James Lee Burke is a professional, and it shows.
This very well-written narrative is an Edgar nominee this year for good reason.
There are multiple narratives threaded together fairly seamlessly. There are two young black women who are slaves, a white plantation family member, a young man, a crazed confederate soldier, a white yankee abolitionist lady and a sherrif type character….all trying to survive in the south during the later days of the civil war.
Pretty much every character is flawed, some very much so indeed, and yet Burke manages to create a humanity in them that makes them appealing.
I do think the voices were a little more similar than ideal….all seem to rhapsodize in Burke’s own learned poetic voice when they describe a scene,but that’s just nit-picking.
Extremely grateful for the ending ( )

Author [author:James Lee Burke|7031] calls this his favorite fi the books that he has written and I can see why. This sprawling historical novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana is an epic tale with a large cast of characters but it isn't the forest killer that many authors believe their books ne4ed to be. I highly recommend it.

My thanks to the late Mike Sullivan, aka Lawyer, Laura, and all the folks at the On the Southern Literary Trail group for giving me the opportunity to read and discuss this and many other fine books. ( )

I can still remember hearing Peter Gzowski interview James Lee Burke sometime in the 1980s. I started reading his books immediately and have never really stopped. The last few, though, have made me reconsider my estimation of Burke's writing. The level of violence and pure evil left me wondering what was going on in his private life. However, when I heard that this book was set in Louisiana during the Civil War era I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did since I got to see the craft that attracted me to Burke's writing in the first place.

The Civil War has been raging for over 2 years and it's not looking good for the Confederate forces. In Louisiana, New Orleans has been captured giving the North control of the Mississippi River. Slaves on plantations can foresee freedom coming soon and some of them are no longer willing to wait. One brutal plantation owner in the New Iberia area, Minos Suarez, was murdered and suspicion has fallen on Hannah Laveau, who was loaned by Charles Lufkin to Suarez in order to settle a debt. Pierre Cauchon, the police officer in charge of Negro problems, arrests Hannah but she escapes prison with a schoolteacher abolitionist, Florence Milton. Wade Lufkin, a medical officer in the Confederate Army, has returned to his uncle's plantation to convalesce and was attracted by Hannah who seems to return his love. But Hannah is also haunted by the loss of her son at the Battle for Shiloh where she was helping care for the wounded. He disappeared in the heat of battle and she longs to know if he is alive or dead. While Cauchon is investigating the murder of Suarez he meets Darla Babineaux, a freed slave who still lives on the plantation. Cauchon can't seem to stay away from Darla although Darla also seems to be involved with a Union soldier, Captain John Endicott. Endicott has been extractng cattle and other goods from the plantation owners. to support to Union army. He and his men resort to bloodshed and arson in order to convince the southerners to give up their goods. Meanwhile, a Colonel Hayes, who has a troop of irregular soldiers supporting the Confederate side, is wreaking his own form of havoc in the area. No one, except perhaps Pierre Cauchon, has clean hands. That's ironic because Cauchon is "poor white trash" but he has the heart of a gentleman.

JLB (as we devotees like to call the author) says he thinks this is his best book. I don't agree; I think some of his Dave Robicheaux books were better but at least it is better than his last few novels. ( )

Flags on the Bayou by James Lee Burke

War brings death, destruction, corruption of morals and physical bodies. It brings out the best and worst in men and women who fight, endure, and live through it. This look back is dark and grim…but then…war is just that though some say there is honor and glory to be found…I doubt it.

Having read this author’s work in the past, I was eager to read this book without even knowing what the topic was. As I began to read, I thought it was beautifully written with descriptions of the south that painted a lovely picture…until the picture changed, and one dark ugly scene followed another one.

The story is told by introducing one character at a time who spends a chapter telling what is happening in his or her life till the next character steps onto the stage. Each character returns later in the story to tell a bit more.

Who were the characters:
* Wade Lufkin: pacifist at the beginning of the war working with the wounded and dying, learned he could kill, was riddled with guilt, carries wounds both mental and physical, a bit of a loose cannon but also seems to care deeply about some odd and discrepant issues and people
* Hannah Laveau: slave, wife without her husband, mother who lost her son, abused, has a gift or two or three, accused of murder, strong, survivor, attractive, intriguing to more than one character in the book
* Pierre Couchon: constable, carries out his duties according to the law as stated by those in power, lost part of his foot in the confederate army, born poor but well educated and wants more, a bit conflicted about more than one thing, grows a lot in this story
* Darla Babineaux: once enslaved, free woman, stays on the plantation, has big dreams, sees something in Pierre, keeps her eye on the prize no matter what it might require, taken in by a sweet talker more than once, survivor with a strong sense of justice
* Florence Milton: northerner, abolitionist, strong, pushes boundaries, conflicted about actions she has taken, educates and nurses others, does what needs to be done
* Colonel Carlton Hayes: rather off-putting, charismatic, previous choices has left him riddled with a disease that will eventually kill him, strong, ruthless, difficult to like or admire
* Endicott: heinous evil despicable creature

This story, in some ways, told of the horrors of war but did have me feeling it was more a dark fairy tale than a factual rendition of the past. The times were perhaps much as described but the characters in this story were bigger than what I would imagine was possible at the time and the ending the part that seemed too good to be true.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes and NO
Am I glad I read it? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )

More like 3.5. Civil War in Louisiana post-Shiloh from POVs of different characters from slaves to "plantation gentry" to soldiers of all stripes. Very violent. ( )