The Black Flower by Howard Bahr

The Black Flower by Howard Bahr

Completed: January 30, 2014
Length: 10 Hours, 23 Minutes
Narrated by: Brian Emerson

Synopsis from Audible:

At 26, Bushrod Carter is already an old soldier, a veteran of all his regiment's campaigns since Shiloh. Now, on an Indian summer afternoon in 1864, Bushrod finds himself in the line of battle once again, on a plain below the obscure village of Franklin, Tennessee. The dark flower of his destiny is opening in the twilight, just as it has on other fields, and Bushrod must pass once again under its shadow if he is to see tomorrow.

In the madness and violence of a great battle and its aftermath, Bushrod Carter tries to act his part as well as he can. He must confront his soul and learn from his comrades and from a young girl struggling with her own harsh past.

This timeless portrait of a young man's suffering in war has already won praise for its originality and power. The Black Flower is a story not only of war, but of men and women seeking redemption, who are stripped of all that anchors them, and who at last turn to honor and courage and love.

Fiction or Non-Fiction? Genre?: Historical Fiction set during the American Civil War.

What Lead you to Pick Up This Book?: This book was a selection for the Literature & War Read-along hosted by Caroline at Beauty is a Sleeping Cat. Apparently American Civil War books are not popular in Canada. This book was out-of-print and my library didn't have it. I, very randomly, could only find it as an audiobook on Audible.

Summarize the Plot: This novel takes place during the American Civil War. The novel primarily centres around 26-year-old Bushrod Carter and his friends, but the book also jumps around to other characters. There is even a section told from the point-of-view of a wasp. The book gives you a glimpse in the strain that is put on these young men who are veterans at such a young age. There is one part of the book where a doctor says they push so hard, hardly sleep, and get little nourishment, so anything that happens to them they are unlikely to recover from because of the strain all ready put on them. Bahr even manages to put a girl in the midst of everything without making it a romance.

What Did You Like Most About the Book?: Honestly, there were moments where I didn't want to stop the audiobook. When there was action, it was high action. And I was really impressed about his decision to write from the view-point of a wasp and me actually like that scene. I don't really know a lot about the American Civil War, this may be the first book I have ever read about it, but I felt it was a good look at the people. All wars are hard on the people. How many people just think American Civil War or WWI and don't think a 26 year-old man went through hell. He was not perfect. He did things that in other contexts would be horrible, but we see the world from his eyes and understand that he has been through a lot. I am not sure I am articulating what I am trying to say very well! Basically, this book is about the people who make up the war instead of the huge entity that was the war itself.

What Did You Like Least?: There were sections that kind of dragged. I found that when things were good, they were very good, but when things started to wan they got a bit dull. I also didn't enjoy the jumping around at first. There were too many people and I was having a hard time keeping everything straight. I don't think I really got in the groove of that until later in the book and then I started to appreciate this writing style.

What Did You Think of the Writing Style?: I think I basically answered this all ready by saying that when it was good; it was really good, and when it was bad; it was really dull. It all works in the frame of the story, though. There has to be down moments and I think it makes you appreciate the story even more because of the unevenness.

What Did You Think of the Main Character?: I wasn't sure what to make of Bushrod. For starters, what a very unfortunate name. Initially I wondered if it was in fact his last name, but, nope, his first. Even though Bushrod is there from the beginning, I think it was almost halfway through the book, or maybe even more, before I really felt like he was the main character and I knew anything about him. And, I felt really bad for him. Near the end of the book he had just been through so much and was having a hard time keeping it together. This is where those 'little' moments and page-turning moments came together to show who this man really was and what he has gone through.

What Did You Think of the Ending?: I think the ending worked. I think the last half of the book was my favourite part of the overall story, anyway. That doesn't mean I necessarily liked the ending, but if I elaborate on why I will spoil it for others and that's not fair.

Frankly, if I wasn't participating in this read-along I don't think I ever would have had a reason to read this book. I had never even heard of it before! I am glad I gave it a chance, though. It was a good look at a war I knew very little about. Recommended!

Thoughts on the audio: This book was narrated by Brian Emerson. He did a pretty good job. I didn't really pay any attention to who was narrating it when I grabbed a copy of the book, but I was happy with the listen. He told the story well and wasn't boring. If I got distracted from it it was because the story slowed down and not anything against the narrator.

This post originally ran at the Written World.

Audiobook Review: Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys

Henrietta's War: News from the Homefront 1939-1942 by Joyce Dennys

Completed: January 11, 2014
Length: 3 Hours, 47 Minutes (158 Pages)
Narrated by: Mandy Gasson

Synopsis from Audible:

Spirited Henrietta wishes she was the kind of doctor's wife who knew exactly how to deal with the daily upheavals of war. But then, everyone in her close-knit Devonshire village seems to find different ways to cope: There's the indomitable Lady B, who writes to Hitler every night to tell him precisely what she thinks of him; the terrifyingly efficient Mrs. Savernack, who relishes the opportunity to sit on umpteen committees and boss everyone around; flighty, flirtatious Faith who is utterly preoccupied with the latest hats and flashing her shapely legs; and then there's Charles, Henrietta's hard-working husband who manages to sleep through a bomb landing in their neighbour's garden.

With life turned upside down under the shadow of war, Henrietta chronicles the dramas, squabbles, and loyal friendships that unfold in her affectionate letters to her "dear childhood friend" Robert. Warm, witty, and perfectly observed, Henrietta's War brings to life a sparkling community of determined troopers who pull together to fight the good fight with patriotic fervour and good humour.

Henrietta's War is part of The Bloomsbury Group, a new library of books from the early 20th-century chosen by readers for readers.

What Lead You to Pick Up the Book?: I was curious. I have heard good things about this book for ages and planned to buy it at Christmastime, but there was a reason that I couldn't. So, I went the audiobook route instead. I still would like to own the paperbacks at some point.

Summarize the Plot: The novel is entirely told from Henrietta's point of view through letters that she writes to her friend Robert. Robert is serving in the war, and Henrietta is keeping up to date on life on the home front. Through her letters, we learn about her husband and the cast of colourful characters that make up her community. By the end of the book, you feel as if you have been visiting with old friends.

What Did you Like Most About the Book?: I think my favourite part of the book is how everything comes to life during Henrietta's letters. Henrietta herself is the focal point, but she describes others so well that you feel as if you know them. There is Lady B, for example, who writes a letter to Hitler every evening telling him what she thinks of him. Then there is Faith, who has the choir master wrapped around her little finger. The choir master himself comes to life by visiting Henrietta in her bedroom to lament about his fate in the world. 

What Did you Like Least?: I wanted more. The book is very short, and I wish it wasn't. There is a sequel, though, and I may feel better once I have read that. (I am just disappointed that it is a different narrator for the audio because now Henrietta won't sound right.)

What Did you Think of the Writing Style: Well, I love books told through letters. I know there are many people that don't feel it gives enough to have a book written that way, but I am a huge fan and some of my favourite books are written through letters, diaries, etc. (This is why I joined the Postal Reading Challenge this year). I think that Dennys does a very successful job of telling what life was like on the Home Front during World War II.

What Did you Think of the Main Character?: Henrietta was very human. When there was something to be scared of, she was scared. When there was action going on, she got in the midst of it when it was necessary and ran away when it wasn't. Dennys made her seem like a real person instead of attempting to create a larger than life or impractical British woman. There was one scene where she gives blood that was particularly well-done and believable.

What did you think of the ending?: The book only covers the first part of the war, so I tend to think of the sequel as the real ending. That being said it ended fine and with no compulsion to have to read the sequel, but I want to see how things play out for Henrietta, her family, Robert, and the members of her community during the rest of the war.

Strongly recommended!

Thoughts on the Audio: I liked Mandy Gasson. She did a very good job talking in the conversational tones of the letters that Henrietta was writing to Robert. I went to see what else she has narrated, but this is her only book. As I mentioned above, I am disappointed she doesn't narrate the sequel.

This post originally ran at The Written World.