Atchafalaya Houseboat: My Years in the Louisiana Swamp

I absolutely loved this book. I found it in a quaint little book shop in Zebulon, Ga close to Gwen Roland's current home.

It is now on our "library bookshelf" at our lakehouse because I want everyone I know to read it.

The language is glowing, the story beautiful and serene. I was a little disappointed to read that she is currently working on a novel. I wish she would write more non fiction. Surely she has so much more to tell about such a rich life!

This is a sweet book that will have you longing for a simpler life. A quick, easy read full of colorful language and a peaceful tone. I wanted to run away to the Louisiana Swamp after reading this! Enjoy!

It's hard to go wrong with this subject matter, and I would recommend this book wholeheartedly.

But that said, I was a little disappointed in the book, not for what was in it, but for how much more she could have told us. The author has had a rare experience -- who else do you know who has lived on a houseboat in a swamp, without electricity or most modern conveniences, for a decade? Yet I was left feeling that she only related the bare minimum about her years in the swamp. Part of the problem is that the first half of the book appears to contain only her previously-published articles about her life at that time from a small regional magazine, and they are short and lacking a lot of detail. I'm left thinking how much better this book could have been if she had gone back and fleshed those out, adding more information and context. She doesn't discuss how it felt to adjust to such a rustic life, her relationship with the man she shared this life with, or any problems that they encountered, other than their dislike of returning to civilization for supplies every so often. In other words, she doesn't inject much of herself into her descriptions -- her feelings, her hopes or fears.

The second part of the book talks about temporarily working as a cook on a river boat, meeting the man she would later leave Calvin for, and her life since she left the swamp. In many ways, this is the more descriptive part of the book, especially as she details honestly the boredom of riverboat life and the pain of falling in love with another man. I was left imagining what could have been if she had applied the same descriptive style and writing technique to the earlier part of her work.

Again, I am glad I bought this book, but if the author had spent the time beefing up her earlier articles in the first part of the book, when the subject material is far more unusual, I would have given this book a higher rating. There aren't many people who have lived a life like hers, and it's a shame that it isn't more thoroughly described during her swamp years.

Beautiful, sweet and simple. The topic isn't one I have particular interest in, but the way she writes you can't help but fall in love with her, with Calvin, and with the whole life they create. I read it one night. Definitely recommended for anyone who has ever daydreamed about a quieter life than the one they lead.

This well written little book made my heart ache for the land my family left many years ago. As a child, my grandfather took me into the Atchafalaya Basin many times to fish, and told me stories of our family's lumber camp from years prior. Ms. Roland's stories made those memories come flooding back. Her depictions of the people living in the Basin, and the sights, sounds, and smells of the Basin itself are true to my memories.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a interest in the culture of the Louisiana swamp.