Meely LaBauve

Catahoula Bayou #1

by Ken Wells

Fifteen-year-old Meely LaBauve is growing up on Catahoula Bayou and living by his wits. Not since Huck Finn rafted down the Mississippi has there been a coming-of-age story like this, told in such an utterly authentic unlettered American voice. From a charming encounter with first love in the Canciennes' corn patch to an adventurous paddle through wild and timeless places little explored, Ken Wells has cooked up a zesty gumbo of a book--rich, poignant, and often hilarious.

* An American Library Association/YALSA best book of the year

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Southern, Humor, Adult Fiction

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Keely · Rating 4 out of 5]

With his daddy usually off gator hunting, or else drinking and hell raising, 15-year-old Meely LaBauve is pretty much left to fend for himself. He does a pretty fair job of it, too, going to school when the notion takes him, and feeding himself off the fruit of the swamps. But when a run-in with a gang of rough boys at school lands Meely and his daddy in trouble with the law, Meely's free-wheeling existence is put on the line. It's a good thing Meely is such a good hearted, charming young man with friends in high and low places.

I really enjoyed this wild, Cajun-flavored story with such a quirky, likable character at its heart. It's a page turner for sure!

[Simon Robs · Rating 3 out of 5]

His Daddy says, 'He's a runt but he's got hound dog ways, and brains to boot.'

Well, Meely ain't Huck but they's bros in bildungsroman pages of a good yarn told by writer's steeped in their each neck of woods or swamps or riversides. Both make vernacular a pivot to points of plot and scare up the surrounding flora/fauna to paint the scenes where action drives a boy's rituals of place. It's humor mixed with harsh reality as life waits for nobody to grow-up before being tossed to the wolves of circumstance. Here's bayou justice writ small with a heap of chunky etouffee that'll leave ya flottant!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young teen boy narrates this story in a charming southern US kind of way. His mother died, his father is an alcoholic who often isn't home, so Meely (Emile) is raising himself. He hunts and fishes for food, goes to school when it suits him, and gets by. At school, he is bullied by one kid and the kid's friends, and they won't leave him alone. Meely's life and times and place in the bayous of Louisiana make the reader feel as though he/she is right there. An easy to read, fast little book, but I think one that you may not forget.

[Sean Downes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Characters are very intresting and likeable.

[Eli Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a good humor to it, and the culture of French-Lousianna really felt well written. The book was fairly short and easy to read, but had some very intersting parts like some fighting scense and a court case.

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

great vibe swag check

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

”Daddy ain’t a bad man, least I don’t think so, though some folks might argue with that. He says the law’s just decided to git on him and when the law decides to git on you, it’s like fleas on a hairy ole dog. You cain’t git ‘em off.” p. 45

I had fun reading about Meely. He is quite a character – one that I would really like to meet. Wells has written and funny and touching story about the world that he knows best. According to his web page, “Ken Wells is a journalist and novelist who grew up in Cajun country on the banks of Bayou Black, La., about fifty miles southwest of New Orleans. His father was a part-time alligator hunter and snake collector and full-time payroll clerk for a local sugar mill; his mother a homemaker and gumbo chef extraordinaire.”

Having a father who hunts alligators sounds like a great start to a good story. How could you have a dad who does that and not want to write about his life? However, I am guessing that Wells’ dad did not have the adventures that Emile, Meely’s father has in this novel.

Meely has been compared to Huck Finn and that may be an apt description. Fortunately, Meely is more than a clone and his uniqueness and independence are his best assets.

If you are looking for an entertaining, short read that has good characters and a wonderful setting, you should try reading Meely LaBauve>.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fell in love with Ken Wells' characters with his most recent book, "Crawfish Mountain." So, I am now reading his first. Its a bit obvious that this is his first. The book is told in the first person by a 15 year old semi-orphaned boy who lives in a shack in the bayou and has to hunt or catch everything he eats. His father is an alligator poacher who only ocasionally returns home to "romance" a woman. The youthful patois, in which the whole story is told, can be misread as poor writing. However, the everyday adventures harken to a modern day Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer story. All-in-all a fun quick read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emile - Meely - LaBauve is a 15-year-old Cajun living by his wits in the bayous of South Louisiana. His mother is dead, his father, an alcoholic "gator hunter," and his friendship with Joey Hebert highly discouraged by the prominent and wealthy Mr. Hebert. Yet, Meely is spunky, plucky, and, frankly, rather lovable.

I was dubious of a description of Meely LaBauve as a mid-twentieth century Huck Finn, but I think the description is apt. Meely sees people for who the are, the good as well as the bad, and is a master of getting into and out of rather unimaginable scrapes.

This is a short, quick read that I wasn't ready to finish. Ken Wells has captured the rhythm of speech - and life - in Cajun country perfectly (or at least from the perspective of this Yankee girl), and created a mulch-dimensional character who left me wanting more.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book coming off of The Sound and the Fury. What a relief! To read words that make sense, to encounter punctuation, to savor a wonderful story.

I very much liked this book. Great story. I could easily see it being made into a movie. Definitely reminds me a little of Huck Finn, but Meely is his own man, and what an admirable character he is. I like the way he takes most things in stride, especially when other people try to converse with him about his daddy. They say something a little provocative about him, and Meely just replies with "I s'pect he is," or "I reckon he is." I should be more like Meely some times. And I should definitely read more books by Ken Wells.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.7 rounded up to 4 stars. A couple of years in the life of young teen Meely LaBauvre in the Louisiana bayou. He lost his mother at age 8 and his alligator hunting father is out in the swamps a lot leaving Meely on his own. But Meely's a survivor and has a great head on his shoulders. There's a lot to like about Meely and this book is an enjoyable read.

[Ginny Lipke · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story

I don't know why I waited so long to read Ken Wells first novel, but I'm so glad I did. Junior's Leg made such an impression I wasn't sure if Meely would match up. Do yourself a favor and read both. You'll see hope, humor and redemption !

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book. Can't understand why it hasn't been made into a movie.

[Mack Greenlaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool.

[Tim Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story. Wonderful characters. Wonderful setting. A classic.

[Melanie Vidrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but filled with “Cajun lore” that is really overdone. Generalizations abound, many not very accurate.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not finish it.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable, engaging and episodic Cajun Huck Finn adventure.

[Willie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The front end drags but the back end is great.

[Teresa Mancuso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always looking for good books to share with my grandchildren and hoped this would be one. Unfortunately this book has more sex and violence than appropriate for them.

[Brenda Ware Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend lent me a stack of 3 Ken Wells books, so I started with this one, out of politeness but with little interest. I was a tad put off at first by the first-person, dialect format---in this case, Louisiana swamp Cajun with a lot of pidgin French thrown in. It's a hard style to master, and I kept waiting for it to turn into a baaaad imitation of *Huckleberry Finn.* 'Long 'bout page 25, I wuz hooked like a *couillon* on a cane pole! Couldn't put it down, and read it all in one gallop. An endearing coming-of-age story about a poor swamp boy and his permanently grieving (and perpetually drunk) widowed father (another Huck Finn parallel, although this Drunk Daddy is FAR more charming and good-hearted than Huck's.) There's even a Widow Watson character...sounds terribly derivative, but somehow this book is able to withstand the comparison to Twain and stand on its own more modest merits. I truly recommend it!

[Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This week I read for 3 hours and 3 minutes and I am on pg 175 currently in meely labauve there is a kid named meely he lives in the catahoula swamp with his dad in Louisiana. Meelies dad is an alcoholic who always has ways he gets into trouble with the cops. He gets arrested a lot so meely basically lives by himself with a couple of friends like chickie, Cassie and an enemy named junior. Junior is the worst person that you would ever want to be enemies with. He beats, cusses out, and gets meely arrested for doing absolutely nothing. Then one day junior tries to beat up meely and meely beats up junior instead and junior goes and gets his uncle to arrest meely. But then mealies dad shows up and almost kills junior and his uncle but instead leaves them and tries to run. But it doesn't take long for the cops to catch him. Melody breaks his leg and his dad runs to escape the cops and meely goes to jail that is where I am right now.

[Laura Cushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meely LaBauve is narrated by 15 year old Meely, a Cajun boy mostly raising himself in a Louisiana bayou. Meely's mother is dead, and his father spends more time out drinking and hunting gators than he does at home. Meely doesn't go to school on a regular basis, but he's smart - and he knows how to survive.

When he does go to school, he has trouble with the local bully Junior and his gang. The trouble with Junior explodes into a big trouble that could change Meely's life forever.

Full of colorful characters, coming-of-age moments, and a great setting - this is a quick, engaging read. It's told in first person in Meely's speaking style, and a non-conventional formatting - and done really well.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second time I've read this novel. I just got the other two books in the trilogy and thought it would be a good idea to refresh my memory. I think it was Tom Sawyer who said, "The rumors of my death have been highly exaggerated." Well, that goes for Huck as well; he is alive and well in Meely LaBauve living in the mid-twentieth century in Louisiana. Though I think some people would call this a young adult novel, it is as rich in content as To Kill a Mockingbird and several others of that ilk. I had once thought about teaching this book, but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't fly in our school. It is certainly more worthy than Hunger Games or Twilight, which I am sorry to say are beginning to replace books like Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, etc.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

Five stars and "wow" are reserved for books I will re read (a very short list accumulated over five decades) If regional reality and vernacular are not your thing, then this book isn't for you. But if you don't mind reading about the struggles of the south in rural Louisiana you will enjoy this tale of a young man growing up in the swamp. Note: There is a glossary of Cajun words in the back of the book that has definitions and pronunciations of Cajun words and names. I do wish I had seen that before I read the book but even without it,this book still deserves five stars. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

[Alarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wells takes us on a delightful romp among crazy Cajuns. This is his first novel and, fortunately for readers, the beginning of a trilogy. His style is reminiscent of Clyde Edgerton and T.R. Pearson. Because it’s a coming of age story of a smart, sweet boy, the rougher moments from poverty to racism and bullying are relieved with hope and humor. Meely’s mother died when he was seven, and his grief-stricken, hard-drinking father mostly leaves him to raise himself. Get ready to wrestle some gators and outwit the cops. You’ll soon fall in love with Meely and wish you could take him home.

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meely LaBauve had me hooked with the Cajun and Southern names, phrases, songs, and setting. Ken Wells understands the lifestyle, beliefs and passions of the characters on both sides of the conflict in this story. I loved the way Meely and his father talked to each other and understood the strengths and limits of each other. Meely's friends were honest and his enemies were just wrong. I wanted to keep reading because I was so curious about what was going to happen next. It's a great story.

[Dalvin]

A great pass time. I would recommend this novel to many people because it's just fun and enjoyable to read what the author came up with. This book is great for any age range no matter who you are as long as you like a good fun adventure. the plot moves a little slow at first stating the background and main characters but then evens out at a good pace. The tone and mood is really about home, the place you came from.The louisiana theme matched the book perfectly by the way they talked and everything described around them even all the characters.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen-year-old Meely LaBauve is growing up on Catahoula Bayou and living by his wits. Not since Huck Finn rafted down the Mississippi has there been a coming-of-age story like this, told in such an utterly authentic unlettered American voice. From a charming encounter with first love in the Canciennes' corn patch to an adventurous paddle through wild and timeless places little explored, Ken Wells has cooked up a zesty gumbo of a book--rich, poignant, and often hilarious. * An American Library AssociationYALSA best book of the year

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book--the language was especially fun. It was full of relationship building. Meely is a coming of age young man who is virtually left on his own. His father is devastated when his wife, Meely's mother, dies so becomes an alcoholic. Meely has to fend for himself. The unique relationship between Meely and his on again, off again father points out the love between them even though the father seems unable to commit to any responsibility. Enjoyed the writer's style.