Flags on the bayou : a novel

From New York Times-bestselling author James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters – enslaved and free women, plantation gentry, and battle-weary Confederate and Union soldiers – are caught in the maelstrom In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is retreating toward Texas, and being replaced by Red Legs, irregulars commanded by a maniacal figure, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed—and did—as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle's plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah. Flags on the Bayou is an engaging, action-packed narrative that includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the local Union commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by a diseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossoming between an unlikely pair. As the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief. James Lee Burke, whose "evocative prose remains a thing of reliably fierce wonder" (Entertainment Weekly), expertly renders the rich Louisiana landscape, from the sunsets on the Mississippi River to the dingy saloons of New Orleans to the tree-lined shores of the bayou and the cottonmouth snakes that dwell in its depths. Powerful and deeply moving, Flags on the Bayou is a story of tragic acts of war, class divisions upended, and love enduring through it all. Author: James Lee Burke Title: Flags on the Bayou Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press; Grove/Atlantic Identifier: 9780802161703, 9780802161697, asin:B0BNS4KQYB Grade: retail Length: 258 pages Hardcover, 310 pages Published: 2023 From New York Times -bestselling author James Lee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South transforms and a brilliant cast of characters – enslaved and free women, plantation gentry, and battle-weary Confederate and Union soldiers – are caught in the maelstrom In the fall of 1863, the Union army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is in disarray, corrupt structures are falling apart, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, a formerly enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed—and did—as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle’s plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah. Flags on the Bayou is an engaging, action-packed narrative that includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the local Union commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by a diseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossoming between an unlikely pair. As the story unfolds, it illuminates a past that reflects our present in sharp relief. Jul 2023 - epub verified by zardox. From American master JamesLee Burke comes a novel set in Civil War-era Louisiana as the South disintegratesand a brilliant cast of characters ? plantation gentry, enslaved women, andsoldiers from both sides ? are caught in the maelstrom By the fall of 1863, theUnion army is in control of the Mississippi river. Much of Louisiana, includingNew Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate army is in disarray,corrupt old structures are falling apart, and enslaved men and women arebeginning to glimpse a prospect of freedom. Haunted by what he observed ?and did ? as a surgeon on the battlefield, Wade Lufkin has returned to hisuncle's plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah Laveau,a formerly enslaved woman still working on the plantation. When Hannah isaccused of murder, she is forced to go on the run with Miss Florence, anabolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchersthat prowl the bayous. The book provides an engaging, action-packed narrativethat includes a duel that ends in disaster, a brutal encounter with the localUnion commander, repeated skirmishes with Confederate irregulars led by adiseased and probably deranged colonel, and a powerful story of love blossomingbetween an unlikely pair. James Lee Burke, whose"evocative prose remains a thing of reliably fierce wonder" ( EntertainmentWeekly ), expertly renders the rich Louisiana landscape, from the sunsets onthe Mississippi River to the dingy saloons of New Orleans to the tree-linedshores of the bayou and the cottonmouth snakes that dwell in its depths.Powerful and deeply moving, Flags on the Bayou is a story of tragic actsof war, class divisions upended, and love enduring through it all "In the fall of 1863, the Union Army is in control of the Mississippi River. Much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge, is occupied. The Confederate Army is in disarray, corrupt structures are falling apart, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slavecatchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed--and did--as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle's plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah."-- Provided by publisher