White Doves at Morning - Softcover

Burke, James Lee

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0743466624 ISBN 13: 9780743466622

Publisher: Washington Square Press Inc.,N.Y., 2004

Synopsis

A riveting evocation of the Civil War, drawn from the true family history of "America's best novelist" ("The Denver Post"), JAMES LEE BURKE 1861. Two young Southerners, friends despite their differing political views and backgrounds, enlist in the 18th Louisiana regiment of the Confederate Army: Robert Perry, wealthy and privileged, and irreverent Willie Burke, the son of Irish immigrants, face the trials of battle and find redemption in the love of a passionate and committed abolitionist, Abigail Downing, and in the courageous struggle of Flower Jamison, a beautiful slave. Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, and penetrating a landscape of shattering Civil War bloodshed as few novels have, this epic from an American literary giant endows readers with the gift of experiencing the past through new eyes, while its timeless prose style -- at once luminous and brutal -- ensures the legacy of this bloodiest of conflicts will never be lost.

About this title

Review

The author of the steamy Dave Robicheaux detective stories has turned his hand to a historical novel. White Doves at Morning tells the story of James Lee Burke's ancestor--a Confederate soldier in the American civil war. The novel illuminates the panoramic events by following the lives of a handful of people involved. The hero Willie Burke is a cheeky but brave solider who interacts with a courageous Yankee abolitionist, an intelligent and persecuted slave girl and a rogues' gallery of colourful and corrupt confederate soldiers.

Burke writes with an economical, passionate and vivid style. The violent desperation of the battlefield is described with gripping realism while the violent and sweaty atmosphere of the Confederate USA is evoked brilliantly. Burke's plot is somewhat episodic, and he assumes that his readers have more knowledge about the history and culture of America than many actually do. For the non-American reader especially, some maps, a glossary and an outline of key events would have helped enormously. Therefore this book is best read by those who already have some background knowledge about the Civil War. These cross cultural problems aside, Burke still captivates with the power of his observation and the sympathy of his storytelling. For those who like their history in realistic, but fictional form White Doves of Morning mustn't be missed. --Dwight Longenecker

Review

"People" [A] Civil War blockbuster....Extraordinary.

About this edition

• Publisher: Washington Square Press Inc.,N.Y.
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0743466624
• ISBN 13: 9780743466622
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Number of pages: 434