3.5

The 2010 BP Oil Spill was horrific and a tremedous challege to find a way to stop the flow of this massive leak which was affecting the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and all that lived in the waters and the humans on the coast. The fictitious story to this historical backdrop takes place along the coast of Louisiana. Jordan Pearce worked alongside his father in this family oyster farm business until his father died leaving him and his brother Benny, who had never worked on the boats, to run it. Of course Benny had nothing to do with it, leaving Jordan to run the business, the employees and keep a check on his mother.

Lots of family drama with the grittiness of Benny's life in New Orleans make for a story that didn't grab me as much as I wanted. I really wanted more on the BP spill and its affects. The book covers some of it but it is mostly about the ups and downs of the Pearce family.

My thanks to Net Galley and Zibby Books for an advanced copy of this e-book.

Very interesting premise. There isn't much fiction (if any?) written about that oil spill. I was really interested in that part of the story, but I didn't love the POV, and some of the writing was confusing. A good debut for this author, and I'll surely read her next one!

Great debut novel! It is an atmospheric family saga, I really enjoyed it and look forward to seeing more work from this author.

A debut title that tells a fascinating story of a family affected by the Louisiana oil spill of 2010.

Jordan is the reluctant head of the family oyster farming business after his father’s death. His mother, May, is still stuglling with the grief of her husband’s death. Jordan's younger brother Benny, an aspiring jazz musician, returns home to help in the wake of the oil spill. The long simmering conflicts in the family come to a head while they face the possible demise of a generations-old family business.

The backdrop of the 2010 BP Deep Horizon oil spill is vividly described by the author. The author captures the chaos and despair of the community, the impact on immigrants who were unable to file claims for disaster reimbursement . The family characters were flawed and unlikeable which is probably why the oil spill aspect of the book appealed to me more than the family’s story.

Readers who enjoy family dramas will enjoy Pearce Oysters. Perfect for readers of Mercury by Amy Jo Burns or Anita Shreve’s The Stars are Fire. Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Books for the advanced reader’s copy.

“The whole point of an oyster is where it’s from.”

The sense of place is strong in this one. The Louisiana Bayou is described in vivid and immersive detail. The whole point of this novel is its setting.

After the death of their father, Jordan and Benny take over the family oyster business, except Benny doesn’t really stick around to help out. The two are at odds, until an oil spill threatens their livelihood. Their mother, May, just wants her boys to get along.

The family is surrounded by a cast of supporting characters, some of which feel a bit like tokens, but showcase the diversity of the area. And while some side stories are less developed, I could have done without May’s romantic interludes. I did, however, find the facts about oil spills interesting, and the family story is dynamic and engaging.

I very much enjoyed this debut novel.

This family saga plays out against the backdrop of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Pearce family business is oyster farming: they've made for living for decades bringing their in-demand product to market. But when the explosion occurs, it brings their long-simmering personal crises to a boiling point, and creates chaos and despair in the broader community. While I was interested in matriarch May and her two grown sons, this story really shone for its detailed portrayal of the oil spill from the perspective of coastal Louisianans and its impact on the local communities.

This was one of my most anticipated new releases of 2024. I liked it. It reminded me of Amy Jo Burns and "Last House" by Jessica Shattuck. The characters were flawed and a little unlikeable. The author did a good job of weaving in the economic implications of the oil spill, and how it impacted immigrants and refugees who were not eligible for disaster compensation or government benefits.

In her debut novel, Takacs paints a portrait of an oyster-farming family and the larger coastal community as they encounter catastrophe. A massive oil spill from an off-shore rig is creeping towards the shore, threatening their health, livelihoods, and connections to the land. Amid this disaster, struggles are amplified and drastic decisions are made. Overall, this is an engaging read.

I read Pearce Oysters by Joselyn Takacs in bits and pieces during the last couple of days while traveling and the story did not let me go, even though I was interrupted countless times I had to keep on reading.
This is a character driven story focusing on a family of oysterman during the 2010 BP oil spill. While some of that catastrophe - the race to find a way to close the leak was still fresh in my mind, the impact on coastal communities had not stayed as close, I am sorry to say. I was drawn in by Joselyn Takacs characters, especially brothers Jordan and Benny and their mother May, and their relationships, the shadow of their pre-deceased father. These brothers are not friends or friendly in the best of times but now external circumstances force them to work together- can they get past their differences and long held grudges ?

The oil spill combined with fresh water diversions kills their oyster reefs and their family company. Pearce Oysters takes them from the time of the oil threatening to come to their reefs all the way to the closing of the family business and the pressure this puts on them and their familial relationships is wonderfully portrayed.
The callousness displayed by the oil company, the talks given at the high school auditorium by scientists, the insular community that can’t believe the bayou that fed them could actually be killing them now, so well written, so much to think about !

Thank whatever God you believe in for books like Pearce Oyster. It's a summer read that is more than that because it gives you a very important message about how we treat the earth and also tells you a great family drama. What I loved about it most is that the author interviewed actual people that were affected by the BP oil spiill. Imagine you have a job harvesting something and then all of sudden that is all changed by a company that does care about what it does as long as it makes a profit. What would your family do? You're all capitalists but where do you draw the line. The author doesn't try to over dramatize the characters. They are all fleshed out so you can believe them and actually feel what the trial and tribulations they are going through. Coming from New England where I grew up eating oysters I truly looked at myself and asked myself what was behind where I got those oysters. There were many lives that brought that oyster to my plate. I'm really excited Zibby books is publishing books like this. I can't wait to see what else is published by them. I know I'll be reading them to see a new perspective on publishing. Readable history!!! Thank you to Zibby books and #netgalley for the read.

review contains some minor plot spoilers, read with caution -

Pearce Oysters first grabbed my attention from its beautiful cover, then because it was a story different from the typical books I see on the shelves. This is the second historical fiction title I have read this year. I previously said "this is not my genre" but maybe it is because I enjoyed reading it so much, I'm probably going to go for a third.

One of the things Takacs does best in this book is that the characters in the story come from many different backgrounds (ethnicities, sexualities, class), but it never feels like tokenism. It's completely believable that all of these people would be living in the South Louisiana bayou town Golden Vale or New Orleans and coexisting. The way they interact with each other feels genuine as well, both in their positive (friendships, relationships) and negative experiences (racist microaggressions, homophobia).

I especially loved Cydni, an Indigenous Pointe-au-Chien. When we first meet her, mostly all we get out of Cydni and Jordan's first few scenes are showings of her quick wit personality. So, by the time we learn she's from the Pointe-au-Chien tribe, it's just added information rather than the driving point of her presence in Jordan's life or the story. But she's not removed from her own identity either, the moments where it comes up in conversation or thought feels believable to her lived experiences and not just to feel like a gold star sticker for having a non-white person in the room. I wouldn't have minded hearing more about her tribe and the impact of the oil spill on her people, but I also recognize that could easily be its entirely own book.

As for Alejandro, I wish we had gotten more out of him. I wanted to know more about his loneliness, his decision to "illegally" immigrate then seek asylum in the US, his sexuality, how his identities may intersect or conflict with each other. I'm not disappointed at the idea of a gay romance being treated rather normally or as a non-abrasive plotline (hell I'm usually begging for it), but I was surprised by how his relationship with Benny develops with so little fear of judgment or consequence when otherwise Alejandro is quiet and kind of marked as an outsider. As well as Benny's remarks around his own upbringing led me to believe that the general tone towards queer people in Golden Vale was negative. So, I guess I would have expected more conflict there based on the existing tones within the story. Similarly to Cydni, it could be that the issue is he's a secondary character, so the book may not have had the space or pages to develop him further, but I still wanted it.

The main characters, Jordan, Benny, and May also shine. The brother's relationships with each other and also their unique relationships to May (Mother) as well as their differing memories of their deceased father's character feel genuine. As someone with three siblings, I have always thought that no two children have identical relationships with their parents and that is shown well throughout this story. The way they respond to trauma, hardships, all differ yet you see the through line of familial bond for better or for worse.

It's impressive to write a story that can focus on your kind of average families, yet still be so captivating and interesting. I think the massive tragedy of the oil spill of course is part of that ability, but it's not the only reason. Overall, I would rate this book 4.5 stars. I only took away .5 stars for areas where I wanted more (Alejando, Cyndi) and areas where I wanted less (some of the secondary characters in New Orleans felt pointless).

Thank you to Zibby Books and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Loved the Pearce family, bumps and scratches and all. A true family saga that grabs at your oyster loving heart. Enjoyed learning about the oil spill, oyster farming and what life was like during a time that gives new meaning to the BP oil spill. Excellent debut.

I enjoyed reading the family/natural disaster drama about the BP oil spill and the destruction it wreaked upon the Louisiana Coast. I vividly remember the spill and the devastation it caused to the local wildlife. Pearce Oysters really brought the story to life in a way the news coverage didn’t.

The Pearce Oyster Company has been in business for three generations, harvesting and farming oysters in southern Louisiana. When the BP Oil spill of 2010 hits, and there seem to be a lot of ideas and very few actual solutions, the Pearce family watches as generations of hard work, along with their livelihood, disappear before their eyes.

Though we’ve seen a great deal of literature influenced by Hurricane Katrina, this is the first work of fiction I’ve read about the BP Oil Spill, which is surprising. It’s an important story that needs to be told, and the author did it in a thoughtful and entertaining way. I became deeply invested in what would happen to the Pearce family and how they would survive this devastating loss. I strongly recommend this book.

A family saga based on families who lived off oyster fishing and the B P petroleum spill.So well written heartbreaking at times eye opening to the effects of the tragedy.Well written drew me in highly recommend.#netgalley#zibbybooks

This book explored the oyster industry and the effects of the BP oil spill on the lives and livelihoods of the oyster farmers. It was an interesting dive into an industry that I knew nothing about.

Thank you Netgalley and Zibby books for the chance to read and review this book.

I love eating oysters so when I saw the cover on this book, I immediately thought to myself, I’m reading that book. I thought the author did a great job of researching and weaving a story about the oil spill and how it affected the Pearce family, who were oyster farmers. It was a thought provoking story that made you angry, devastated and hopeful for the family.

I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher Zibby books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

I can still remember the BP oil spill quite vividly. It was wildly destructive and went on for an interminable amount of time. I think we could all sense the toll it took, and the devastation it must have caused, on the surrounding communities and this story illuminated that reality (albeit in a fictional manner). An important story about a topic that needs to be more explored in novels.

I met Joselyn in line for the ladies room at the Zibby event, New Year, New Chapter, in New York in January. She was dismayed at the fact that people were going to be reading her novel, were already aware of the upcoming release and had questions about it. Her sincere gratitude was refreshing.

Pearce Oysters is a beautiful family, community, environmental drama. This devastating oil spill comes after the destruction of Katrina. This community relies on clean water for their livelihood and personal health. Of course the big oil business is only interested in covering up their damage.

I really enjoyed how this book unfolded. The damaged relationship between the Pearce brothers, the reinvention of their mother as she discovers life after the loss of her husband, romantic relationships, and the failing health of their community as a result of the spill - all so thoughtfully written. I’ve been to New Orleans once but this book takes us behind the scenes into the real community, not the tourist spots.

This book leaves me super excited for more from Joselyn Takacs.

The backdrop of this story, rural Louisiana during the 2010 BP oil spill, is so richly written that it's very apparent a lot of research and first-hand accounts have gone into writing the story with so much care. Watching Jordan struggle with the reality of losing his family's oyster business, which has been run for three generations, because of the destruction of the ecosystem, along with his widowed mother, wayward brother, dating life and employees made for a compelling character-driven story as they navigate their way through this natural disaster. I enjoyed the focus of a small town, showcasing how such a catastrophic eco disaster can affect so many people, and the detail and thought put into Joselyn Takacs writing made for a very humanising and realistic story of family, politics, environmentalism and tragedy.

'Pearce Oysters" is an evocative debut novel that delves into the heart of a family and community in crisis. Set against the backdrop of the Louisiana coastline during the historic 2010 oil spill, the story follows the Pearce family, local oyster farmers whose livelihoods are threatened by environmental disaster.

Joselyn Takacs crafts a narrative that is as rich and complex as the ecosystem it portrays. The novel’s protagonist, Jordan, is the reluctant head of his family’s oyster business, struggling to keep it afloat amidst the chaos. His mother, May, a distressed widow, faces her own set of challenges, while Benny, the beatnik musician brother, returns from New Orleans to aid in the crisis.

The novel is a tapestry of interwoven lives, each character grappling with personal demons and the larger forces of nature and industry that shape their existence. Takacs’s prose is lush and vivid, bringing to life the grit and beauty of the American South. Her deep understanding of the oyster industry and the cultural fabric of Louisiana adds authenticity to the narrative.

Critically acclaimed for its unflinching portrayal of a devastated community and the resilience of those who call it home, “Pearce Oysters” is a testament to the power of family, culture, and the indomitable human spirit. There is an emotional richness here with perceptive insights into both the natural world and the complexities of family life.

As I was reading “Pearce Oysters” I felt pulled into the compelling story and appreciated how it raises important questions about environmental responsibility and the impact of human actions on nature. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in eco-fiction and stories that highlight the resilience of communities in the face of adversity.

Thank you Zibby Books Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC before this book releases on 6/25.