Bonavere Howl

Being a Southerner, I love the mysteries of New Orleans. This author’s descriptions of the city and the swamps had me hooked. I loved the character of Bonavere, and her quest to find out what happened to her sister was intriguing. The story may have been unrealistic in parts but I loved it and embraced it. Thanks to Guernica Editions and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The descriptions of life and the south in another era were well written. The touch of racism in the south was realistic back then. The author makes everything come to life. I liked the way she made Bonnie's grief for her sister the main point of the story all the way through the book. Well written and very descriptive.
Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange of a review.

I liked the author’s descriptions of 1955 New Orleans and its atmosphere, she captured the city on the pages, the good and some of the bad (the deep racism, rich-poor division). And the characters were appealing, a believable 13-year-old protagonist, Bonavere (known as Bonnie), and her sisters. The plot had a suitable pace for a mystery. After one of Bonnie’s sisters goes missing, it is up to Bonnie to continue the search, leading to some old secrets that others in the city don’t want revealed. I would recommend this book to young adult readers. Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange of a review.

Young girls are going missing in Tolouse Louisiana. With the history that the area has, it is not a good sign. Years before two girls went missing and were never found. Now, Fritzie and her younger sister, Bonnie are looking for their missing sister, Connie.
They suspect one of the towns leading citizens. Dorian LaSalle. He's a school teacher, that taught both Connie and Fritzie. Sometimes he would look at Connie in a peculiar way. Bonnie is determined to find her sister. No matter what kind of danger she is in. Fritzie is just as determined to protect Bonnie. Losing one sister was bad enough. Losing another would be unbearable.
Great storyline. The Author is very descriptive of what is taking place and where it is happening. Very easy to see a picture of what she is describing.
Exceptional read!
Recommended!

I loved the relationship between the sisters and the author's ability to really engross the reader in the setting, 1950's New Orleans. I didn't so much love the pacing and what became too much wordiness for me.

The 3 white Fayette sisters live in comfort with their parents who are physically present but absent in their relationship to the girls. The middle sister, Connie, goes missing and seemingly only the sisters are concerned. The book follows 13 year old Bonnie in her search for her sister along with her friend, a black boy, Samuel, which brings up the ever-present specter of racism.

What made me read this book is a fact that there is a ghost and the time takes place in Louisiana in 1950s.
I liked that. I got what I wanted. I liked it.
The story of three sisters were interesting, but I have to say because of so many descriptions the lot somehow got me a bit lost along the way. Also, I wished the book was longer. It ended so quickly and I have enjoyed the atmosphere and the sisterhood feeling in it. Very recommended read!

I loved this book from the historical accuracy of New Orleans to the characters and the bond they have. I felt like it lacked closure and would like to see a second book

This novel was definitely a four-star read. I greatly enjoyed reading “Bonavere Howl”, so much so that when I finished reading, I missed the book. I loved the characters of Bonnie and her sister Fritzi. Caitlin Galway brought the 2 girls to life through her literary artistry. Ms. Galway used her gift of writing to perfectly describe the landscape of New Orleans. It was as if I was standing in the countryside breathing its air, reveling in its colors. This novel was a terrific read, but I had a hard time getting into it. On many occasions, during the first 30% of it, I almost gave up & put it aside. The beginning was so slow. Nothing was going on. It was just Bonnie, lying around & mourning her missing sister Connie. I couldn’t see the workings of the plot. There appeared to be nothing happening. And what was the deal with their parents? The girls’ parents were never around. There was very little interaction between the girls & their parents. These girls were teenagers—— Bonnie was 14 & Fritzi was 16. They came & went wherever they pleased with no parental oversight. The parents never asked them about their daily affairs; didn’t object when Bonnie & Fritzi didn’t go to school; let them stay out all night. It was as if they had no parents. I thought their home situation was very strange, especially as the story was set in 1955.
The novel picked up speed when Bonnie began to investigate the incidences of missing teenagers over the past few years, as she assembled the facts & tied them into a connection between the missing or dead girls and an illustrious New Orleans family. Then the plot began developing, & the mystery was revealed. At the end of the story the parents are finally interacting with Bonnie & Fritzi like normal parents. The reader never discovers what really happened to Connie. Ms. Galway leaves Connie’s fate up to the reader’s imagination. We can only hypothesize but never truly know her fate. Despite the slow start I enjoyed this novel. By the time I read the last page, Bonnie & Fritzi were as familiar to me as a friend. The author probes deeply into Bonnie’s psyche, & the reader is pulled along by Ms. Galway’s prose.
For readers of women’s fiction & mystery stories, I recommend this novel.
Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher Guernica Editions, Inc. for the opportunity to read & review this novel.

It is the things objected to by some of the readers of this novel, the wordy descriptions, and depth of the story, that I found irresistible. This is not a cozy mystery, but rather of delving into the intricacy of the relationship between sisters and the prejudices and hardness of the southern lifestyle in the 1950s. There is little 'sweet' or 'cozy' about this book. But it is a book I could not put down, a novel I am pleased to refer to friends and family. Caitlin Galway will go on my favorite author's list.

I received a free electronic copy of this book from Netgalley, Caitlin Galway, and Guernica Editions. Thank you all, for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this book of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

Title: Bonavere Howl
Author: Caitlin Galway
Genre: Historical fiction, middle grade
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In New Orleans in 1955, the languid heat presses down on everything. Thirteen-year-old Bonavere, the youngest of the Bonavere sisters, has her best friend Saul to turn to and her two older sisters. Her parents pay the sisters no mind, even when middle sister Constance goes missing.

Some of the blame falls on Saul and his family because of their race, but Bonavere knows that isn’t true, so she sets out to find what really happened to Constance. Her questions lead her to the wealthy Lasalle family, and stories of girls found half-mad in the nearby swamps. Bonavere has no idea what secrets she’ll stir up when she starts asking questions. She just wants her sister back.

I’ll read just about anything set in New Orleans, and this novel captures the feel of the city very well: the heat, the cobbled streets, the craziness…However, most of the story itself is a bit inexplicable to me. Things happened, but I couldn’t always see the connection to them and anything else, and I’m still not sure exactly what was going on.

Caitlin Galway’s newest novel is Bonavere Howl.

(Galley courtesy of Guernica Editions via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I received a free copy of Bonavere Howl from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of the book. 1955 in Now Orleans, Louisiana is a time of racial tension and great economic divide. Caitlin Galway does a super job in expressing these areas without making it larger than it needs to be. 2 sisters are now looking for their missing sister. 2 disappearance's happened several years ago and those girls were never found. Bonnie is determined that will not be the way her sisters disappearance ends. Caitlin Galway does a super job of making you feel like you are in Louisiana right there with Bonnie and her sister. A great story, I look forward to reading more from this author.

Being from the South I really enjoyed this book,the way I call it ,the way the old South used to be! These girls are for sure from the South but different in so many ways. You enjoy getting to know these girls and what they do how their lives turn out to be. The history is so right on where you re!ally put yourself into their stories. You will enjoy the "Southern Charm"

4 stars for an incredibly enjoyable read.

Look, I'm a simple person: I see a swamp on the cover of a book, so I click. I read a description that screams "It's Southern Gothic, Niki!!", so I request the title on NetGalley. I'm granted the title, I read it, it reminds me of season 1 of True Detective and also The Little Friend by Donna Tartt (which, admittedly, I didn't LOVE, but it was still wonderfully atmospheric and memorable), so I give it 4 stars almost automatically. I'm that simple.

All jokes aside, this seemed like the book for me from the get-go, and I'm really happy I was right. This is a Southern Gothic book set in the 50s and a story that begins with a girl's mysterious disappearance, her sister uncovering a conspiracy about one of New Orleans' oldest families, and all the dominoes crumbling because of that, mostly in familial relationships. All of the above is paired with a very descriptive writing style and plenty of lovingly rendered New Orleans scenery, something I really, really love (like many other people- NOLA is a very popular tourist spot, after all, I'm not trying to be special here)

I mentioned Donna Tartt earlier, and I really do think that Caitlin Galway was inspired by her. The writing style reminded me of Donna, the entire book was very reminiscent of The Little Friend (in which a child is murdered and we follow the youngest sister trying to uncover who did it, aided by a guy friend of hers for most of the book. while her family is crumbling down around her), and there's even a mention of bacchanals and "losing yourself completely" ("The Secret History") However, this is clearly just inspiration and (maybe, if I'm right) a bit of an homage to the work of someone you admire, and I'm only pointing it out because I recognized it as a big Donna Tartt fan, not to say that it was wrong. I absolutely respect homages.

The reason it's missing a star is because I think the plot could have been a little more tight. For example, SPOILER!!!!! Saul and his family are very prominent in the beginning of the story (and we're even told something about Dalcour making a formal complaint about his assault, nothing comes from it though), but they're rather suddenly dropped during the second/ third part of the book. Amy seems almost deranged out of her mind when she first meets Bonnie in the swamp, but then she's very articulate and sane when they meet again at her house. Fritzi miraculously recovering from her pneumonia after being bed-ridden for days and being able to save Bonnie by breaking down doors with an axe as a little ridiculous, as was her decision to burn down the greenhouse even when she's not familiar enough with the layout of the place to have an escape plan. The fact that the family's grief wasn't explored enough, even though it was a central theme. END SPOILER!!! Small details like that.

But I was still very, very happy with the book. It was exactly what I hoped it would be.

I so enjoyed the author’s descriptions. Her writing made you feel the Louisiana heat, and smell the swamp and feel the despair and loss. The story has many twists and turns. There were a few things that annoyed me, like the fact that Bonnie seemed oblivious to the racism in the South. However, even the annoying parts were surpassed by the writing. It has been a while since I have read a book that has transported me the way this book did.