Cane River (2001) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit

Write a ridiculously simplified synopsis.

Summary edit see section history

Characters/People edit see section history

• Suzette: Slave on Rosedew, the plantation owned by the Derbonnes. Daughter of Elisabeth. Is a house slave and wants to be better than her mother, so learns to speak properly and act properly.
• Narcisse Fredieu: Cousin of the Derbonnes. Obsessed with Philomene; begins a relationship with her that results in many children.
• Joseph Billes: Friend of Narcisse Fredieu.
• Emily Fredieu: Daughter of Narcisse Fredieu. Very light-skinned.
• Clement: Husband of Philomene and father of her twin daughters, Elisabeth ("Bet") and Bethany ("Thany").
• Philomene: Daughter of Suzette and Eugene Daurat. Lighter-skinned than her mother; wants a better life for children.
• Francoise Derbanne: Mistress of Rosedew Plantation.
• Joseph Ferrier: Husband of Oreline Derbanne.
• Elisabeth: Mother of Suzette.
• Angelite: Oldest child of Emily and Joseph Billes.
• Doralise Derbanne: Mulatto daughter of Louis Derbanne; freed by him to live as a "gens de coleour libre"
• Gurtie Fredieu: Cousin of author; wrote down family history in 1975.
• Antoine Morat: Friend and business partner of Joseph Billes.
• Eugene Daurat: Friend of the Derbanne family; sets his eye on Suzette.
• Lola Grandchamp: White wife of Joseph Billes
• Mary Billes: Daughter of Emily Fredieu and Joseph Billes.
• Josephine Billes: Daughter of Emily Fredieu and Joseph Billes.
• Augustine Morat: Son of Antoine Morat
• Tite: Joseph Billes' nickname for Emily Fredieu.
• Valery Houbre: Oreline Derbanne Ferrier's second husband
• Nick Fredieu: Son of Philomene and Narcisse Fredieu. Father of Gurtie Fredieu.
• Gerasime: Elisabeth's husband; Suzette's father.
• Nicolas Murtan: Free man of color; Suzette has her heart set on him.
• Old Bertram: Oldest slave on Rosedew Plantation.
• Louis Derbanne: Master of Rosedew Plantation.
• Melantine: Wife of Gerant
• Palmire: Suzette's deaf-mute sister. Mother of several of Louis Derbanne's children.
• Gerant: Son of Suzette and Eugene Daurat, brother of Philomene.
• Oreline Derbanne: Orphaned niece of Louis and Francoise Derbanne, adopted and raised by them. Suzette's primary duty is to care for "Mam'zelle Oreline"

Quotes edit see section history

• “Cane River Creole people”

• Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers

• “I am the rock in your garden, Emily, and you are the bloom in mine. Count on me.”

  Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers

• “Sometimes while you wait for what you think is better,” Philomene said, “what is good enough slips away.”

  Highlighted by 9 Kindle customers

• This was the face of slavery. To have nothing, and still have something more to lose.

  Highlighted by 8 Kindle customers

• “Slavery is the only workable system for cotton production, as good for our Negroes as it is for the whites. We took them out of Africa and lifted them up. The planters set the tone for the rest. Our burden is heavy.”

  Highlighted by 5 Kindle customers

• “Don’t be so eager to judge, Suzette. You can’t tell how heavy somebody else’s load is just from looking.

  Highlighted by 4 Kindle customers

• They could ask whatever they wanted, but what he should have been marking in the book was family, and landholder, and educated, each generation gathering momentum, adding something special to the brew.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• Five generations under one roof, all women, in an unbroken sequence, starting with her and descending down to Angelite. From coffee, to cocoa, to cream, to milk, to lily. A conscious and not-so-conscious bleaching of the line.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• But if freedom materialized, Philomene reasoned, the slippery secret of joy, passed from old to young through fragile baby bones, could assure her daughter a different kind of life.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• Her father, Gerasíme, never gave Suzette hard looks when she used her house voice, unlike some others in the quarter.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

• If Emily was the bloom in Philomene’s garden and Elisabeth the root that reached down deep enough to anchor itself and search for nourishment, Suzette had been the soil itself, buffeted by winds, withstanding storms, baked by the sun. Philomene met her mother’s death with grim acceptance.

  Highlighted by 3 Kindle customers

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• Cane River
• Louisiana
• Virginia
• New Orleans
• Natchitoches
• Cloutierville
• Aloha
• Campti
• Apphia
• Billes Landing
• Colfax, Louisiana

First Sentence edit see section history

Series & Lists edit see section history

Preceded by Stolen Lives, and followed by The Corrections.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Lalita Tademy (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Awards edit see section history

• Oprah's Book Club (Finalist, 2001: Best Novel)

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
• Dewey: 813.6

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Not a book for young teens. Definitely a young adult book.

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Literature & Fiction › World Literature › United States › African American
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Family Saga
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Women's Fiction › Mothers & Children
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Historical
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary