are others too. Through their words, through dialogs you hear what they say and you understand their thoughts and confusion, hopes and wishes and struggles. There is also an old woman on the island; she is related to just about everyone. It is a small community where everyone knows everything about everyone. How does she see what is happening around her, and death sneaking in at the crevices of her house? Rivalry and dog fights and a small shop-owner. Through what they say to each other, what they do and the choices they make you understand them and their lives. You get a glimpse into another world, their world.

And here is a thought - who you are, doesn't that consist of how you react to what happens around you? Isn't that what determines who you are? Forget plans.

What makes this book special is how the reader gets into so many different characters; you see each of their lives and each one becomes special and unique.

Don't read this book. Listen to it, narrated by Luci Christian Bell. The narration is marvelous. Each character has their own intonation. The slang used and how it is pronounced is perfect. You will laugh. Wait till you hear the islanders' "NO?!" A question and an answer all in one!

I can recommend all of the following:
The Hard Blue Sky 5 stars
The Condor Passes 5 stars
The House on Coliseum Street 4 stars
The Keepers of the House 4 stars
except not
Roadwalkers 2 stars



************************

I have finished the audiobook and I am so terribly impressed. This one gets five stars. I have to figure out how to write a review that does it justice.

************************

After chapter 21: Oh my, I forgot to mention the flirting. It is delightful, both between the teenagers and the older couples too. This covers young adult relationships, love between a widower and widow and other attractions between women and men. I love it. There is so much in this book about how people interact and how that interaction is different at different ages.

*************************

I am absolutely loving this book. I have only listened to about one third, 20 chapters are completed, but I HAVE to express how I am reacting to this book.

The people - I love them. They are Southerners, people of the bayou, not people I know, not people I have been acquainted with, but now I feel I know them and I feel part of their community.

I absolutely LOVE the dialog.

I absolutely love these ordinary people. No, they are not high achievers. I couldn't care less, what they have accomplished with their lives.

I don't know where the plot is going, although I have a few guesses now. I am not reading the book for where it is going. I am reading it for being part of the island community.

A marriage has taken place. Two kids have become brother and sister. No, they were not asked or even informed. Their reactions are so absolutely pitch perfect. One is about three and the other seventeen.

Please listen to the audio version narrated by Luci Christian Bell. I don't believe any reader of the paper book could better imagine the Southern dialect, and no other narrator could better capture the emotions of the characters.

Grau, the author, won a Pulitzer for The Keepers of the House. That is what got me started with the author. FANTASTIC writing. I don't have a superlative that adequately describes how I appreciate the writing.

People, if you don't know of this author, please pay attention. Grau can write.

[Albert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my second novel by Shirley Ann Grau. I began with The Keepers of the House, which I thoroughly enjoyed and which won the Pulitzer in 1965. Whenever I read my first work by a particular author and find that I really enjoy it, I make sure to add another by that author to one of my To Read lists, just to make sure I don’t forget to circle back and try more. I have noticed that when some of my Goodreads’ friends hit upon an author they really like they will read several more by that author in a short timeframe. We all have approaches for tracking reading opportunities that work for us.

The Hard Blue Sky was written 10 years earlier and was Grau’s first novel. It takes place on an island off the coast of Louisiana, not too far from New Orleans. A few of the young islanders leave as they reach their late teenage years, but many stay, marry and raise families. The French and Spanish influences are evident in the speech and culture of these island inhabitants, and Grau does a wonderful job of integrating these into the novel. The plot in this novel is light, but everything else about this first effort is magnificent: the writing, the descriptions of the island, its wildlife and weather, characters with real depth, insight into daily routines, families that have their own personalities and the way in which people care for each other, within families and across families, but also respect the independence of the individual. While I could see the difference in the two novels in terms of plot development, so much of what I enjoyed in Grau’s The Keepers of the House, is already evident in The Hard Blue Sky. Comparing these two novels, you can also see Grau’s ability to describe two very different southern communities; while they are both clearly part of the South, they are very different worlds. I found it admirable how well Grau captured such a unique community and environment in The Hard Blue Sky.

[Kirk Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not my favorite Grau, but anyone with an interest in the barrier islands, vast grassy marshes, and intracoastal waters near the mouth of the Mississippi might think otherwise. On the surface it is a coming of age story of a teenage girl, set on a small barrier island populated by a fishing village of primarily French heritage. The writing is lovely, but the book is long-ish. There are many side stories, one a Romeo/Juliet, and another that's close to Lord of the Flies. One comparison as to what this book is like, if Daphne du Maurier wrote a slightly less dramatic plot and took twice as many pages to tell it, it could be this book. I was iced in without power for two days, and this book did a great job of transporting me to a warmer climate and simpler times.

[Joy D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1955, this story is set on one of a series of islands in the marshy areas off the coast of Louisiana. There are two primary storylines – the first involves Annie Landry and her relationship with Inky D’Alfonso. She longs to leave the islands and dreams of a better life in New Orleans. The second concerns a rivalry and feud between two families, which erupts into violence after the disappearance of two lovers (one from each family). Themes include love, ambitions, and revenge.

I ended up with mixed feelings. I had previously read Grau’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Keepers of the House and enjoyed it very much. I found this one less effective. On the plus side, it is beautifully written, vividly portraying the bayous and natural environment. The characters are well-formed and easy to picture. On the minus side, there is little plot, and it is a very slow burn. It seems overly long, and based on its length, I expected more of an outcome. I am not one that needs all the loose ends tied up, but this one is too ambivalent for me.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Hard to believe it is a first novel. As the characters remark, on a small island you get to know everyone, and Grau makes sure we do. Might be the most point-of-view changes of any novel I've ever read.

Her Pulitzer-winner is a sophisticated look at black and white relations in the South. There is tribal conflict here, too, but based on ethnicity, or maybe just proximity, not race. Turns out the people we hate the most are the ones most like us - in this case, the fishermen from the next island over.

So clever, the way she sets up the situations and then lets us decide what happens next, based on what she has shown us about the characters. Really, really good writing.

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 477-page book without a plot. But it has characters! Oh boy, does it have characters—imaginative, one-of-a-kind, eye-popping characters. It is these characters that make this book such a wonder.

Published in 1958, this is Shirley Ann Grau's first novel and was not received warmly by critics, the lack of plot being the No. 1 complaint. Grau went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1965 for "The Keepers of the House," a compelling page-turner with a commanding and formidable message about the ugliness and hypocrisy of racism. (I highly recommend this book, too!)

This is the story of a small group of descendants of Louisiana's French-Spanish pioneers who live on a tiny, somewhat isolated island called the Isle aux Chiens (Isle of Dogs) in the Gulf of Mexico that Grau describes in the first pages of the book as located "in the coastal curve just east of the tripatite mouth of the Mississippi." It's been whipped by more hurricanes than anyone can count, but the rickety houses, beat-up boats, and storm-hardened people always manage to survive. The story takes place during the hottest part of a Louisiana summer, and the bold and vivid descriptions of the intense heat, interminable sweat, and pervasive bugs, especially the clouds of mosquitoes and colonies of red ants, will have you fanning yourself and scratching at non-existent itches.

In addition to no plot, there isn't what I would call a main character, but rather a colorful cast that includes:
• Annie Landry, a 16-year-old girl who is caught between girlhood and womanhood and experimenting with sex and alcohol. She yearns for a life away from the island.

• Inky D'Alfonso, a young man who is crew for a sailboat that has had to dock on the island for a few weeks while the owner is in New Orleans with his wife, who has an infected tooth. Inky, who is also an amateur artist specializing in drawings of nude women, is the consummate outsider trying to fit in.

• Henry Livaudais, an 18-year-old man/boy, who goes hunting in the marshes and doesn't return after a week, causing deep concern, uproar, and grief among the close-knit islanders who launch several search-and-rescue attempts. His disappearance has grave, startling consequences for the island.

• Pete Livaudais, 16, is Henry's devoted younger brother, who is so devastated when Henry disappears hunting that he displays truly alarming and terrifying behavior.

• Al Landry, Annie's widowed father, who visits the mainland of Port Ronquille and finds a new wife, Adele, who has a little boy, Claudie from her first marriage that also left her a widow.

• Cecile Boudreau, a very happily married but also very young woman with children, who is struggling just a bit to figure out her place in the world when everything has already been defined for her.

• Mamere Terrebonne, the oldest person on the island, who is sick, possibly dying, and irascible. The children of the island take turns sleeping in her house at night just in case she dies; they often find these nights to be terrifying.

The end is abrupt. Very abrupt. At first, it felt as if there were pages missing, but then I started to think about it and realized how brilliant it is—albeit most unusual and a bit dissatisfying.

I adore books that are propelled not by a plotline but rather by the characters, so naturally I was enthralled by this. That said, I fully realize it's not for everyone. If you're the kind of reader who keeps waiting for something to happen, skip this book. But if you want to inhabit a world like no other and feel that you have been transported to a remote island in the Gulf in the 1950s, this is a must-read.

The best part of the book is the writing. It is simply exquisite, and it is this alone that makes the book worthwhile and such a wonder.

[Yoby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can already give this five stars. Have no idea why she faded into nowhere instead of being up there with Welty, O'Connor and Faulkner. Her descriptions of the land and of the way people talk and their attitudes towards life and death are flawless. Springs up right in front of your eyes so's you forget you are sitting in your own chair and it's a bit chilly in the room. You break out in a sweat with the heat of the place.

Now that's what I call a good read.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Island Thinking

I enjoyed this book, but I also felt it dragged at times. I especially enjoyed the culture of this island and it’s inhabitants. It was difficult for me to follow the thinking of Annie; I would have guessed she had mental problems. Also, the complacency in general was foreign.

[Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very good descriptive writing. It made me feel like I was living there while I was reading it. It is very slow paced, though, and the type of novel you want to sit back and take your time reading. It is kind of soap operish story of life on a small island in the bayou country of the gulf. It was written a long time ago as I could see by her descriptions of kids left alone all day, husbands occasionally beating wives and kids, no phones, computers or TVs mentioned. The ending could be a little more complete.

[Debbie Macdonald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just cannot seem to get into this book, the writing is good characters are too but it has not hooked me. I will have try again at some point ....

[Pamela Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my favorite of her books, but still an interesting tale of life on an island on the gulf coast of Louisiana: Hard times and tough folks, feuds, and loves.

[Theresa Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting character sketches, lovely narrative, yet I kept waiting for a plot to take shape and it did not. Kind of a frustrating read.

[Bonnye Reed]

EarlyBirdBooks 199

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My father’s family lived down the bayou. This book brought back so many memories of stories told growing up as well as the language of the people.

[Kath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Depiction of community on a Gulf island

Enjoyable book after you get into the stark mood of the story and familiarize yourself with the community, its cast of characters and their peculiar way of speaking. It contained some mild suspense and some excitement, necessary to keep the reader engaged in what is a rather depressing tale. It doesn't really have a plot, as much as it provides the reader with a view of a chunk of time in an island community off the Louisiana coast and the culture of a fishing community. It struck me as decidedly Seinfeldian, a book about nothing. I was taken aback by its abrupt end. Written beautifully, which covers a multitude of sins for me.

[Kathie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The slow pace of the story is perfect for the slow pace of life on the islands on the Delta. The reader can almost feel the heat and humidity. The community of fishermen is small enough that everyone knows everyone else's business and the reader learns about many of the main families. I was startled by the abrupt ending.

[Jessie Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good rendition of life in coastal areas, very descriptive and good character development.

[ANNE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a stoic look at women's lives from a time gone by.

[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A totally 5 star book. The author has a true gift for words, description and writing. I love her books but there is no ending to this one. Why???

[Marsha Marcarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Colloquialisms very distracting.

I just couldn't get in to this book. Too many colloquialisms to keep my interest. Maybe if I had kept with it...?

[Elida]

Couldn't get into it.