The Bad Behavior of Belle Cantrell
Loraine Despres
Harper
ISBN: 0060515260
Fiction, Historical
Reviewed by Vianna Renaud

In the little town of Gentry, Louisiana, Belle Cantrell just can’t stop feeling guilty about killing her husband. Although she learns eventually that it wasn’t her fault, she decides to make everything right by discussing matters with the local sheriff. This revelation coupled with her farm responsibilities, life with her mother-in-law, and dealing with a rebellious daughter keeps her on her toes. Arrested for indecent exposure when wearing a new style swimsuit, Belle knows that she should try to keep some of her behavior under control which proves hard to do. When racial tensions result in the Ku Klux Klan showing up to give her their opinions on her Black farm manager and Jewish boyfriend, she can’t help but remember that it is 1920 after all.

True to description, this book includes everything from murder, romance, jealousy, and good churchgoing behaviour during a time when everything was focused on keeping it hidden. The independent nature of Belle along with the other endearing characters is a refreshing delight. The plot is all engrossing as the book proved to be impossible to put down. One of the biggest highlights was the various historic detail that Ms. Despres so skillfully interwove into the story. This helped add to the overall satisfaction of reading this book that so wonderfully left me with those warm feelings in the stomach; what a great read this was!