Reviews for Sweet Magnolia

The average rating for Sweet Magnolia based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-08-21 00:00:00 Michael Stevens Sweet Magnolia is a book about a little girl that travels to the bayou of Louisiana on her sixth birthday. It is a family tradition that once the girls of their family reach a certain age they travel to Louisiana to experience the bayou with their grandmother. Denise goes to the bayou to spend time with her grandmother and to bring back a special gift just as her sisters did before her. Denise has an amazing experience as she is introduced to a whole new world different from her own. During her trip she is introduced to a myriad of Cajun expressions such as “joie de vivre” which means “joy of life” and “fais dodo” which means party. She is also exposed to the rich culture in the form of language, bayou wildlife, and Cajun cuisine, such as gumbo and jambalaya. Denise and her grandmother care for a hurt bird that Denise names sweet magnolia, after the beautiful magnolia trees of the bayou. After the bird’s wing is healed and it is time to free it, Denise does not want to but gives in when she realizes that the bird should not be left in the cage. She is sad because her ultimate quest is to take a gift back home to show her mother and sisters. Her mission is accomplished when she keeps a feather from the bird and is proud to tell her sisters that she brought back a special bonus, or “Lagniapp” as her grandmother would call it. The subgroup represented in this book is Creole people that refer to people with a mixture of European and African decent. In this book the culture is specifically Louisianan Creole people. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because although the characters are made up, it includes many true customs and behaviors of the Louisianan Creole people. The language of this book is English, although it includes many Cajun words, phrases, and expressions used throughout the book, which makes the book an adequate representation of the Louisianan Creole people.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-08-15 00:00:00 Andrea Woodworth This was a very good book about the Louisiana Bayou told from the perspective of a child visiting her grandmother. There are numerous examples of various literary devices mixed throughout the writing. Highly recommended!