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    The Cutting Season
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    The Cutting Season
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    The Cutting Season
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Cutting Season

    Written by Attica Locke

    Narrated by Lachele Carl

    3.5/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    Just after dawn, Caren inspects the grounds of Belle Vie, the historic plantation house she manages. Back at her office, the gardener calls to tell her she missed something. Something terrible. A young woman lying face down in a shallow grave, her throat cut clean. So there will be police, asking questions. There are only so many keys, only so many ways in to Belle Vie with its six foot high perimeter fence. And as she lives on site with her daughter, she wonders: how much danger are they in?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateApr 30, 2015
    ISBN9781471298684
    Unavailable
    The Cutting Season
    Author

    Attica Locke

    Attica Locke is the author of Black Water Rising, which was nominated for an Edgar Award, an NAACP Image Award, and a Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was short-listed for the UK’s Orange Prize, and also the national bestseller The Cutting Season, which won an Ernest Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. She is a producer and writer on the Fox drama Empire. She is on the board of directors for the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, where she lives.

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    Reviews for The Cutting Season

    3.5/5

    291 ratings43 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      This book will be one of my books of the year.

      It reminded me of an American Ann Cleeves novel. A crime set around a small community with humanity at the heart of the plot.

      In this case, the small community is a small museum set up on an ex slave village in Louisana. However, this museum is situated next to a working sugar farm run a corporate company. A body is found right on the boundary.

      I couldn't put this book down, it was gripping whilst also having a beating heart of warmth.

      I will definitely be reading more by Attica Locke. She is brilliant.
    • 2/5
      Too slow, not for me.
    • 4/5
      The Cutting Season was a good read. I didn't particularly like the pacing of the book because it took a while to get to a part with action. Eventually, the book picked up for me me during the end of part II and all throughout part III. Part III is when I basically plowed through the book with a grin on my face, which was shortly followed by the awe of how everything that was mentioned in part I had slowly built up to the finale. I couldn't put the book down once the pace started picking up.

      I recommend this book to anyone that enjoys historical fiction with pieces of mystery or "who done it."

      Overall, I give this book 3.97 stars because of the slow pace, but other than that, I really enjoy joyed reading it whilst listening to the audiobook. The reader for the audiobook had the perfect voice to go with every character. The right amount of southern twang :-).
    • 4/5
      Excellent. A complicated, conflicted female lead narrates this wide reaching mystery. Family, history, guilt, jealousy and fear play out in a tense, deeply researched fast paced story. I truly enjoyed it.
    • 4/5
      I really loved this mystery set on a plantation in Louisiana during modern times. The mystery links to a mystery in the narrator's family tree. The resolution is bittersweet, but also just right.
    • 4/5
      This book was intense. Though it takes place today its mysteries are historical. The setting is Belle Vie, a historic landmark in the middle of Lousiana. The history of a sugar plantation and the slaves that lived and worked there. Get ready for 2 murders. One modern-day and one 100 years ago.
    • 3/5
      Slow in places and ending a bit forced.
    • 5/5
      Modern Day & Antebellum GothicReview of the HarperAudio audiobook edition (2012)I first heard of writer Attica Locke when she won the 2018 Best Novel Edgar Award for Bluebird, Bluebird (2017) and have now also read her Highway 59 series followup Heaven, My Home (2019). I've looked back now to one of Locke's earlier books.The Cutting Season takes place on a historical plantation named Belle Vie which has been converted into a museum/event destination in Mississippi. It is quite a large establishment that hosts weddings and other catered events alongside its daily tourist attractions of historical reenactments. The neighbouring property is a corporate farm that specializes in sugar cane (thus the cane cutting allusion in the title). The property manager Caren Gray is drawn into solving the mystery of the murder of a cane worker on the plantation side of the property fence.This was a very engaging present day mystery which included a historical subplot that related to Caren's Great-Great-Grandfather. Caren is dealing with raising her daughter Morgan who she suspects has some inside knowledge of the mystery, and managing the uncertainties of the staff in the face of a possible sell-out of the property by its owner family. All of the elements were well handled.I listened to the audiobook edition and the narration by Quincy Tyler Bernstine was excellent in all voices.
    • 3/5
      A contemporary murder mystery that begins with the discovery of a body in the cane fields next to a plantation home in Louisiana. A parallel historical story about a missing slave also runs throughout the novel.
      Although not the most gripping mystery I've read, this book piqued my interest about the Mississippi and the history of slavery in the South. If nothing else, I'm keen to read other stories that evoke a similar sense of place.
    • 3/5
      The audiobook version of this novel is read by Quincy Tyler Bernstine.

      I found this novel annoying, and yet good. While the mystery wasn't very mysterious, it was at first quite enjoying to listen to. The narrator is quite interesting.
      But this novel gets bogged down in the middle by a weighty plot line, filled with way too many people for me to keep track of, without yet another aside (I.e., this is JoeBob, the gardener), over and over. And, I kept waiting and waiting for the main character to realize what I'd already figured out a long time ago, and *some* of the time I was right......And yet even though I didn't always know what was coming next, and who the real "bad guy" was, the novel kept annoying me by slowly, incredibly slowly, inching along to the conclusion.
      I'm very glad I didn't know everything that was going to happen, and I was happy this wasn't yet another formulaic mystery. But I'm not sure I'd slogged through the entire novel to figure out what was going to happen next.
      Don't expect a happy ending, either. It was more.....bittersweet. It didn't work out for the best of everyone, but it probably worked out more like real life does.
      So, 3.5 stars for this novel. And give it a try, maybe you will like it more than I did. There are quite a few four and five star reviews here, and on amazon.
    • 5/5
      One of the best books I have read this year. At once a gripping mystery and also an exploration of power and race. The characters rang very true to me. Caren's family drama is particularly well drawn. It is complex and we are left without complete resolution. This is how these things really work. I need more of these stories that paint the grey around the current state of race relations. Particularly in the South, there is so much history and complexity. But, there are also everyday lives. I love how this walks the line between the two. It is not a screed and yet the lessons are clearly there. Really, compelling work that is also very readable and enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      Read this in one day. The second terrific book from Ms Locke. She's fantastically tuned in to race in America and this book deftly reaches back into the past to tell a thoroughly modern story. Of course plot always makes people behave in less than optimal ways or there wouldn't be any crime fiction but here people make bad decisions for believable reasons. This was a fine standalone thriller.
    • 5/5
      Attica Locke is a terrific writer. She moved me on from one suspense filled scene to another, avoiding cliches, keeping me guessing. She has an eye for detail, keeps the location intimate and vivid, and stays honest with her clues. All of that would be enough. But for me the most compelling aspect of the book is her unflinching look at the social scene and her embrace of all the characters. This is a social commentary intimately entwined with a first class mystery. She is a gifted writer. I hope she keeps at it for a long time.
    • 5/5
      Well-written mystery about a murder on a former plantation abutting a modern sugar cane farm. Compelling images including the ambivalence of the Southern black population to preserving historic Civil War sites, the connection that former slaves might have to a symbol of repression. Unexpectedly moving in places, and a good sense of place.
    • 3/5
      Caren manages the plantation which has been in the Clancy family for generations. Now a tourist attraction and a venue for weddings and upscale parties, Caren oversees staged plays of the plantation’s history, lavish receptions and parties, and in essence, cares for the people who work there. When a young woman is found murdered on the premises, Caren is drawn unwillingly into the depths of the police investigation. Not only does it seem like one her workers is somehow involved with some shady behavior, it may be that her own daughter knows more than she is telling. And it seems like a cover-up of a death generations ago is somehow connected. This tale bogs down in connecting the past with the present. Though an interesting setting and mystery, the characters are not well developed nor are the storylines fully explored. In trying to maintain an air of mystery as the story unfolds, the tale instead just becomes stagnant. A good idea, just not a well written story.
    • 2/5
      I found this book disappointing, essentially because of the writing style, which I felt was weak. The plot was OK, if a bit thin for 400 pages and I could not achieve any empathy with the lead character.
    • 2/5
      Caren Gray and her family have lived and worked on Belle Vie as long as she can recall. Now Caren is managing the sprawling plantation she feels a responsibility to both her staff (Belle Vie is their livelihood) and daughter (Belle Vie being the only home she knows) to keep the place running. The sugar cane plantation next door has always been a concern, but never so much as since the body of a young woman was found on the dividing line between the two properties. As the investigation into the murder continues Caren becomes more and more involved, not only in the police investigation but some of the secrets it uncovers about the plantation and her own family.

      Ms. Locke received many accolades for her first book Black Water Rising. I did not read that book so I have no basis for comparison, but in light of all that praise I was a little disappointed in this book. Personally, I felt there was too much going on … was this a murder mystery? Was this a historical look at the old south? Was this a commentary on migrant workers? All of those points make for interesting reading, but combine too many and it just frustrates me as a reader.
    • 3/5
      A suspenseful tale of murder old and new on a restored Louisiana plantation. The protagonist, Caren Gray, is general manager and event co-ordinator for Belle Vie, a combination museum/historical site/event venue where her ancestors have served for generations, going back to a man named Jason, who was a slave there at the time of the Emancipation. Modern agribusiness has its eye on Belle Vie, and its future is uncertain. Caren's past is a bit messy, and her future is none too clear either. When an undocumented migrant worker from the adjoining cane fields is found dead just over the fence line on Belle Vie property, life becomes even more complicated for the whole plantation "family". There are just a few too many story lines going on here, the most interesting of which, in my opinion, was given short shrift. But the setting was fascinating, and the pages seemed to turn themselves. A solid three star read that could have been a 4+, if the story had been either tightened up as a pure murder mystery, or expanded to develop the 19th century elements into a true historical novel.Review written January 19, 2015
    • 2/5
      so boring...........................hmmmmmll............zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
    • 4/5
      Another library shelf lottery read - because, on a personal tangent, finding new and different books is about the only perk of my job these days. Anyway, I did enjoy this quasi-historical murder mystery, set on a Louisiana plantation in the present day, even if the pacing was a little off. Reading about the Deep South is one of my literary weaknesses, coming from the UK and having only ever visited Florida for a fortnight's holiday. The descriptions of humid heat and thunderstorms, mouth-watering local cuisine and almost tangible aromas ('the cane, like cut grass and sweet milk, damp and terrestrial, the scent of southern Louisiana'), not to mention the history and culture, create a powerful atmosphere that supports the story. Belle Vie, the plantation, is also captivating, more a central character than a location (I was more concerned for the house and grounds than solving the mystery, to be honest).The plot could have been tighter, I feel. Dipping into Caren's backstory might help get a sense of her life, but since she is only really there to solve the crime, I was impatient to return to the story, whenever the narrative started delving into her relationship with Eric, daughter Morgan, or her late mother. The murder was cleverly handled, though, with a couple of convincing red herrings and a scapegoat. And I'm strangely glad that there wasn't a neat conclusion with regards to Caren and the future of Belle Vie.An engrossing, evocative mystery, recommended for the scenery alone!
    • 4/5
      This was a good mystery that kept my interest and one of the few I wasn't sure " who dun it." Easy, fast read.
    • 2/5
      I just couldn't get in to this book. As other people have said way too many characters to keep track of at the plantation. Very choppy writing questionable editing but ultimately it was a story I was never able to get into. I would like to try the author's first book and see if it was different.
    • 4/5
      I listened to the audio version of this novel, and the reader really brought the book to life. The real story here is the history of the plantation life in the south during the precivil war days and the heritage it left to the many descendents of both the slave population as well as to the white landowners. The mystery is actually secondary and a means to move the story along albeit a little slowly. I wished the characters had been a little more fully developed and that their motivations for doing and saying what they did a little clearer, but overall, a good read.
    • 3/5
      I read this book because the author was to speak during our week at the Chautauqua Institute. I considered it a pretty good mystery, but after listening to Attica Locke and what the setting and the story meant to her, I have an added respect for it. The mystery is still only so-so, but the setting, characters and historical back-story are marvelous.
    • 2/5
      Very disappointing book. Premise was good, and has an interesting assortment of characters. Unfortunately, the book was dry and the characters were flat.
    • 4/5
      Well written crime story set on an ex plantation in Louisiana. The story is layered & complex themes regarding slavery, race & migration in modern day America emerge. Very good characterisation of protagonist & place is vividly conjured. Attica Locke is one to watch.
    • 4/5
      A memorable book, set in New Orleans. Good characters, ended right. Descriptions excellent. Well-written. 
    • 5/5
      Won through Goodreads First Reads Giveaway.This book was a well written page turner. I enjoyed it very much. The suspense held me captive. Very impressed as only the author's 2nd book. I will certainly keep an eye out for more from her.
    • 3/5
      After enjoying Attica Locke's first novel, Black Water Rising, I expected another fast-paced, tense, and action-filled story. The Cutting Season was a disappointment in all three areas. Aside from the finding of a body in a shallow grave, everything else in the first 3/4 of the book seemed like background or side-story. Very little happened to advance the plot. As I started to listen, I groaned aloud at the narrator's voice. She sounded like a cranky child. But within a few minutes I got used to her, and appreciated her clear diction and the appropriate emotional content of her reading. Quincy Tyler Bernstine's narration actually improved the story.A romantic scene seemed to be added for no purpose at all; it gave little insight into the characters beyond making me like them a bit less for their questionable encounter. As with much of the text, it had nothing to do with the plot.I have already recommended Black Water Rising to many friends, and will continue to do so, but I've also started adding "but avoid Locke's second book."
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book more than the author's first book, Black Water Rising,. I found the story very compelling and loved the interaction for our protagonist, Caren, and her ancestral family past as slaves on the very plantation she now managed. There is a nice story as a single mother raising her precocious nine year old daughter and the mystery, such as it was, was intriguing. I think I would have to agree with several other reviewers that some of the characterization just felt flat. There were plenty of other characters to interact with but something was missing. There was a good deal of background information as to how slaves were treated and what occurred during the freedom of Reconstruction and that was all handle very well. Her descriptive passages are very detailed and very complete. I like the author and look forward to the next book as I did enjoy both of her recent publications.