When culinary grad Maria Valentino falls in love with French Quarter chef Roman Robideaux, she is torn between honesty and a dark secret: her rape on a Florida beach. But when the rapist appears among Bourbon Street revelers, Maria is confronted with a past that could at any moment destroy what love is promising. A seductive story of redemption and triumph spiked with Louisiana culture, compelling mystery, and vivid characters, The Girl with the Pendant Pearl is breathtaking, yet complex and unpredictable, a feel-good, historically accurate narrative guaranteed to move you. Set in a post-Katrina French Quarter, the narrative addresses Louisiana's struggle with nature, the pending cataclysm of political neglect, and the workaday lives of imperiled natives.
When culinary grad Maria Valentino falls in love with French Quarter chef Roman Robideaux, she is torn between honesty and a dark secret: her rape on a Florida beach. But when the rapist appears among Bourbon Street revelers, Maria is confronted with a past that could at any moment destroy what love is promising. A seductive story of redemption and triumph spiked with Louisiana culture, compelling mystery, and vivid characters, The Girl with the Pendant Pearl is breathtaking, yet complex and unpredictable, a feel-good, historically accurate narrative guaranteed to move you. Set in a post-Katrina French Quarter, the narrative addresses Louisiana's struggle with nature, the pending cataclysm of political neglect, and the workaday lives of imperiled natives.