Audiobook Review: 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 book counts for the Audiobook Challenge and the Historical Fiction Challenge.

Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell

Spitfire Women of World War II by Giles Whittell

Completion Date: February 26, 2011
Reason for Reading: Sassymonkey said I would like it, and I trust her!

The story of the unsung heroines who flew the newest, fastest, aeroplanes in World War II -- mostly in southern England where the RAF was desperately short of pilots. Why would the well-bred daughter of a New England factory-owner brave the U-boat blockades of the North Atlantic in the bitter winter of 1941? What made a South African diamond heiress give up her life of house parties and London balls to spend the war in a freezing barracks on the Solent? And why did young Margaret Frost start lying to her father during the Battle of Britain? They -- and scores of other women -- weren't allowed to fly in combat, but what they did was nearly as dangerous. Unarmed and without instruments or radios, they delivered planes for the Air Transport Auxiliary to the RAF bases from which male pilots flew into battle. At the mercy of the weather and any long-range enemy aircraft that pounced on them, fifteen of these women died, among them Amy Johnson, Britain's most famous flyer. But the survivors shared four unrepeatable years of life, adrenaline and love. The story of this 'tough bunch of babes' (in the words of one of them) has never been told properly before. The author has travelled to four continents to interview all the surviving women pilots, who came not just from the shires of England, but also from the U.S.A, Chile, Australia, Poland and Argentina. Paid GBP 6 a week, they flew up to 16 hours a day in 140 different types of aircraft, though most of them liked Spitfires the best.

Jackie Cochrane

I am so happy that I FINALLY read this book! I have to admit I had intended to review it before now when it was still fresh, but inspiration never seemed to strike. It is mainly because I had a problem with my eReader. I loved it when I bought it, but I will never read a non-fiction book on it again. As I am writing my review, I am always flipping around through the book to find little facts and I love an index. This is not something that is as important with fiction books, so I never considered it. The index for this book is really just a list of topics with no page numbers and no way to jump back to where it is discussed. It bothers me immensely, to the point where I am going to be buying a couple books in a bit and I am actually considering buying a paperback copy of this one. I should have in the first place...

Amy Johnson

Now that I have that out of the way, I loved this book. Non-fiction is actually my first love. Specifically Canadian or British history set during the World Wars. Add in a women angle and I am there with bells on! Obviously I read other things, but these are the types of books I will buy with no hesitation. This book also gets points because I actually have always had this quiet little dream of learning how to fly a plane. It probably will never happen because I have a hard enough time driving a car, but it is still there in the back of my mind. To read about these women who had such a chance was fascinating for me! Who knows, if I had lived back then I may have learned. These women may not have been flying in combat, but they were just as at risk. Many of them were improperly trained to fly the planes they were assigned to operate.

Women Pilots

The thing I liked about this book is that the author tried to put a face to every pilot. It could have been overwhelming keeping all the names straight, but I actually found it fascinating. Some of the pilots, like Amy Johnson, received more pages than others, but for the most part she made sure to give a character sketch of all the women. Some were also still alive at the time that this book was written so she could go and visit them and hear their stories firsthand. This story-telling aspect made its way to the pages, so it made the book very readable. World War II opened up many opportunities for women that had not existed before the war, but they still had to fight for every chance. It was a huge deal when they were allowed to fly Spitfires. They had previously been considered too powerful for women, but the rule was loosened a bit.

Dorothy Furey

There was so much to learn by reading this book. I was engrossed from the very beginning. Normally non-fiction books take me a bit longer to read, but this one I found almost a page-turner by the end. When I finished it, I ended up staying up really late to see how everything played out. This is a book I will definitely want to visit with again! The pictures included are just some of the women involved in the book.

Jackie Sorour

Maureen Dunlop

This was a very famous photo