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Portuguese Forever
I am a hundred
percent Portuguese and proud of it. My grandparents came over on the boat, as
they say, from the Madeira and Azores islands. The same is true for Isabel
Long, the protagonist of my mystery series, including the latest, Redneck’s Revenge. She’s proud of her
heritage as well.
Isabel was born
with the last name Ferreira but took Long when she married. I used Ferreira
because that’s my mother’s family name. (My father’s family name is Medeiros.)
Let me tell you
a little bit about her. Isabel was a long-time journalist who lost her job as a
newspaper’s managing editor when it went corporate. With time on her hands, she
decided to solve a missing person’s case — her first big story as a rookie
reporter. The case also happened in the tiny hilltown where Isabel lives in rural
Western Massachusetts. Also, Isabel was also coming off a bad year that
included the death of her husband. She was ready to reinvent herself.
Her mother,
Maria Ferreira also moved in with her. Here, I’ll let Isabel tell you about it.
Ma moved in with me last year because she
was tired of living alone. I was alone, too, after my Sam died. Our three kids,
Ruth, Matt, and Alex, are out of the house although they don’t live too far
from me. It’s worked out well with Ma. She’s a fun companion. Who would have
thought when I was younger and wilder? She’s a good cook, and like the fine
Portuguese woman she is, she keeps me in kale soup, a staple of our people.
Yes, Long is my married name. Ferreira is the name I got at birth. I’m a
hundred percent Portagee and proud that I’ve invaded a Yankee stronghold in the
hilltowns.
Yes, kale soup
or Caldo Verde is a staple in their household, as it is mine, at least in the
cold weather months. I love other dishes when I can get them, usually when I
visit my hometown.
As a child I
grew up in Southeastern Massachusetts, where many Portuguese immigrants
settled. They found work on the fishing boats and in the case of my mother’s
parents, the textile mills. It was a huge adjustment from the rural lives they
once led “back home” although both sets of grandparents kept animals and large
gardens to support their families. I have fond memories of the time I spent
with them.
Let me tell you about
my grandmother, Angela Ferreira. She was the youngest of a large family in
Madeira. Her older sister worked for a wealthy family who wanted a companion
for their daughter, so my grandmother went to live with them. Every day she
carried the girl’s books to school and waited in the back of the room until
they went home to play. One day the teacher caught her trying to read. She got
permission for my grandmother to go to school.
When my
grandmother was sixteen, she and her sister went by boat to the U.S., a trip
that included a huge storm in which people were swept out to sea. I admire my
grandmother’s bravery.
My childhood was
a mixture of celebrating our heritage, especially at local feasts, still going
strong in the New Bedford area, to being as American as possible.
I will admit
there is a lot of me in Isabel Long. She’s sassy and savvy. She doesn’t take
crap from anybody. She’s got a good heart and cares. Plus she has that arsenal
of skills she acquired as a journalist.
All of this
comes in handy for her second case, in Redneck’s Revenge. A woman hires her to find
out how her father, an ornery so-and-so, died. The cops say he was passed-out
drunk when his house caught fire. She says he was murdered.
But before she
can take any case, Isabel has some business to attend to after the cops tell
her there are legal requirements if she wants to be a P.I. She’s also a bit
ungrounded after solving her first case — for personal and professional
reasons. Here’s an excerpt.
Mostly, I moped.
Ma noticed it, too.
“When are you going to find something to
do?” she asked me one day.
“What do you mean?”
“Like when you solved that mystery.”
“You heard what the state cop said about
getting a license,” I reminded her. “I need to find a licensed P.I. to take me
on.”
“What’s stopping you?”
Ma had a point. I have a hard head and an
iron will. I suppose I’m generalizing when I say it’s because I’m a
full-blooded Portagee. But I’m descended from people who went all over the
world in tiny wooden ships. My grandparents came over from the Madeira and
Azores islands in them.
Yes, try
stopping us.
Thank you Joan! What a lovely story about your grandmother. In the book, I just loved Isabel and her mother's wonderful relationship. Let's get onto "Redneck's Revenge". It's the second in the series - the first being "Chasing the Case" (see HERE ).
First the summary:
Her next case. She’s in it
for good.
Isabel Long is in a funk
months after solving her first case. Her relationship with the Rooster Bar’s
owner is over. Then cops say she must work for a licensed P.I. before working
solo.
Encouraged by her Watson —
her 92-year-old mother — Isabel snaps
out of it by hooking up with a P.I. and finding a new case.
The official ruling is Chet Waters, an ornery so-and-so, was passed
out when his house caught fire. His daughter, who inherited the junkyard,
believes he was murdered. Topping the list of suspects are dangerous
drug-dealing brothers, a rival junkyard owner, and an ex-husband.
Could the man’s death simply be a case of redneck’s revenge? Isabel
is about to find out.
MY REVIEW
Redneck’s Revenge is a novel that will stay with you for a long time. Well, it will with me because I rank it up there with Fanny Flagg’s “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café”, one of my favourite books, and that’s not because “Redneck’s Revenge” is set in a café or that there’s any sign of green tomatoes, hell, it’s not even the same genre. It’s because of the author’s brilliant voice, the way she lets the characters jump off the page: they’re so real, quirky and unforgettable. You have rednecks galore (I hope that’s not pejorative because I adored reading about the folk of the small hilltop towns in Massachusetts – the Old Farts, the junkyard owners, the bar owners…so many) but my favourite is Isabel Long herself – a sassy, adorable, down-to-earth but take-no-prisoners type of gal (see? I picked up the lingo) who has a mother as wise and courageous as Isabel.
I was immersed in the setting, which comes
alive with the characters and as the story continues. The ending was a
surprise, although I did pick up a hint of it earlier in the story, but
dismissed it. Very clever plot.
Joan Livingston is a professional
journalist and this shows in her excellent style of writing. She’s a born
fiction writer and I dearly look forward to the next Isabel Long case.
Definitely a 5 star read and thoroughly recommended.
All about Joan:Definitely a 5 star read and thoroughly recommended.
Joan Livingston Bio
After
eleven years in Northern New Mexico, she returned to rural Western
Massachusetts, which is the setting of much of her adult fiction, including the
Isabel Long series.
Joan
Livingston on social media:
Twitter: @joanlivingston
Book
links to Chasing the Case and Redneck’s Revenge:
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