The Grandissimes

The classic 19th century novel about a family navigating their lives and loves in New Orleans' Creole society.   When The Grandissimes was first published in 1880, the book was criticized for its portrayal of forbidden love and the clash of cultures during the Reconstruction. Since then, the novel has been considered a masterful critique of racial and social inequality that resonates with modern readers.  George Washington Cable's work has been compared to that of writers as varied as Balzac, John Kennedy Toole, and Henry James.