Rating: 
Summary: Magnificent!
Review: This was a wonderful book; I absolutely loved it. Everything was great: the settings, the dialogue, the story, and the characters. I wish the book had gone on longer; Mr. Gautreaux could easily write a sequel with these engaging characters and exotic milieu. The reader from Virginia who gave this novel one star is utterly wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Next Step
Review: Tim Gautreaux is a Cajun who happens to also be a gifted writer. He has learned from the best, including Walker Percy. The plot of this novel is relatively common and could be transplanted to many isolated groups of people. However, to really understand the Cajun mindset, what better way is there than being a Cajun? Having lived less than thirty minutes from the town in the story, I feel the environment in this work. The characters are believable. The sub-plots are true to life. This novel offers Cajuns their greatest weapon against non-native representation of their culture: self-representation in well-written form. Reading it will help one understand a interesting group of Americans.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Tim Gautreaux is one of the best short story writers around. That said, I found his novel very disappointing. It's basically a long, drawn-out soap opera about characters you couldn't care less about. I expected better work from such a masterful short story writer. Oh well...
Rating: 
Summary: Engaging southern romance
Review: Tim Gautreaux's debut novel is a fine romance set in Tiger Island, Louisiana. Colette and Paul Thibodeaux have been married for about a year when Colette gets restless and dreams of a world bigger than the "small muddy pond" that they currently reside in. She leaves Paul and moves to California, and Paul reluctantly follows. The story moves somewhat slowly in the beginning, but quickens its pace after they leave California (with Paul having gotten Colette pregnant) and return home to their now-impoverished town. Colette as a character often comes across as a whiny brat, but she redeems herself by the story's climax. Paul is written as a simple country boy with a heart of gold; it seems that he can do no wrong. I would've liked to have seen him with some personality flaws that would make him more than two-dimensional. All in all, though, it's a well-told story.
Rating: 
Summary: One-sided Love Story and Adventure
Review: Tim Gautreaux's first novel is a good one. "The Next Step in the Dance" is a fairly engaging love story set in Southern Louisiana, Los Angeles, and Southern Louisiana (again). The writing is first rate and the glimpse into Bayou Country life is entertaining, moving, and informing. This novel is at times poignant, humorous, and riveting and each phase well-developed.Essentially a story about the love between two lifelong residents of the Bayou--Paul and Colette Thibodeaux--this is a novel of several phases. The early part of the novel details the nascent marriage of Paul and Colette and its unraveling. From the beginning, there's an obvious gulf in Paul and Colette's relationship. Paul is a satisfied, unambitious machinist (and a darn good one) who likes to drink, stay out late dancing, and occasionally fighting with other patrons of the town's many nightspots. Colette is the town's best looking woman and full of ambition. She's a driven, hardworking, independent woman, and when Paul is caught at the drive in with another woman, she decides to make a change. Paul's love for Colette is true and in spite of appearances, he's committed and faithful, although he tends to make some unintelligent decisions. But that's not enough for Colette. She wants more stability, more attention, and more things (i.e., money). And here lies the only real complaint I have with this otherwise terrific novel--Colette's character is either not properly developed or she really is the self-centered, ambitious woman Gautreaux has portrayed (more on this later). The first phase of the novel ends here with Colette taking a train to California to follow her dream (and ambitions). Colette lands on her feet in California and finds a very good job at a bank (albeit surrounded by a lecherous boss) where she seems somewhat content and rarely thinks about Paul or the life she's left behind. Eventually Paul follows her to California where he, too, finds a decent job and they live in separate apartments three blocks apart from one another. One thing leads to another and eventually they both head back to Louisianna (at different times) and find that a poor economy has essentially eliminated all the jobs in town. Thus begins the final and most entertaining, moving, and adventuresome part of the novel. The author describes the struggles facing the town and Paul and Colette in moving detail and describes the lengths each is willing to go to in order to make ends meet. Their relationship remains unreconciled, but they do interact and Paul's unrelenting, unconditional, (and to my mind, unwarranted) love for Colette persists. Each face many challenges through this rapidly paced last part of the novel and their feelings for each other are central to the action--and there's plenty of action, both on the water, in the town, and in the plant where Paul and Colette work for a man Colette dated prior to heading to California. We continue to learn more about each character and feel sympathy for Paul and his struggles. However, Colette is very difficult to sympathize with and Paul's obdurate affection for this seemingly self-centered woman does grow old at times. Nevertheless, the novel is moving and surprisingly fast-paced. And overall, highly recommended. A good first novel from a great short story writer. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: One-sided Love Story and Adventure
Review: Tim Gautreaux's first novel is a good one. "The Next Step in the Dance" is a fairly engaging love story set in Southern Louisiana, Los Angeles, and Southern Louisiana (again). The writing is first rate and the glimpse into Bayou Country life is entertaining, moving, and informing. This novel is at times poignant, humorous, and riveting and each phase well-developed. Essentially a story about the love between two lifelong residents of the Bayou--Paul and Colette Thibodeaux--this is a novel of several phases. The early part of the novel details the nascent marriage of Paul and Colette and its unraveling. From the beginning, there's an obvious gulf in Paul and Colette's relationship. Paul is a satisfied, unambitious machinist (and a darn good one) who likes to drink, stay out late dancing, and occasionally fighting with other patrons of the town's many nightspots. Colette is the town's best looking woman and full of ambition. She's a driven, hardworking, independent woman, and when Paul is caught at the drive in with another woman, she decides to make a change. Paul's love for Colette is true and in spite of appearances, he's committed and faithful, although he tends to make some unintelligent decisions. But that's not enough for Colette. She wants more stability, more attention, and more things (i.e., money). And here lies the only real complaint I have with this otherwise terrific novel--Colette's character is either not properly developed or she really is the self-centered, ambitious woman Gautreaux has portrayed (more on this later). The first phase of the novel ends here with Colette taking a train to California to follow her dream (and ambitions). Colette lands on her feet in California and finds a very good job at a bank (albeit surrounded by a lecherous boss) where she seems somewhat content and rarely thinks about Paul or the life she's left behind. Eventually Paul follows her to California where he, too, finds a decent job and they live in separate apartments three blocks apart from one another. One thing leads to another and eventually they both head back to Louisianna (at different times) and find that a poor economy has essentially eliminated all the jobs in town. Thus begins the final and most entertaining, moving, and adventuresome part of the novel. The author describes the struggles facing the town and Paul and Colette in moving detail and describes the lengths each is willing to go to in order to make ends meet. Their relationship remains unreconciled, but they do interact and Paul's unrelenting, unconditional, (and to my mind, unwarranted) love for Colette persists. Each face many challenges through this rapidly paced last part of the novel and their feelings for each other are central to the action--and there's plenty of action, both on the water, in the town, and in the plant where Paul and Colette work for a man Colette dated prior to heading to California. We continue to learn more about each character and feel sympathy for Paul and his struggles. However, Colette is very difficult to sympathize with and Paul's obdurate affection for this seemingly self-centered woman does grow old at times. Nevertheless, the novel is moving and surprisingly fast-paced. And overall, highly recommended. A good first novel from a great short story writer. Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A simple reason to read this book
Review: When you read a book that makes you laugh and can actually bring a tear or two to your eyes, it's a good book!In reading other reviews of this book, it's been said it was overplotted. It got a little sticky in one or two places, but the pay-off is well worth the effort! To be honest,I found this book to be as realistic a portrayal of Louisiana as you can find. I saw names familiar to me (I have family that lived in Napoleonville),so the book became more vivid and interesting.However, I did find myself not liking Collette very much because she was so mean to Paul,but he just loves her that much and it only served to endear the book to me more. Gran-Pere Abadie is so complete a character I can see my wifes Grandfather every time Abadie comes into the scene. I would highly reccomend this book, and (having just finished it 10 minutes ago)am actually on this site to order my next Tim Gautreaux book!
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book.
Review: While browsing through the new-fiction shelf at my local library, I stumbled across a familiar name...Tim Gautreaux. He was one of my college professors at SLU in Hammond, Louisiana, so I checked out the book and spent two wonderful nights "going home". Having been raised in the most southeastern part of Louisiana, and being the only daughter of a 100% certified cajun man born and raised in southeastern Louisiana, this book paints the picture of cajun Louisiana with glorious highs and lows. The struggle for life, love and self-esteem from the two main characters had me laughing, crying and feeling homesick all at the same time. Well done, Dr. Gautreaux!
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