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1. The Denver Post called Junior's Leg "a fine comic gumbo." Yet in the reader's first encounter, Junior Guidry, the odious bully from Wells's debut novel, Meely LaBauve, is not exactly an easy guy to warm up to. The author himself has said that Junior's sole saving grace at the start of the book is his ability to laugh, if darkly, at himself. Discuss the author's use of humor in this novel and how it illuminates serious issues -- race, class, fealty, vengeance, love and redemption -- that Junior is forced to deal with.
2) Wells tries to take you inside the head of his characters by having them relate their stories in their own voices -- a device he employs, stream-of-consciousness-like, without the use of quotation marks. Discuss how this lack of grammatical convention in Junior's Leg affects the storytelling. Do you think it makes the book easier to read? Or more difficult?
3) Richard Bernstein of the New York Times said of Junior's Leg that Wells "writes with an amused tenderness toward his characters." Discuss the author's uses of empathy, irony and satire-even self satirization in Junior's transformation from a crude lout to a character determined to finally make principled decisions.
4) Southern writers often face a difficult choice in deciding how much to flavor their prose with dialect or vernacular and still keep their readers. In Junior's Leg, this decision is further complicated because the book is set in a part of the French-flavored South that is off the beaten path to even many Southerners. Discuss Wells' use of Cajun and southern phrasing and idioms. Do you think they enrich the reader's understanding of the region?
5) Complex interracial themes weave themselves throughout Meely LaBauve and
again in Junior's Leg. The book's heroine, Iris Mary Parfait, is a woman of mixed-race heritage (black, white, Indian) who, beyond her kindness, smarts and good sense, further confuses Junior's bigoted notions by being an albino who is more white than he is. Discuss the author's handling of racial themes and how they illuminate the characters and the book's setting. By the novel's end, would you still consider Junior a bigot and/or a racist?
6) Wells often mixes South Louisiana folkloric elements (gris-gris, the Evil Eye, the loup garou) with religious themes and subtexts (Virgin Mary shrines, for example) to bring color and context to his writing. Do you think the use of these devices adds to the reader's understanding of Cajun culture?
2. Wells tries to take you inside the head of his characters by having them relate their stories in their own voices -- a device he employs, stream-of-consciousness-like, without the use of quotation marks. Discuss how this lack of grammatical convention in Junior's Leg affects the storytelling. Do you think it makes the book easier to read? Or more difficult?
3. Richard Bernstein of the New York Times said of Junior's Leg that Wells "writes with an amused tenderness toward his characters." Discuss the author's uses of empathy, irony and satire-even self satirization in Junior's transformation from a crude lout to a character determined to finally make principled decisions.
4. Southern writers often face a difficult choice in deciding how much to flavor their prose with dialect or vernacular and still keep their readers. In Junior's Leg, this decision is further complicated because the book is set in a part of the French-flavored South that is off the beaten path to even many Southerners. Discuss Wells' use of Cajun and southern phrasing and idioms. Do you think they enrich the reader's understanding of the region?
5. Complex interracial themes weave themselves throughout Meely LaBauve and again in Junior's Leg. The book's heroine, Iris Mary Parfait, is a woman of mixed-race heritage (black, white, Indian) who, beyond her kindness, smarts and good sense, further confuses Junior's bigoted notions by being an albino who is more white than he is. Discuss the author's handling of racial themes and how they illuminate the characters and the book's setting. By the novel's end, would you still consider Junior a bigot and/or a racist?
6. Wells often mixes South Louisiana folkloric elements (gris-gris, the Evil Eye, the loup garou) with religious themes and subtexts (Virgin Mary shrines, for example) to bring color and context to his writing. Do you think the use of these devices adds to the reader's understanding of Cajun culture?
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Anonymous
Posted February 19, 2003
I just love it when I discover a new author whose work I really love. I read Wells' first book, Meely La Bauve about a month ago, loved it, gave it to my wife and she loved it too. She bought me a copy of Ken Wells' next book, Junior's Leg and I read this one on yet another long plane ride. I'm a writer myself (Allergy-Free Gardening, Safe Sex in the Garden) and I appreciate keen writing and this one has it! Wells has a different way of writing, with no quotation marks, and most of the time it is okay, it works, but now and then it makes some of the story be more in past tense than it needs to be. But other than that, I loved it and don't mean to nit-pick. I do wish Wells would write another book though and save his more than ample creativity for the story, and forget about re-creating punctuation. Junior's Leg isn't quite as funny as Meely LaBauve although it certainly does have its moments. It is a different story and a very different main character. Junior is such a low life, such a total loser, that in the beginning it is sometimes hard to cheer him on. But Junior does develop, he goes through a world of changes in this crazy little novel. The albino girl, the "Ghost," Iris Mary, she is a fabulous character. Lots of fun. Junior's Leg has perhaps more plot than the first one, and it's tight and certainly does keep the story moving right along. A real page turner. I'm going to be surprised if sooner or later Ken Wells doesn't turn into a bestselling novelist. He is mining very rich ore with these wonderful, deep, spicy, fun, and totally flavorful Cajun novels of his. I'm recommeding both Junior's Leg and Meely LaBauve to everyone I know who reads. If you haven't read either of them yet, you're in for a treat. Honestly. This is one cool read and when you're finished you'll be wanting to read more by Mr Wells. You can't miss with Junior's Leg. By the way, this book is sort of a sequel to Meely LaBauve so do read that book first. You read Meely and I'll bet you'll darn sure want to read more from this terrific new author. I know I do.
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