Flags on the Bayou presents a blique view of the Civil War and the many characters involved in the foray. James Lee Burke develops the story with many narrators so the reader may see the Union Army, the Southern Army, the Red Legs, the slaves, and the plantation owners. The conditions of the war display the ugliness of the war and the people. General Robert E. Lee becomes this disparaged man who forces his soldiers to a terrible death. The Southern way of kindness and hospitality disappear in the quest for survival. The relationship between slaves and their owners falls into cruelty and bitterness. James Lee Burke attempts to speak in the language the illiterate but greatly fails in this endeavor. The story ends with redemption, but too little and too late. ( )

Flags on the Bayou is a book that really had no story with a beginning middle and end. The book just came to an end and then the author spoke the Epilogue. There was a reference to an island but how did the characters get onto this island? What was the name of the island or even the name of the painter who painted the people who inhabited the island? This is all very confusing. Consequently, only three stars were given to this book review. ( )

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. ( )